diff --git a/include/components/bar.hpp b/include/components/bar.hpp
index 9c83a039..2d556e4f 100644
--- a/include/components/bar.hpp
+++ b/include/components/bar.hpp
@@ -28,19 +28,17 @@ class tray_manager;
 // }}}
 
 /**
- * Allows a new format for width, height, offset-x and offset-y in the bar section
+ * Allows a new format for pixel sizes (like width in the bar section)
  *
  * The new format is X%:Z, where X is in [0, 100], and Z is any real value
  * describing a pixel offset. The actual value is calculated by X% * max + Z
- * The max is the monitor width for width and offset-x and monitor height for
- * the other two
  */
 inline double geom_format_to_pixels(std::string str, double max) {
   size_t i;
   if ((i = str.find(':')) != std::string::npos) {
     std::string a = str.substr(0, i - 1);
     std::string b = str.substr(i + 1);
-    return math_util::percentage_to_value<double>(strtod(a.c_str(), nullptr), max) + strtod(b.c_str(), nullptr);
+    return math_util::max<double>(0,math_util::percentage_to_value<double>(strtod(a.c_str(), nullptr), max) + strtod(b.c_str(), nullptr));
   } else {
     if (str.find('%') != std::string::npos) {
       return math_util::percentage_to_value<double>(strtod(str.c_str(), nullptr), max);
diff --git a/src/components/bar.cpp b/src/components/bar.cpp
index f315dd57..79e1321a 100644
--- a/src/components/bar.cpp
+++ b/src/components/bar.cpp
@@ -219,19 +219,23 @@ bar::bar(connection& conn, signal_emitter& emitter, const config& config, const
 
   // Load border settings
   auto border_color = m_conf.get(bs, "border-color", rgba{0x00000000});
-  auto border_size = m_conf.get(bs, "border-size", 0);
+  auto border_size = m_conf.get(bs, "border-size", ""s);
+  auto border_top = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-top", "border-top-size", border_size);
+  auto border_bottom = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-bottom", "border-bottom-size", border_size);
+  auto border_left = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-left", "border-left-size", border_size);
+  auto border_right = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-right", "border-right-size", border_size);
 
   m_opts.borders.emplace(edge::TOP, border_settings{});
-  m_opts.borders[edge::TOP].size = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-top", "border-top-size", border_size);
+  m_opts.borders[edge::TOP].size = geom_format_to_pixels(border_top, m_opts.monitor->h);
   m_opts.borders[edge::TOP].color = parse_or_throw("border-top-color", border_color);
   m_opts.borders.emplace(edge::BOTTOM, border_settings{});
-  m_opts.borders[edge::BOTTOM].size = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-bottom", "border-bottom-size", border_size);
+  m_opts.borders[edge::BOTTOM].size = geom_format_to_pixels(border_bottom, m_opts.monitor->h);
   m_opts.borders[edge::BOTTOM].color = parse_or_throw("border-bottom-color", border_color);
   m_opts.borders.emplace(edge::LEFT, border_settings{});
-  m_opts.borders[edge::LEFT].size = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-left", "border-left-size", border_size);
+  m_opts.borders[edge::LEFT].size = geom_format_to_pixels(border_left, m_opts.monitor->w);
   m_opts.borders[edge::LEFT].color = parse_or_throw("border-left-color", border_color);
   m_opts.borders.emplace(edge::RIGHT, border_settings{});
-  m_opts.borders[edge::RIGHT].size = m_conf.deprecated(bs, "border-right", "border-right-size", border_size);
+  m_opts.borders[edge::RIGHT].size = geom_format_to_pixels(border_right, m_opts.monitor->w);
   m_opts.borders[edge::RIGHT].color = parse_or_throw("border-right-color", border_color);
 
   // Load geometry values
@@ -274,7 +278,10 @@ bar::bar(connection& conn, signal_emitter& emitter, const config& config, const
   m_opts.center.x /= 2;
   m_opts.center.x += m_opts.borders[edge::LEFT].size;
 
-  m_log.info("Bar geometry: %ix%i+%i+%i", m_opts.size.w, m_opts.size.h, m_opts.pos.x, m_opts.pos.y);
+  m_log.info("Bar geometry: %ix%i+%i+%i; Borders: %d,%d,%d,%d", m_opts.size.w,
+      m_opts.size.h, m_opts.pos.x, m_opts.pos.y,
+      m_opts.borders[edge::TOP].size, m_opts.borders[edge::RIGHT].size,
+      m_opts.borders[edge::BOTTOM].size, m_opts.borders[edge::LEFT].size);
 
   m_log.trace("bar: Attach X event sink");
   m_connection.attach_sink(this, SINK_PRIORITY_BAR);
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/components/bar.cpp b/tests/unit_tests/components/bar.cpp
index 8b98b262..839a0088 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/components/bar.cpp
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/components/bar.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ vector<pair<double, string>> to_pixels_with_offset_list = {
   {990, "100%:-10"},
   {10, "0%:+10"},
   {1000, "99%:+10"},
+  {0, "1%:-100"},
 };
 
 INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(NoOffset, GeomFormatToPixelsTest,