Sarah Blackbourn Sarah Blackbourn

DIY Sliding Barn Door for under $200

DIY Sliding Barn Door for under $200

 
 

I’m going to be completely honest with you. I didn’t do a lot of research when I decided to do this project. I just knew that I wanted to replace our master bathroom door with a sliding door for two reasons. Primarily to solve our multiple door situation. We have a shower door and a toilet room door as soon as you walk into the bathroom within a few few. So removing the hinged door that swung in was going to solve the crowded situation. Secondly, I wanted the sliding door to look modern and more like an oversized piece of art. I’m not keen on the farmhouse looking doors. No shade to those, it’s just not right for the style of my home. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I’m going to have to build this bad boy myself, and make it budget friendly because who doesn’t want to save money?

 
 

Here are the tools and supplies that I chose to use. You can easily swap out tools or types of wood for this project. I used the cheapest options I could find at my local hardware store. Also, this is what I used to make my specific design. You can copy it exactly if you like, or get creative with your own!

Tools you need:

Supplies:

  • Wood Glue

  • Stain (Weathered Oak by Minwax is what I used)

  • Throw away rag for stain or use these off brand magic erasers

  • Disposable gloves

  • Clear Coat (Here is what I used, probably cheaper from Lowe’s or local hardware store)

  • Paint of choice - I used Black Fox by Sherwin Williams

  • Sand Paper

  • Wood:

    • 1) 1/2 inch plywood (full sheet 4'x8' or use your existing door)

    • (1-2) 1/4 inch plywood (I used 1 and half sheets, but you can buy less for less coverage)

    • (4) 8ft 1x4 (or similar to trim back)

    • (1) 1x4 for the "headboard" if needed

  • Hardware

Amazon - Rail Kit

Amazon - Rail Kit (does not come with door!)

Amazon - Floor Guide (that attaches to wall, not floor)

Amazon - Door Pull with Grip Plate

Step 1:

Lay everything out and make you have all of your parts.

Determine if you need the headboard piece based on the instructions the kit came with. Basically, it sets the rail off the wall enough so your door doesn’t hit the moulding around your doorway.

Follow kit instructions to install the rail system to your wall.

Notes: I bought an 8ft 1x4 and painted it black (the same color I used for the door) making it look like it's part of the rail system. I installed this right into the studs making sure to overlap my door frame and measuring the right height based on the plywood. I hung mine an in higher than how tall my sliding door was to leave room at the bottom to slide. Remember, measure twice, cut once!

Step 2:

Once your rail system is installed, it’s time to work on the door! I used a full sheet (8’x4’) 1/2 inch plywood for this. You can choose to work with your original door if thats the right size for you, or any other wood you have on hand. I chose to use this because I wanted it to be as big as possible for my space and inexpensive. Lay the body of the door on a surface you can work from. I used a folding table.

Lightly sand your door face to prep for paint or stain. I used a cordless orbital Sander but you can also hand sand with paper or a sanding block. Grit doesn’t matter so much, but I usually start with 80 grit and move to 220 grit. Make sure you get a smooth surface on your edges.

Paint or stain your door face before the slats go on including the edges. I used 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Black Fox and let dry completely. This is what will show through the slats, so it’s just personal preference.

Step 3:

Once your paint is dry, measure your center point by measuring half width and half height and drawing a line to cross in the middle with a pencil or chalk. Like the image on the right. This is your guide to make the V-shape in the middle.

Step 4:

Rip 3 inch strips from your 1/4 inch plywood. I HIGHLY recommend this Kreg Rip Cut if you don’t have a table saw. It attaches to your circlular saw and acts as a guide allowing you to make even cuts every time.

NOTE: If you don't have a rip cut jig, or a table saw to rip these cuts, you can also do them by clamping a long piece of wood to each end giving you a wall to run your saw next to. A second set of hands is recommend to help keep everything in place.

Be sure to rip the plywood in the same direction, longways, each time so the wood grain is going same direction. Rip as many strips as you can so you have 8 ft strips. I used 2 sheets of plywood to get as many as I could. Then I cut my leftover plywood in half to make it more manageable to rip more strips, just shorter.

