Building a unique sliding barn door for the doorway between our master bedroom and the bathroom was something I have wanted to do since we moved in. At first, I thought I wanted to use an old antique barn door, but then realized I wanted something more modern. Below I have my full tutorial on how I built our modern DIY Barn Door!
Here is a shot of the doorway where we are putting the barn door:
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Supplies
- 1- cut to 35″W X 85″L X 3/4″thick plywood (this was specific to the size of the door we needed)
- 2- 85″ L X 3 1/2″W X 3/4″ thick- maple pieces of wood (border pieces)
- 4- 30″L X 3 1/2″W X 3/4″thick- maple pieces of wood (border pieces and centerpieces)
- 10-12- 4’L X 1 1/2″W X 1/2″thick- maple pieces of wood (for diagonal strips)
- Liquid Nails
- Painter’s Tape (I like Frog Tape)
- Miter Saw
- Lots of Clamps (these clamps will save your life!)
- Primer & Paint Niebla Azul (I got both from Sherwin Williams)
- Optional: Paint Sprayer (Love this product)
- Sliding barn door hardware
- Barn door handle
*Something to remember: these measurements were based on the specific size of door we needed so make sure to consider that if you are making your own door.
Design
I came up with the design by doing some brainstorming and using
In the end Instagram chose this design and I love it!
Onto my DIY Barn Door Tutorial:
Step 1: Cut Wood to Correct Sizes
We had Lowe’s cut a large piece of plywood into the exact size the door needed to be 35″ x 85″ X 3/4″. We cut the rest of the wood pieces (the pieces that make the design on the front of the door) to the correct sizes with our miter saw at home.
*Make sure to sand your large piece of plywood before the following steps
Step 2: Glue Border Wood Pieces to Plywood
Once you have your border pieces cut, use l
Step 3: Measure Spacing for Center Wood Pieces
Use your head and calculate the spacing you need for the two center wood pieces 🙂 This is my Dad’s specialty so we usually let him do this part.
Step 4: Secure Center Wood Pieces to Base
Use l
Step 5: Measure for Diagonal Wood Pieces
This was probably the scariest part of building this door! It was very difficult to calculate the spacing between the diagonal pieces. Since we aren’t mathletes, we actually figured out the spacing by using trial and error HA! Yep, we laid the diagonal pieces on the door and kept moving and measuring each space until we ended up with the same space between all four pieces. It actually only took about five minutes!
Once we found the spacing (about 5 3/4″) we cut
Since we knew the three sections of the door were the exact same size we cut three copies of each of the four diagonal pieces. I then flipped the center diagonal pieces so that they were going the opposite way.
Step 6: Secure Diagonal Wood Pieces to Base
Use Liquid nails and painter’s tape to secure the diagonal wood pieces to the base of the door. Again, make sure everything is lined up correctly.
Step 7: Let Dry & Remove Clamps and Painter’s Tape
We let our door dry for about 15 hours. By then the Liquid Nails had hardened and we were ready to take the clamps and painter’s tape off! This was the most exciting part, we finally got to see the design finished!
Step 8: Paint
This step starts out fun because you get to see the color make its appearance, but waiting for the paint to dry, cleaning the sprayer, and making a spray station indoors (because it is -30 degrees outside) is not really that fun ha!
We used this HomeRight sprayer to paint the door. I promise I will do a full blog post reviewing this sprayer so you can see it in action, but for
Step 9: Stare at the Beauty of this DIY Barn Door 🙂
I think this door has now surpassed my favorite DIY project, our DIY Railing! I’m so happy I get to wake up to this beauty every day and feel so proud we made it ourselves 🙂
The sliding barn door hardware we used is amazing! After looking at the instructions for a while and getting a grasp on how it all worked it was actually easier than I thought to install. The key was to make sure everything was level. We also bought a large handle from Amazon to complete the look of our modern barn door 🙂
Hardware | Handle | Paint Sprayer | Liquid Nails | Frog Tape
I really hope you enjoyed this project! Thanks for following along 🙂
Your talent and creativity never ceases to amaze me. Love the door!
You are great going from idea to done! You have such a great design sense.
