DIY Modern Sliding Barn Door
We’re revisiting one of my favorite projects from my parents’ home renovation: a custom DIY modern sliding barn door for their main bathroom.
At the time, my other half and I had just moved in with my parents while saving for a home of our own, and I wanted to thank them by creating something special for their new space. With the help of my friends at DAP Products, I transformed a basic solid-core door into a completely custom sliding barn door.
Believe it or not, the entire makeover only took one weekend to complete, here’s how I did it!
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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!
One of my favorite parts of this build is that my materials cost about $350 and you could even lower your cost with more budget-friendly materials.
Tools + Materials
Tools
Materials
The Steps
1. Mark the center line on your door (both horizontally and vertically).
2. Begin cutting a few of your decorative boards at 45 degrees with your miter saw.
3. Make a rough outline of your boards and mark where they need to be trimmed.
4. Trim the excess ends of your boards (they don’t need to be trimmed perfectly – you will use a circular saw later to trim the entire door).
5. Begin installing your planks on your door. To help make this a true one-weekend project, I used a combination of DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue and DAP Rapid Fuse.
I also used pin nails to secure them as well.
6. Continue installing until your first design is done.
7. Once the first part of the design is complete, begin adding the second part of the design by using the offcuts from the first half of the project.
8. After adding all of your pieces, use a circular saw to trim the offcuts and create a flush door.
9. Once the door is flush, cut your 1 x 2 pieces into trim pieces that will fit around the door.
10. Add your trim to the door with DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue, DAP Rapid Fuse, and nails.
11. Next, use DAP Plastic Wood-X Wood Putty to seal or fix any holes or gaps on your door.
12. Once dry, sand your door smooth.
13. After sanding, add your favorite stain or sealer to your door.
15. Next, install your barn door in your space (we had to install a 1 x 4 header, since the barn door hardware didn’t match up with the studs)!
16. After hanging your barn door, you can add optional hardware such as locking mechanisms, stoppers, and floor guides.
That’s it! Now you have a beautiful, custom DIY sliding barn door to stare at (and also roll back and forth a million times).
I’m still so happy with how this project turned out, and more importantly, my parents loved it too! It’s amazing how taking something as simple as a basic solid-core door and giving it a little personality can completely change the look and feel of a room.
I hope this project inspires you to take on a DIY of your own, whether that means building a sliding barn door, updating something you already have, or trying something completely new! Until next time friends, Happy DIYing!
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