Step 5:

It's time to start laying out your design. Start in the center and take one of your 8 ft strips and measure how long you need it to be at the angle. Cut a 45 degree angle with your miter saw (use a jigsaw if needed, but make as straight as possible). Use a speed square to help determine the angle of the large middle section

PRO TIP: Save time and cut two strips at once to mirror each other. Just sandwich the two strips together (make sure to put SAME sides touching, so you don't have one back and one front) and cut with miter saw at your angle.

Finish your cuts for the middle triangle section before moving on to your vertical cuts. Measure and cut your longest strips first and then work down to minimize waste. Use the tile spacers as you go, just for a guide.

Don't worry about the slats hanging off the edge. Those will be trimmed up later all at once for a clean cut.

Step 6:

After everything is cut, before you place all of your slats down, sand the edges. I tried three methods of sanding, and I got the best results using a piece of sand paper folded in thirds. Make sure to smooth all of the rough edges including the angle cuts. Again, don't worry about the slats hanging off the edge, those will get trimmed down once everything is secured down. I used 80 grit for this step, but you can really use any grit for edges.

Step 7:

Once you have everything cut and laid out in your design, use the tile spacers to make sure everything has even spacing. At this point, you can start glueing if you choose to use glue. I did, however, it froze overnight and the glue didn't work well (it was water based). I then went through with a cordless brad nailer and 1/2 inch brad nails and put 2-3 nails in each slat.

PRO TIP: Clamp a straight edge down to line your nails up nicely. They are barely noticeable but it does help the design element!

Step 8:

Wait for the glue to dry before pulling up the tile spacers and trimming the edge. To trim the edges, I used a jigsaw on the top and bottom and the circular saw on the edge the the triangle hanging off. I found that the jigsaw made cleaner cuts. Use clamps and a straight edge to guide your saw.

Learn from my mistakes! This is what the circular saw did. I think I could have prevented this if I laid a piece of wood over it before cutting, OR if I had flipped it over first. It was too heavy for me to flip by myself. I ended up replacing these pieces that got torn up.

Step 9:

Sand the edges that you just cut until smooth and even with the back. Using a brush, rag or a blower, get rid of all the dust to prep for stain. I only used one coat of Minwax Weathered Oak. Make sure to stir this stain thoroughly before using, do not shake it! Let dry, and then apply a clear coat according to the instructions.

Pro Tip! Use off-brand magic erasers (melamine sponges) to apply stain. I tear them in half for limited waste and toss them when I'm done. I always wipe up any excess stain with a rag.

Step 10:

Once the front is completely dry, flip the whole door over. Trim out the back with two 8 foot 1x4's and cut the third 1x4 to size to fit the top and bottom. Lastly, I added trim right through the middle. I secured these with glue and a nail gun. Clamps help will measuring and drying.

NOTE: Make sure to run the long pieces vertical and then fill in the top and bottom. That way you don't have exposed edged on the sides of the door that are seen.

See diagram below.

Paint the entire back how you desire, including the edges. I painted mine Black Fox by Sherwin Williams that I used on the front and the rail hardware.

Pro-Tip! Wrap your roller in press and seal wrap in between projects or overnight if you still have work to do. This helps it not dry out and also holds in your paint thats on the brush, less waste, less mess, and a huge time saver!

Step 11:

Add your hardware! I had to get help with this next part because the door weighs maybe 80 pounds. I opted to add my hardware while it was leaning up next to the rail. I HIGHLY recommend this method because it helps to get the wheels exactly where we wanted them. Make sure you put the wheel brackets on the thickest part of the door so the hardware fits correctly. This is precisely while I ordered this specific kit and used the cuts of wood I did.

Pro-Tip! Place some scrap wood underneath the door on each corner to boost it up to the height you want while putting your hardware on. I used two pieces of 1 inch thick wood. Kick them out once you hang the door.

 

Admire your work!

For under $200, I am super impressed by this project build! Honestly, I couldn’t have found a door this big in a style that I wanted. Let me know what you think and if you try it! I’d love to share pictures of your door on my instagram, so DM if you make one. And as always, reach out to me through email, instagram or tiktok if you need help!

