A one inch overlap is about ideal so for a 48 finished opening each door would be 24 5 inches wide.
How much overlap for barn doors.
To figure out what size track you need double your final width measurement.
The doors will need to be offset from each other on the track or sometimes even use an extra track.
While the style of barn door you choose will come down to your personal preference you will need to be aware of barn door vs opening dimensions when making your choice.
Barn door measuring guide for door openings with casing molding.
Your door s width should be 2 to 3 inches wider than the door opening and 1 inch higher than the dimensions of your opening.
Ideally the door will cover 2 to 3 inches beyond the opening on each side.
Measure from outside to outside of casing molding.
The picture above is of me seeing how the door will fit on the wall and how it will fit in the opening.
The wall that the door rests on when it is fully open has to be at least the same width as one door.
Doors wider than 24 5 would work just fine but you loose access width when the doors are open.
Two 24 doors would not overlap at all and would not stay fully engaged into the center guide on the floor.
Again for doorways with moldings measure from the top edge.
I used 7 6 slats which made my doors 42 wide and since my opening is 38 i was able to get 4 of overlap on the doors.
Measure across for the width and from the top of the casing molding to the floor for height.