Sliding Barn Doors

Building your own sliding barn doors is easier than you think! With a few standard woodworking tools and some lumber from your local hardware store, you can quickly and easily build your own custom doors in any size, pattern, and finish you'd like (including your own sliding door hardware!).

Tools required:

• Circular saw (or table saw if available)
• Miter Saw
• Pneumatic finish nailer
• Router
• Large T-square / framing square
• Orbital sander

There are a few different methods of construction available. Here is the style I've employed with success:

The core structure of the door starts with 3/4in thick sanded plywood board. 3/4in thick pine, whitewood boards, or shiplap can then be used to create the desired pattern on top of the sanded ply. This arrangement yields a 1.5in thick door.

In the following steps, I'll cover some further construction details specific to different pattern styles and outline the basic process steps.

The first step is to determine the exact overall door size that you need. This is a critical step and must account for all factors:

• Opening coverage - ensuring your door adequately covers the door opening without any gaps.
• Clearance from the ground - be sure to factor in how high off the ground you want your sliding door to reside.
• Height of the rolling hardware - ensure you factor in how high you plan to mount the track bar and rolling hardware for the door.
• Opening clearance - you want to ensure the door itself has enough room to fully slide over to one side and not partially block the door opening.

One of the best ways to establish the correct dimensions is through the use of CAD software such as Fusion360. I like to start by drawing up an exact replica of the door opening including the wall clearance above and to the sides of the opening. From there, you can overlay your custom door and work out all of the dimensions and factors stated above.

Attached is an example sketch for a set of double sliding barn doors (these were steel doors but the same concept applies for wood). As you can see, this sketch shows the exact door opening along with all walls above and to the sides. The barn doors were then drawn over the opening and dimensions were checked for all clearances.

Once you've established the size of your doors and determined your pattern/appearance, you can then source the required materials.

As stated previously, I typically build my doors by using 3/4in thick ply as the core.

In the case of traditional "X-pattern" barn doors, pine or whitewood boards (both readily available at the hardware store) are good options for creating the border and pattern.

For chevron or herringbone pattern doors, I prefer to use interlocking shiplap (also readily available at the hardware store).

Other materials needed:

• Brad nails or narrow crown staples (dependent on your pneumatic gun)
• Wood glue
• Paint or stain of your choice
• Sand paper for your orbital sander
• Wood filler

An important aspect to keep in mind before making your first cuts is the edge appearance of your doors. Since a plywood core is employed, you want to ensure the plywood edges are not visible on the sides of the door. There are a few different ways to accomplish this:

For traditional x-pattern doors, I like to cut a channel into the vertical border sections to sandwich the plywood core. You can use a table saw, router, or even a circular saw with straight edge to create this channel.

For Chevron or Herringbone doors, I attach a simple 3/4in thick trim piece to conceal the plywood edges and the end cuts on the shiplap.

See attached photos showing both methods. You'll want to ensure these aspects are factored into your measurements.

Attached are a few in-process build photos. Using a mix of glue and nails, you can create any pattern you desire.

A few aspects to note:

If you plan to attached a handle or locking hardware to the door, be conscious of where you place your nails / staples to avoid any interference with hardware mounting locations. Also be conscious of where you will attach your rolling hardware at the top of the door.

Before permanently attaching with glue and nails, I like to lay my pieces out free-hand to check for the right appearance. Once satisfied, you can permanently secure your pieces starting with the outside borders and working in.

When using shiplap, I prefer to leave excess material hanging off the door which I'll subsequently chop off using a circular saw and straight edge (see attached photo). This yields a much cleaner and even set of edges.

If employing an intersecting chevron pattern, running a router with straight edge down the seam where the shiplap perpendicularly meets is one way to create a visually appealing joint (photo attached).

With the right metalworking tools and equipment, you can easily construct your own rolling hardware. Attached are some photos showing a system I built using the following:

• 2in wide by 1/4in thick steel flat bar
• CNC plasma cut 3/16in thick mounting plates and brackets - if you don't have access to a CNC, you can cut simpler designs by hand with a grinder and cutting wheel
• 3/8in carriage bolts
• Standard roller bearing and washers

This system was for a set of rolling barn doors that cover a television (hence the smaller door sizes).

Following some wood filling, sanding, and staining here is the finished product! Some diligence and attention during the coating stage is imperative to a quality final output so take your time there.

Hope this was helpful and thanks for checking out my build!

Feel free to leave questions in the comments below!