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Sarah Blackbourn Sarah Blackbourn

DIY Writing Desk with Storage

DIY Desk (West Elm Dupe)

 
 

When I decided to remodel my husbands home office while he was out of town for work (as a complete surprise to him), I knew I would need to build a desk, from scratch, to put in the middle of the room. I needed to it be specific dimensions to leave enough room to walk around it completely. I also wanted it to be pretty deep, for a large work surface, and offer a little bit of storage to minimize the clutter that can be seen. I made a list of what this desk needed to be:

  • Look masculine and well made

  • Be no wider than 58 inches, and at least 24 inches deep, and 28-32 inches in height (standard sizing for desks)

  • Be extra sturdy, especially because it wasn’t going against a wall

  • Offer storage

  • Low cost, this whole room was on a tight budget

  • Repurpose old desks to save money and be resourceful

After doing some research, I found this desk online that I just loved the look of, but was definitely out of my budget (nearly $1000)! Here are some pictures below of the West Elm desk I sort of used as my inspiration. I looked for the link, but I don’t think its available anymore!

 
 

The room already had two desks that my husband was using that I had built quickly when we found out he needed a home office. It was one of my first building projects, and I didn’t have nearly as much experience as I do now. The tables (desks) were a little wobbly and felt more like folding tables, rather than actual sturdy desks. So, I repurposed those by completely taking them apart, and using the wood for the new desks. In this tutorial, I will explain how to do this starting from scratch.

Tools you need:

Supplies:

Cut List:

  • 2 - 24” x 58” stain grade wood panel in 3/4 inch thick (I buy THESE from Lowes) This is for the top and bottom of the desk, so if you are modifying it, get wood accordingly

  • 1 - 4” x 56.5” x 3/4” wood for the back (note - if you want the desk to be shorter, make this 3 inches wide instead of 4 inches wide)

  • 2 - 4” x 22.5” x 3/4” wood for the sides

  • 1 - 4” x 21.75” x 3/4” wood for middle support (you can add a second support if you want three cubbies instead of two)

  • 2 - 4” x 3” x 1/4” wood trim for the outer edges (option and you can trim with anything else, just cosmetic)

Step 1:

Ensure that you have all of the necessary tools and supplies to get started. Start with making your cuts from the cut list above. The desk is completely customizable to the size and depth that you want, so adjust your cuts accordingly.

Step 2:

Sand each cut edge and surface of your wood to prep for stain. I usually start with an 80 grit and work down to a 220 grit until it feels smooth. Add pocket holes to the left and right sides, the back sections, and the middle support. I used the Kreg Pocket Hole System to help give me the angles to screw the sides and support into the bottom of the desk.

Step 3:

Stain all pieces of wood (including all sides and edges) with your choice of stain. The stain I chose is Puritan Pine by Minwax and I use it often in my artwork and other projects. I love the natural look. I always use these off-brand magic eraser pads to stain. They work perfectly for all size projects. When staining smaller pieces, I cut them in half or fourths, but for this project, I used a whole pad, dipped it right into the stain can, applied it as evenly as possible, and then wiped off the excess stain with a clean rag (or use paper towels). I throw the magic erasers away when finished because stain is very hard to clean up. Also - grab some disposable gloves before you begin staining to protect your skin. If you do get stain on your hands, mix half olive oil and half dish soap in your palm of your hand and scrub away in some warm water. It eventually comes off. I don’t think it comes out of clothes, but if you know something I don’t, please share! Let your stain dry for a few hours before moving forward.

Step 4:

Using wood screws and wood glue, attach the left and right sides to the top. Make sure not to drill through the other side of the top, as this will eventually be flipped and become the desk surface. The sides will line up evenly against the edge of the top. Attach the back section the same way, making sure to line everything up. Attach the middle support. Wipe away any extra wood glue.

Step 5:

Add wood glue to the exposed edges of the sides, back, and middle support. Carefully lay the bottom down and make sure everything is lined up properly. Use a brad nailer around the edges to secure the bottom. If you don’t have a nail gun, use some wood screws. Wipe away glue and let dry.

Step 6:

Carefully flip the desk over so the top is now facing up. Add optional trim to the edges using glue. Apply poly according to the instructions on your packaging. Make sure to get all edges and sides, but I mainly focused on the top so it would be sealed and smooth.

Step 7:

Attached legs of your choice! I purchased these off amazon and they were exactly what we needed. Very sturdy and well made!

 

Voila! A DIY desk that’s beautiful and functional. A piece that you can be proud of!

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