Hello everyone!  Thanks for being patient with me as this renovation after Hurricane Harvey is slowly making progress.  With a toddler this is by far one of the most challenging experiences of my life!  On the flip side, I thought a DIY Barn Door would be difficult and expensive, but I was surprised to learn it’s a pretty easy project.  Let me show you how we did it:

 

Also, please excuse the fact that the stencil I previously (and meticulously) applied to our wall was damaged along with the flooded drywall…so that will soon be repaired along with baseboards, etc.  Back to the barn door – isn’t she lovely!  I really did resist doing this when my husband suggested it, but after finding the hardware on Amazon for around $50 I couldn’t argue.  We built the door from scratch according to our doorway measurements since they can run anywhere from $300-$800.  Here is a handy guide for measuring for your own barn door.  We used plain ‘ol pine off the shelf from Lowes and Home Depot.

Materials List:  

(3) 1x6x8

(12) 1x4x8

Barn door hardware

barn door floor guide

barn door handle

1 1/4″ brad nails for nail gun

12″ and 36″ clamp (not necessary but helpful)

tape measure

4 foot level

drill

speed square

miter saw

wood-filler (stain-able if you plan to stain)

wood glue

sandpaper 80 grit and 120 grit

paint or stain of your choice

 

Cut List: 

These are measurements for our door, so be sure to follow that link above and adjust your measurements accordingly.

Door frame = (2) 1×6 @ 85″ mitered at ends (2) 1×6 @ 31.5″ mitered at ends

Center Support (1) 1×6 @ 21.5″

Back of door = (9) 1×4 @ 85″ straight cuts

 

1. Okay, so with these cuts you have the basic door assembly.  Take all your mitered pieces and lay them out on a flat surface.  Nail together your corners from the side of the board close to the point and make a frame.  It won’t be super secure, so don’t manipulate it too much.  Next, I used the Kreg jig to drill pocket holes and join the center piece to the side pieces, centered at 42.5″.  If you don’t have a Kreg jig or pocket hole jig, you can skip this step and secure the board another way later on.
2. Now, take all your (9) 85″ 1×4 pieces and lay them on top of your mitered frame.  Use your 36″ clamp to secure them side to side for a tight fit and then use the 12″ clamps on the ends as you nail each one. Dot a few drops of glue between the boards before you nail them and even between each 1×4 for a more secure door. Line up all your edges and make them flush (take your time!).  Put two nails per board into the 1×4’s at the top and bottom where they overlap the 1×6 frame.  Then nail along the length of the boards where they overlap the 85″ 1×6 and the 21.5″ 1×6 (if you already installed this piece with a Kreg Jig)
3. Carefully, flip your door over and if you did not already install the 21.5″ 1×6, then center it in your mitered frame (ours was centered at 42.5″) and nail it to the 1×4’s beneath it.
4. Finally, you can choose to stop here or you can add the 1×4 diagonally above and below the center support. I actually built our door and then decided it needed something extra so I added this after I had already painted everything!  I  suggest laying your board out on your door where you want it to go and marking the lines from there.  That way you don’t make any mistakes guessing the angle with your speed square or if your angle isn’t the same top to bottom you don’t waste wood making a mistake.

Now for the “fun” part!  Paint or Stain!  I chose to paint my door since the room we installed it in was already a dark color, I wanted our door to pop and match the crisp white molding.  Behr in semi-gloss was my choice for paint this time.  BUT…before we paint we must fill all the little nail holes with wood filler and then SAND.  OMG I HATE SANDING.  It’s so messy and it always gets in my hair, my nose, my eyes, etc. no matter what protection I use.  I sanded both sides using 80 grit and then 120 grit.

After you get everything sanded and painted, follow the instructions and install your barn door hardware.  They suggest using a 1×4 screwed into the studs which I included in your materials list.  The installation is pretty simple, it just takes proper measuring and leveling.  If it’s not perfectly level, your door will slide to one side by itself, lol.

Last, install your handle and you’re all done!