DIY Custom Barn Door Tutorial

by Ana Ochoa - Sunrise Valley Farm Co.

13 Materials

$150

5 Hours

Medium

There are tons of ways to go about building a custom barn door, but in my opinion, this is one of the easiest and most traditional. Barn doors can be incredibly expensive if you purchase them pre-built ($500+), and you don’t have the ability to completely customize their dimensions or final look for your space. The build process is also fairly easy. That said, your barn door will be HEAVY when completed, so keep that in mind. You’ll also need to hang it using barn door hardware, which you’ll need to purchase according to your doors dimensions. The hardware will have specific hanging instructions that come with it, and you will definitely need two people for the installation/hanging process!(P.S. I'd love for you to come check out my blog and sign up to get all of these projects FIRST and straight to your inbox!)

Step 1

Measure the space (width and height) where you want your custom barn door to go. Calculate how many 1″x5″ boards you will need (if needed, you can also substitute for 1″x4″ or 1″x6″ boards if needed. Keep in mind common and actual measurements are different, so a 1″x5″ common board is actually 1″x about 4.5″. Drawing a diagram is really helpful here! (When measuring the height of your space, subtract about .5″ – you want to make sure you have ample floor clearance for your barn door.) Once you have calculated how much wood you need and have purchased it, cut each piece to size using your miter saw. First cut your main door face pieces. Sand any rough edges/areas with 180 grit sandpaper.NOTE: When purchasing your boards, try to make sure they are all straight and not warped.

Step 2

Now measure and cut the top and bottom perpendicular pieces. These will run the entire width of your door (see below photo). These pieces will also help hold all of the vertical boards together. Once placed, measure and cut the side pieces, which will go directly on top of each outside board of your door base (see below photo).

Step 3

Using wood glue, attach these 4 pieces to your door base. Allow to dry about 30 minutes, then use your brad nailer and 1.25″ nails to nail these 4 boards into the base. Use A LOT of nails. Measure and cut a board perpendicular to the length of your door. You will place it about 1/3 of the way down from the top of your door. Glue and nail as before. Now place one of your 8 foot 1″x5″ boards diagonally between this new board and the bottom of the door. You can place it as desired and then use a speed square to draw the angle you need to cut on the board. Use your miter saw to cut. Place, glue, and nail as before.

Step 4

Using the same place and draw method (using your speed square), measure and cut the two smaller pieces of your X shape. Glue and nail as before.

Step 5

Now, use your 1.25″ wood screws and drill into each end of every top board your just glue and nailed. This will ensure your barn door is completely stable. Countersink your screws so you are able to fill the holes with wood fill. Use stainable wood fill to fill the screw holes and nail holes if you wish (I did not fill the nail holes because I wanted the door to be more rustic). Once the wood fill is dry, sand with 180 grit sandpaper. Wipe off your door with a dry tack cloth to remove the excess sawdust.

Step 6

Use a wood stain of your choice and stain your door, making sure to cover the edges and cracks – using a combo of a small brush and rag worked well to get in all the nooks and crannies! (Yes, you could stain every board before putting you barn door together if you choose, but it seemed much easier to do it after in my opinion!)

Step 7

Allow to dry. Now add any additional hardware (i.e. door handle, etc) using 1.25″ wood screws. I added a handle and also decorative hardware on the back corners to add some interest to the flat side

Step 8

Following the instructions on your barn door hardware, hang and install. We did not install a full track on the bottom, but we did add a barn door slide/guide, which keeps the door in its place. The guide is installed into the baseboard, so keep this in mind.And that's it! Your very own custom barn door - these are especially great in places where you don't have the room for a traditional door, but still need some privacy.Make sure to head to the blog for more projects, and I'll see you next time!

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1 question

Tlc on Aug 18, 2021

What did you use for you over window treatment ? Love the wood ! Do you have tutorial?? 🙂

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2 comments

Tcooper9 on Sep 15, 2020

Thank you for great instructions! Your home is just gorgeous!

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Joanie on Sep 19, 2020

Love, love, love. It looks fairly easy to make. Cheaper than buyin'.......Great job!!

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