How To Build a Barn Door for Your Ideal Rustic Vibes

It’s a good idea to cut all of your lumber upfront, as doing so will speed up the assembly process. You’ll need the following pieces:

• (13) 1-by-4 boards cut to your door height

• (3) 1-by-4 boards cut to your door width minus 7 inches

• (2) 1-by-4 boards cut to fit at a 45-degree diagonal across the top and bottom panels of the door

You may want to wait to cut the angled boards, as you can use your door as a reference after you build it to get the length and angles exact.

A powered wood sander or plain old sandpaper can help smooth out your door, especially when using repurposed barn door wood.

Sand down the faces of all of your boards and plywood, making sure to start with a low grit—like 150—and gradually move toward a higher one—320—to get a perfectly smooth finish. You can also knock down any sharp edges, which you might have if you’re using hardwood boards.

Before assembling your layers, use stain or paint on each individual piece of wood, as desired. Heritage colors that recreate that classic barn door look include weathered wood gray, cedar, cherry dark red, and espresso.

Once cut and dried, lay your boards out on a flat surface like a garage floor or driveway to ensure they fit together. 

It might benefit your build to save the diagonal boards until you've lined these up to measure the diagonal beam. This will ensure a proper fit. For uneven wood, you may need to make a slightly different angular cut so that everything fits snugly.

Layer one consists of 13 boards laying side by side that'll form the foundation of your DIY barn door.

Apply wood glue liberally to each end and press to seal the pieces together. Use adjustable clamps to hold them together. Most wood glues take about 12 to 24 hours to dry, so tackle this portion in a room or area with low foot traffic.

If you have a pocket hole jig, it’s a good idea to use pocket holes to attach these pieces, as this will ensure a tight, straight fit.

Layer two comprises of a frame that'll support the boards you've laid down. You can glue this directly to piece one (or build it separately and let it dry), then attach it with wood glue. If you build it separately, be sure to use pocket holes to attach the pieces.

If your wood is slightly uneven, it's probably best to build the frame separately and then attach the pieces.

After the wood glue has dried, line up layer two over layer one. Take measurements with the final beam to cut the diagonal piece accurately, then make those cuts with a miter saw. Make sure to account for the 45-degree angles you’ll have to cut on both ends of these boards.

Use wood glue and interior wood screws to secure everything in place. You can reinforce the diagonal beam at the top and bottom with a screw on each end if you wish.

While your wood glue dries, install the backer board (1-by-1-by-8 board) to cover the length of your door frame with at least the full space of the door frame to the left or right side.

For indoor drywall, make sure you use a stud finder to locate the wood beams in the wall and drill into those areas to secure it. You’ll want to use a level to check your work as you complete each step.

You can find a sliding track kit for a barn door for around $60 if you look online (this might not cover shipping costs) or at home improvement stores near you. Track kits come in different colors and textures, so pick one that complements your aesthetic and the style of wood you're using. Also, determine if it’s compatible with the thickness of your wood materials.

Honestly: it's fun to DIY build a barn door, but these kits make life much easier, and they bring down your overall door installation costs. Consider one of these instead of trying to build your own sliding track.

Most metal barn door sliding track kits come with a metal bar and separating bolts to create space away from the wall for the door to slide. Install these to the backboard, then attach the metal track according to the instructions.

Once your barn door dries, it's time to mount it and test. Read the directions for your barn door kit. Most have metal track hooks that hang down and drill directly into the double-layer portion of your door.

Once the tracks are secure, test the door to make sure it slides the way you want it to—make adjustments as needed.

Last but not least, mount the handles to the door. Creative ideas include a ring flush barn door handle, a leather pull, or just a basic single door handle you can get at a home improvement store.