Home Improvement Woodworking

DIY Modern Sliding Barn Door

diy sliding barn door

One of my favorite journeys has been helping my parents renovate their new home, and being that my other half and I just moved in to save money for our own home (I talk about that journey here), I wanted to thank them in a special way. So, I decided to team up with my incredible friends at DAP Products to create a custom, DIY modern sliding barn door for their main bathroom.

How To Build A DIY Modern Sliding Barn Door

Want to watch me build this door? Check out the full tutorial on YouTube & subscribe to my channel!

Believe it or not, I actually created this custom, DIY modern sliding barn door by beautifying a boring, solid-core door. Even better, this project only took me one weekend to finish (well, really one solid Saturday and a few hours on a Sunday).

how to make a sliding barn door

The only downside to my particular door, was that it cost about $350 to create because I splurged on materials. However, I found comparable materials and am also sharing a budget-friendly materials list as well! Here’s how I did it!

What You’ll Need:
what you need to build a sliding barn door

Tools
DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue
DAP Rapid Fuse
DAP Plastic Wood-X Wood Putty

Miter Saw
Brad Nailer or Pin Nailer
Circular Saw
Drill
Sander/Sandpaper
Forstner Bit (Check Sliding Barn Door Hardware For Size)
Paintbrush
Brad or Pin Nails
Polyurethane + Stain


My Materials (Around $350)
¼” 1 x 4 Board (I used 20)
(1) Solid Core Door (Door was 2″ Taller & 4″ Wider than Opening)
(3) 1 x 2 x 6′ Pine Board
Modern Chrome Sliding Door Hardware

Budget Friendly Materials (Around $145)
(2) Sheet ¼” Plywood (Cut Into 4″ Wide Panels)
(1) ¾” Fiber Board
(3) 1 x 2 x 6′ Pine Board
Sliding Barn Door Hardware

The Steps:
1. Mark the center line on your door (both horizontally and vertically).
how to make geometric sliding door

2. Begin cutting a few of your decorative boards at 45 degrees with your miter saw.
how to customize a door

3. Make a rough outline of your boards and mark where they need to be trimmed.
how to build a custom sliding barn door

4. Trim the excess ends of your board (they don’t need to be trimmed perfectly – you will use a circular saw later to trim the entire door).
how to build a custom sliding barn 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.
how to use dap carpenters glue
how to make a custom sliding barn door

I also used pin nails to secure them as well.how to create a barn door

6. Continue installing until your first design is done.

how to nail wood to door

7. Once the first part of the design is complete, begin adding the second part of the design by first using the offcuts from the first half of the project.
how to create a custom door
how to customize a door

8. After adding all of your pieces, use a circular saw to trim the offcuts and create a flush door.
how to trim wood art

9. Once the door is flush, cut your 1 x 2 pieces into trim pieces that will fit around the door.
how to cut wood trim

10. Add your trim to the door with DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue, DAP Rapid Fuse, and nails.
how to attach trim to door

11. Next, use DAP Plastic Wood-X Wood Putty to seal or fix any holes or gaps on your door.
how to patch holes in wood

12. Once dry, sand your door smooth.
how to finish a custom door

13. After sanding, add your favorite stain or sealer to your door.
how to seal barn door

14. After the door has dried, follow the directions in your hardware kit to install the brackets on your new barn door.
how to install sliding barn door hardware

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)!
how to install sliding barn door

16. After hanging your barn door, you can add optional hardware such as locking mechanisms, stoppers, and floor guides.
how to install sliding barn door track

That’s it! Now you have a beautiful, custom DIY sliding barn door to stare at (and also roll back and fourth a million times).
how to install a sliding barn door
how to make a sliding barn door
I really am so happy with the way this build turned (and my parents are stoked too)! It’s amazing what a giant piece of art work can do for a room!
Want to save this build for later? Make sure to Pin It!
How To Build A Modern Sliding Barn Door In One Weekend
In the meantime, please make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for something fun very soon! 
Until next time!
This project is sponsored by DAP Products. For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Sam Raimondi

Sam is a full time psychologist and part time content creator from Long Island, New York.

