DIY Modern 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).
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!
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
The Steps:
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 board (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 first 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.
14. After the door has dried, follow the directions in your hardware kit to install the brackets on your new barn 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 fourth a million times).
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what do you think?
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31 COMMENTS
Sean Williams
4 years agoU have plans for this. Door
Sam
4 years ago AUTHORNo printable plans as of right now. Just the step-by-step. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with!
Dana
4 years agoHi! 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
3 years ago AUTHORHi! The only plans I have for this door are the ones that are listed in the step-by-step in this blog post.
Melissa
10 months agoWhat stain colors did you use? I’ve been looking for 3 stains that pair well together and I love the stains you chose.
Sam
3 years ago AUTHORP.S. Thanks for the love!
Ricky
4 years agoAwesome 👏 !!!
Sam
4 years ago AUTHORThank you!
Sittikorn Srikaraket
4 years agoI want that exact barndoor hardware’s can you tell me the brand n model?
Sam
4 years ago AUTHORHi! You can find the direct link in my materials list in this post.
Kili
4 years agoHi 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
4 years ago AUTHORHi! The backside is just plain!
Emily
4 years agoDoor 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
4 years ago AUTHORThank you! One color! Stain I used is linked in the materials list!
Carmine
4 years agoWhat stain did you use? I’m having trouble staining the poplar.
Sam
4 years ago AUTHORHi! Stain I used is linked in the materials list. Definitely use a wood conditioner first – poplar stains blotchy without it!
Hannah
3 years agoHi. Do recommend a specific wood conditioner? And just want to confirm the stain color was antique walnut? Thanks so much
Welders Paradise
4 years agoI love it so so much lol
Sam
3 years ago AUTHORThank you!
Andrea Loop
4 years agoHi! Are you available to commission a door? Thank you!
Sam
3 years ago AUTHORHi, sorry – I don’t do commissions! I actually have a full time job that keeps me really busy!
Brent
3 years agoAmazing work and clear video. Thank you, a bit outside my normal skillset.
Sam
3 years ago AUTHORThank you! Glad it was helpful!
Ramji Gupta
3 years agoIn the last..I really enjoyed your dance!
Lanie
3 years agoHi,
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
3 years agoLove this door! I’m hoping to do something lighter weight – is there any reason I couldn’t use a hollow core door?
Sam
3 years ago AUTHORNope! 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
3 years agoI 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
3 years agoHey 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
3 years agoIs 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
2 years agoLove 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!