DIY Barn Door

This was a project I was super excited for. I was dying to take down those builder grade bifold doors and replace it with something unique and custom. The project took us a weekend to complete and we definitely had some bumps along the road, but it was so worth it in the end. 

Supplies

• We got all of our supplies at Home Depot:

• Ply wood- 3/4 in x 8 ft

• 1/2 in x 6 ft tongue and groove shiplap (12)

• 1x6 pvc boards (1)

• 1x4 pvc board (2)

• 1x 3 boards (3) stripped to 2 inches down the length 

• 1x2 board

• 1 inch finishing nails 

• 1 1/4 finishing nails

• Wood glue 

• Wood putty

• Paint 

• Barn door handle

• Barn door hardware

To begin, cut ply wood down to desired size of closet door, keeping in mind to subtract width of trim you’ll be adding to the outer edges of The door (which will add 1 1/2 inches in length and 1 1/2 inches in width)

Using a miter saw, cut shiplap at a 45 degree angle and begin to layout the pattern on ply wood. Don’t worry about cutting each piece down to the exact length, you’ll be trimming the ends later so it’s flush. 

Once pattern is all laid out, go ahead and start painting the sides of the shiplap your desired color. It’s easier to do it now than to try to get all the tiny cracks once the boards are secured in place.

After the paint dries, you can start securing the shiplap to the ply wood. We first used wood glue then followed up with a nail gun using 1 inch finish nails. Then use woody putty to fill in all the nail holes.

Now, flip the door over and using a circular saw, begin to cut all of the excess shiplap so it’s flush with the plywood. To ensure an precise, straight line, we used a piece of wood and clamps to make a track saw guide.

Now when you flip the door back over, it should look something like this...

Next, cut the 1x6 And 1x4 pvc boards down to the length needed to add trim to the door. Using the 1x6 boards for the top and bottom and using the 1x4 boards for the sides. Attach with a nail gun using 1 1/4inch finishing nails. Now, use the 1x3 boards to trim the outter edges of the door

Now, paint the trim, and the shiplap could probably use another coat of paint as well. Now it’s time to install!

The barn door hardware comes with written and pictured instructions on how to install to the wall and attach to the door. But we did learn that if you have trim around the closet door opening, you may need to attach a board between the wall and the barn door mount. (This is the 1x2 that is listed in the supplies) This way, the door sticks out far enough to slide over the trim. Pictured below:

Attach the barn door handle and you’re finished! 

Here's a look at the before and after!

Before:

After:

Clickable links for our exact barn door hardware and handle listed in supplies.