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
- Miter Saw
- Brad Nailer or Pin Nailer
- Circular Saw
- Drill
- Sander
- Forstner Bit (Check Sliding Barn Door Hardware For Size)
- Paintbrush
Materials
- DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue
- DAP Rapid Fuse
- DAP Plastic Wood-X Wood Putty
- Sandpaper
- Brad or Pin Nails
- Finish
- 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
- Chrome Sliding Door Hardware
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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U have plans for this. Door
No printable plans as of right now. Just the step-by-step. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with!
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!
Hi! The only plans I have for this door are the ones that are listed in the step-by-step in this blog post.
What stain colors did you use? I’ve been looking for 3 stains that pair well together and I love the stains you chose.
P.S. Thanks for the love!
Awesome 👏 !!!
Thank you!
I want that exact barndoor hardware’s can you tell me the brand n model?
Hi! You can find the direct link in my materials list in this post.
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?
Hi! The backside is just plain!
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?
Thank you! One color! Stain I used is linked in the materials list!
What stain did you use? I’m having trouble staining the poplar.
Hi! Stain I used is linked in the materials list. Definitely use a wood conditioner first – poplar stains blotchy without it!
Hi. Do recommend a specific wood conditioner? And just want to confirm the stain color was antique walnut? Thanks so much
I love it so so much lol
Thank you!
Hi! Are you available to commission a door? Thank you!
Hi, sorry – I don’t do commissions! I actually have a full time job that keeps me really busy!
Amazing work and clear video. Thank you, a bit outside my normal skillset.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful!
In the last..I really enjoyed your dance!
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!!
Love this door! I’m hoping to do something lighter weight – is there any reason I couldn’t use a hollow core door?
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.
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.
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! 🙂
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?
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!
These barn doors turned out so amazing! I love them so much. I would love to try and recreate this in my home. We are doing some kitchen cabinet painting this week so maybe once we are finished with that project! Thanks so much for sharing!!!