$25 DIY Barn Door Upgrade for Existing Door

We created this video to capture the process and to give our viewers helpful hints to build this door. It's simple and affordable.

We weren't kidding about the lack of beauty of our old solid core door. Time for some change!

We started by sanding off that old finish.

We used a circular saw to cut 1/8 inch channels evenly along the door. We did 5, but you could adjust this to your taste.

Because we wanted a specific depth, we planed our pine boards to under 1/2 inch. Just be aware that if the boards are too think, they may interfere with any molding you have around your door. We cut and clamped the top and bottom boards in place, then the first diagonal board. We marked where the cuts would be. Once this board is cut, repeat for other diagonal piece. Sand these cut boards.

Time to slap on some stain. Well, you know there's some technique involved here. We didn't just slap it on, but we did pre-mark the area we wanted to stain (make sure to see the video).

After your decorative boards are stained and dry, attach tops and bottoms, and cross sections with Gorilla Construction Adhesive from Lowe's (clamping is helpful) and tack with some finish nails. Apply polyurethane to finished door.

We chose to purchase some nice hardware and hinges for our door, but that's totally optional! We love how it looks in our home.