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How to Build a HUGE Barn Door Easily
When I first had the idea of taking out my french doors and replacing them with a sliding barn door, I wondered when my husband would have time to help me. Then I entertained the thought of doing it myself and decided to consult my mom for advice. I found a beautiful barn door picture online and sent it to my mom in a text message captioned, "I think I am going to build this". She responded to the text with, "That's pretty, Kristi, but you can't build that". So I felt a little defeated and ended my barn door DIY search for the day. The next day, I woke up, went to work and came home with only one thing on my mind. . . How can I build a barn door? I figured I would never know until I tried, so I borrowed a truck from a friend and took a trip to the hardware store. I wrote down the materials I would need prior to arriving at the store because I knew that once I got there I would be overwhelmed by the varieties of wood, screws, tools, paint and stain choices available. I grabbed everything on my list and pulled the truck up so the employees could help me load the wood.
I Had so much fun building this door and I know you will, too.
**See below a complete list of tools needs and other materials used to build a barn door. I have also included a step by step guide below so that you can build one just like this if you want!
Barn door dimensions- 8 feet tall, 6 feet wide
Weight- 110lbs
Price- $368.00 + tax
Time to build and hang the door- 4 to 5 hours total work time, Wood glue must dry over night
Materials:
14 (1x8) boards at 8 feet long ($14.37 each Lowes)
1 (1x4) board 12 feet long ($6.38 Lowes)
1 Barn Door handle ($4.98 Lowes)
1 12ft. Sliding Barn Door hardware (Amazon $109.00)
White paint (1 gallon ~$14.98 Lowes: I used leftover ceiling paint from building our house so any kind of paint will work)
Dark Walnut Stain ($7.98 Lowes 1 quart)
Sand paper ($1.82 Lowes)
Wood Glue ($4.68 Lowes, this seems unimportant since we will be using screws but it keeps the door from bowing)
1 1/4 inch Screws ($9.37 Lowes, I just used exterior screws, but any screw will work as long as it is 1 1/4 inch)
2 1/4 inch Screws (or longer)
Wood Filler (Optional)($7.97 Lowes)
Tools needed:
Drill with drill bits
Jig Saw ($24.98 Lowes) (or any saw you have)
Level ($6.98 Lowes)
Socket Set
Measuring tape
pencil
Before building the Barn Door, make sure you have a space (preferably inside or covered) where you can lay out all your materials and wood. Make sure you can plug in your power tools and that there is a place for you to keep your door laying over night so that the wood glue and filler can dry. I used my garage to build my door. I just parked on the driveway for 2 days until I completed the project. AND it was safe from the weather. I do recommend laying down a tarp or sheet to protect your garage from the stain when it is staining time. I used cardboard scraps that I had and it worked fine.
Step by Step Guide to building a HUGE Sliding barn door
Step 1: Lay 9 (1x8) boards flat on the ground and slide them together side by side. Make sure the bottom of the boards are even and no board is sticking out longer or shorter than the other. This will form the shape of your door. (Most boards are not perfect so just make sure it is as close as possible.)
Step 2: Lay 1 (1x8) board over the top running perpendicular to the other boards to create the top border of the door. Use a pencil to draw a line where you plan to cut the excess board that sticks out. Use a measuring tape as needed with a straight edge. Cut the board using the saw as straight as possible (should cut about 2 feet off) Repeat this step with the bottom of the door using another (1x8) board.
*Make sure the boards are pushed together as tight as possible so there are no gaps when you screw the top and bottom boards on.
Step 3: Once the boards are cut, use the Wood glue to glue the top and bottom boards on the door. squeeze the wood glue in a squiggle pattern on the top board and place firmly on the door. Repeat with the bottom board.
Step 4: Once the top and bottom boards are glued, measure the space between the top and bottom boards and cut 2 of the remaining (1x8) boards according to those measurements. (It should be approximately 6 feet. These boards will go on the sides of the door and serve as the final borders of the door.)
Step 5: Glue the boards on the left and right sides of the door with the Wood Glue.
Step 6: Take the final (1x8) board and lay across the middle of the door, diagonally. Line up the board to get the look you want and make a mark with a pencil where you plan to cut the board. There are 2 ways you can do this but the easiest way to do it will be to draw a straight line and only make one long cut. See pictures. This board will help make the door strong.
Step 7: Cut the middle board and glue it down in place.
Step 8: When the door is completely glued together, go back and use the 1 1/4 screws and screw every board onto the door. Top, bottom, left, right and middle boards. Penetrate the screws into the boards slightly below the surface so that the wood filler will cover them. Use several screws.
Step 9: Once the screws are in place, cover the screws holes with wood filler. The wood filler will have to dry for several hours.
Step 10: Once the wood filler has dried, sand the entire door to eliminate any splinters that may be sticking out. Sand the corners/edges and the places you applied wood filler.
Step 11: Afterwards, stain the entire door with a thin coat of Dark walnut stain. Let dry a few minutes.
Step 12: Next, Apply a coat of white paint all over the door. Let it dry a few minutes. Apply a second coat of paint to the door.
Step 13: Once the paint it completely dry, use the sand paper to lightly sand over the edges and corners to allow some of the stain to show. This step is optional but it makes it look better in my opinion.
The door is complete. . Now comes the most difficult part . . Hanging the door.
You will need help getting the door into the house and lifting the door onto the track once mounted. I recommend having help when hanging the barn door track but you can do it by yourself like I did.
Hanging the Sliding Barn Door Hardware
Step 1: Paint the 12 foot (1x4) board with white paint and let it dry completely before hanging. (This will be used as a header board to keep the door from rubbing on your door frame trim and also it helps make the sliding hardware stronger.)
Step 2: Use a stud finder and pencil to mark all the studs above the door.
Step 3: Measure to height of the barn door + add approx. 7/8 inch (so it doesn't drag the ground) in order to know how high you will mount the header board. Mount the 12 foot board over the door frame based on the measurements. Approximately 7 inches of the 12 foot board will hang over the left edge of the door and the remainder of the header board will hang over the other side onto the wall where you plan to have your door slide. Use long screws to screw the board into a stud. Screw one side into the wall at a time and then use a level before putting a screw in the other end of the header. Once both sides are attached and the board is hung, reinforce the board by adding screws in the board, placing every screw in a stud.
Step 4: Once the header board is hung, follow the instructions that came with the Barn Door hardware.