How to DIY a Barn Door

Jessie
by Jessie
6 Materials
$400
4 Hours
Advanced

When we bought this house I really wanted a barn door. We have 9 interior doors in our house not including closet doors and this was the only spot I could add one. Better than nothing right, lol. So I was like, go big or go home! This door is massive in person and very heavy. Everything you want in a barn door. Who wants a flimsy and tiny barn door?

Above is the before picture of the space. This was actually the final step to our laundry room remodel. I have all previous steps posted already. You can find the link to the first step at the end of this post.

Supply list:



  1. 6 Primed MDF 4"X96"
  2. 4 Primed MDF 2 1/2"X96"
  3. 7 Primed MDF 6"96"
  4. Door Hardware
  5. Door knob
  6. 1 1/2" Screws
  7. Wood glue
  8. Paint ( I used Gauntlet Gray by sherwin Williams)


Tools:



  1. Electric Drill
  2. Sander
  3. The best paint sprayer or paint supplies
  4. Chop saw
  5. router with 1/4" bit

Make the frame


I told my husband that I wanted a simple shiplap looking barn door so he just came up with this design on the fly, he's cool like that. lol Our door frame is a standard size door but make sure your barn door covers not only the opening but also the door trim when its closed. That's how he came up with these measurements. He took a 2 1/2" board and laid it on the top of a 4" board but to one side. He's going to create a frame for the soon to be shiplap boards. He first glued them together then used his nail gun to secure. The door is so heavy that you want to take ever measure to make sure it stays put. He made the two sides at 96" and the top and bottom of the door frame at 31" using his chop saw to cut the right length.


So there are three layers to this door frame. Once you have the 2 1/2" board in place you place another 4" board on top to create a pocket for the shiplap to sit it. He secures the 3 boards together using the screws every 12" or so.

Above the frame is not secure yet. We had to put the shiplap 6" boards in first. Currently, in the picture below he just has one shiplap board in. They are what will secure the bottom and top piece to the sides.

For the shiplap 6" boards he cut to fit exactly inside the frame. He doesn't rememberer the exact measurement. Then with a router he used a 1/4" bit to router the edges of the 6" boards to create that shiplap look and definition. You do this to both side of the board so you see it on both sides. Something we forgot to do. crap. No pictures.

So the far left board is fitting nice and snug in the frame. He then used 4 screws to attach the frame to the shiplap board. Once all the pieces are in and the end pieces are screwed to the frame, this bad boy isn't going anywhere. Kinda genius if you ask me.

Another angle

Here it is all put together!

He took a 2 1/2" scrap piece to add some character to the middle of the door on both sides. Its about 31" long but make sure to measure for the exact length. He just glued it down.

We used wood filler to patch up all the screw holes and the sides so that once painted it looks like one solid piece.

Once the wood filler is dry he sanded it all down.

We used an electric paint sprayer to paint it. This paint sprayer is amazing and works really well. Very budget friendly. This is the second door he has painted and came out flawless. I wasn't home when he sprayed it so I wasn't able to take pictures unfortunately.


Paint sprayer linked here.


I did manage to get some photos of him installing the handle which I must say is such nice heavy duty quality and so affordable. You will be shocked at the price.

Above is the back side of the handle. once the brackets are mounted you just screw the handle right in. Easy peasy.

In order for the door to not interfere with the door jam we installed this board first before adding the hardware. The hardware does come with instructions and is easy to install. It also includes the little stopper at the bottom so the the door rolls smoothly.

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Jessie
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 17 questions
  • Hb Hb on Jan 21, 2023

    You specifically talked about the handle installation . Then you said the price was good and that we would be shocked by the price. Then you didn't include it in the resources list . Is there a reason this is not included in that list?

  • Susie Susie on Feb 23, 2024

    You did a fantastic job. Looks so good. But, is there a reason it's so much taller than the door opening???

  • Clo80210011 Clo80210011 4 days ago

    How to diy clean car lights

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 78 comments
  • Richard Richard on Jan 22, 2023

    I put a barn foor drsign over my bedroom double foor entry used two 4 by sheets of pre painted wainscoting back to back then added some long mirrors given to me by my brother in law to add light reflection as no windows there. Did secure the rail with a 2 by 4 on bedroom side of door painted to match room secured with bolts we drilled into studs in wall before hanging.

  • Sandy Lindquist Sandy Lindquist on Feb 23, 2024

    Totally love this barn door but also love your flooring! Can you tell me what it is and what color? Is it hardwood or laminate or Coretec? Love your projects!

Next