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31 COMMENTS

  • Sean Williams

    U have plans for this. Door

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      No printable plans as of right now. Just the step-by-step. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with!

      • Dana

        Hi! I would love to do this. I see you said there weren’t plans, but on the picture/link it says free plans. I was wondering if you’ve added them since this comment?

        Thank you! Love your creative blog!

        • Sam
          AUTHOR

          Hi! The only plans I have for this door are the ones that are listed in the step-by-step in this blog post.

          • Melissa

            What stain colors did you use? I’ve been looking for 3 stains that pair well together and I love the stains you chose.

        • Sam
          AUTHOR

          P.S. Thanks for the love!

  • Ricky

    Awesome 👏 !!!

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Thank you!

  • Sittikorn Srikaraket

    I want that exact barndoor hardware’s can you tell me the brand n model?

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Hi! You can find the direct link in my materials list in this post.

  • Kili

    Hi Sam,

    I am from Germany (sorry for my bad english ;)) and I’ll try to rebuild this door. It just look’s amazing.

    Could you send me a picture of the backside, please?

    The different colours are just naturel? Did you try to buy some different at the store?

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Hi! The backside is just plain!

  • Emily

    Door is beautiful! The contrast in colors even makes it more stunning. Did you use one stain color or multiple? Do you recall the color?

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Thank you! One color! Stain I used is linked in the materials list!

  • Carmine

    What stain did you use? I’m having trouble staining the poplar.

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Hi! Stain I used is linked in the materials list. Definitely use a wood conditioner first – poplar stains blotchy without it!

      • Hannah

        Hi. Do recommend a specific wood conditioner? And just want to confirm the stain color was antique walnut? Thanks so much

  • Welders Paradise

    I love it so so much lol

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Thank you!

  • Andrea Loop

    Hi! Are you available to commission a door? Thank you!

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Hi, sorry – I don’t do commissions! I actually have a full time job that keeps me really busy!

  • Brent

    Amazing work and clear video. Thank you, a bit outside my normal skillset.

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Thank you! Glad it was helpful!

  • Ramji Gupta

    In the last..I really enjoyed your dance!

  • Lanie

    Hi,

    I watched the video and read through your blog. I am interested in using the budget friefnlymlist but am a little confused …

    Are you using the fiberboard in lieu of the door ? If so, do you think I could sub a hollow core door instead ?

    Thanks! Looking forward to trying out this project!!

  • Jud

    Love this door! I’m hoping to do something lighter weight – is there any reason I couldn’t use a hollow core door?

    • Sam
      AUTHOR

      Nope! You can totally use a hollow core door as long as you have solid stretchers for installing the hardware. We didn’t use a hollow core because we were hanging ours near moisture.

  • Brandi

    I have lots of questions. LoL Your directions only show how you built the door based on what you bought. But how to you put together the materials for the budget friendly build in order to get the door? Are the plywood and fiber wood just being glues together to make the door?

    Also, if I want to use my current bathroom door to turn to a sliding barn door like this, what could I add to it to make it more durable for the moisture since it is hollow core?

    Is the standard to add 2 inches height and 4in width to the door, or does it depend on the opening of the door?

    For thickness, because the track will make the door stick out some and leave a slight gap, would that 4 inch width help with the gap, or would I add a piece of wood the width that the track pushes the door out?

    Hope all this makes sense. I am trying to do this project in the next 10 days, and I havent found many video tutorials on this, but your youtube video helped a lot.

  • Agata

    Hey Sam!
    Thanks to you i managed to create my own barn door and I really like them, even thought it was bunch of work. Thank you for this blog and your youtube channel. You rock! 🙂

  • Dan

    Is the wood you used really poplar? Didnt know poplar had such a grain variation. I like the darkness difference between each piece. How do I get that?

  • Heather

    Love this door! What kind of solid wood slab did you get and where did you get it from? I love the grain detail on it too!

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