Gluing wood panels together
We need a sliding barn door for privacy between our master bedroom and bath. The opening is 48" x 96" bu most kits are only 36" wide. I had an estimate from a carpenter to construct and hang the door for $800 which I feel is excessive. I went to Lowe's and found quality wood panels that are 16" and 20" wide and 96 inches long. My question is is it possible to glue two 16" panels to a 20" panel to make the required 52" door? Any suggestions?
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I know a couple with no skills whatsoever who made a door for their house by lining up 2" X 4" X 8" boards and using a cross board across the top, middle and bottom of the 2 X 4s with nails and wood glue. The door was gorgeous and is still hanging in its frame 20 + years later. In other words, yes, you can glue the panels together or use a cross board to unify the look BUT I would cut the 16" board in half and attach it on either side of the 20" board.
Why not make a set of brackets to go across the door / wood instead in the barn door design? That would be a lot of weight and the glue might pull the wood off in bits. Good 'homemade barn door' and 'diy barn door' for dozens of ideas!
Before you purchase any panels, check to make sure that you can get, and price out, a header railing wide enough for not only the width of the opening, plus additional width on the sides to ensure privacy inside the bathroom. These header railings and hardware can be very heavy. Do you know if the wall above the doorway can support the weight of the large door, or does it need to be reinforced before installation? This may be an additional cost.
You did not mention whether or not the opening presently has any trim around it, but if so, you will need to take this into consideration when measuring for the projection of the hanging hardware coming off the header railing. If the projection is too wide, it will cause gaps in the side of your barn door which might interfer with privacy.