Thank you so much Susan! You are so sweet 🙂
What does the other side of the door look like? Did you do the same design on the other side?
The back side of the door is just the smooth, painted plywood. We didn’t put a design on the back because it wouldn’t be seen very much.
OMG!!! I really love your DIY Skills!
Kyra Rodriguez recently posted…3 Must Haves for Your Mckinley Hill Condo for Sale
Thank you, Kyra!! I love DIY projects!! And most of the time they turn out haha 🙂
Thanks for this DIY tutorial! We are going to use this to build ours this week! So excited 🙂
Quick question, what did you put on the edges of your door? Or did you leave the plywood and maple wood exposed on the sides? Thanks for your time!
Cassi
I’m so excited to see you door! Make sure to send me a picture or tag me on social media 🙂 So we ended up just sanding the edges A LOT and then decided we were fine with it being a little rougher knowing most people wouldn’t see the edges. You could always sand, fill with wood filler and then sand again for a smoother finish. Good luck!
Wow, looks so expensive, it’s amazing what one can do in DIY! Love this door, have never seen such a gorgeous sliding door.
Thank you so much, Catherine! It was definitely a fun project 🙂
Can you please give me the cost breakdown of the product?
Hello! I don’t have the entire cost breakdown, cut I do know it was under $200.
How did you not end up with an exposed plywood edge all the way around? Looking into ideas for my house and your tutorial is great! Just wondering how the edge was treated.
Ceci, we just filled in the edges of the plywood as best we could with spackle and then sanded the edges as best we could. It isn’t perfect but I think only I would notice it 🙂 does that help?
I’ve been considering a barn door between our master and master bath as well. Yours turned out amazing!! I have a couple of questions though – Do you have a handle on the bathroom side? Did you put the diagonal designs on both sides of the door? How is the noise permeability to the bedroom compared to a fitted door? This is a great tutorial and I can’t wait to get started on my barn door!
Rachel, thank you for reaching out 🙂 There is a handle on the other side, it came with the hardware I linked in my post. The handle is flat against the door so that it doesn’t hit the wall/trim of the doorway. The diagonal design is only on the outside. I wake up before my husband every morning and he doesn’t hear me in the bathroom. It won’t block the noise like your typical fitted door though. I probably wouldn’t put a sliding door on a main bathroom that others use just because it also isn’t as private. But for a master bath, it is perfect! I hope this helps and good luck with your project 🙂
My husband and I made ours this weekend! It turned out wonderfully. Thank you for the inspiration! We made ours in white.
Lauren, this makes me SO happy! I would LOVE to see a picture! Can you email me one at liliesandlife5@gmail.com?
I love dIY guys!
Did you screw the mounting hardware into the plywood on the top or into the maple pieces?
Into the plywood!
tnx
Did you do the backside of the door as well to match the front?
Looks great!
Thanks
Liebe, We did not. We just sanded the backside and painted it the same blue. 🙂
I would love to know your paint color for your door! It’s beautiful.
So sorry, I just reread your list and found it there!
Kara, glad you found it 🙂 Let me know if you have anymore questions!
Thank you so much for such an informative piece of information 🙂
If anyone interested similar one’s have a look here
Besttoolsbrand
Thanks
Your tutorial has given me inspiration. One of the best out there and the door is amazing. I plan on putting this in an area where both sides will be visible. Any suggestions on making this two sided but still being within the standard thickness?
I am concerned over time the door will warp or bow. Especially if the door is exposed to cooler or drier environments on one side. Have you noticed and changes after having the door hung for some time? Thanks
I have not noticed any changes especially because out door is inside out home.
Lovely post !!!!
I like the design of the barn door. I will definitely follow the steps to make barn door.
This is beautiful! Could I make two and get hardware for a double track?
Nicole, You could definitely do that!! Just make sure you take into consideration that your doors may need to be a different size.
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Wow! Nice job, I really love the details and finish. The color is very warm and cozy.
Luis Parker recently posted…How to Decorate Wood Paneling without Painting
The door is lovely! Do you have anything on floor to guide the door or prevent it from swinging outward? The one we installed in our kitchen came with a guide that mounted to the floor, but I’ve wondering what people use in carpeted rooms with barn doors. Thanks!