DIY Sliding Barn Door

Making a sliding barn door for our home was fun, but more importantly it solves a problem for us. This type of project can be as easy or as complicated as you make it. For me it was a fun and easy project. Be sure to watch the video above (closed captions available). Website article and more projects... https://stoneandsons.net/sliding-barn-door/

Tools and Parts Needed

Saw: http://amzn.to/2nj39MQ

Drill: http://amzn.to/2nj39MQ

Tape measure: http://amzn.to/2txJfDN

Glue: http://amzn.to/2txJfDN

Clamps: http://amzn.to/2txJfDN

Barn door kit: http://amzn.to/2txJfDN

Barn door soft close kit: http://amzn.to/2txJfDN

Depending on the look you’re going for, the first step might be to mill the wood to get nice flat edges and faces. If you’re looking for a more rough or rustic sliding barn door you could get away with a less than perfect appearance.

Mark and cut for biscuits. Mark 3 inches from the end of the first board and then every six inches thereafter (6-10 inches would also work). On the opposite side of the board you just marked, be sure to mark for the biscuits in an alternating fashion. In other words, make a mark in between the marks you made on the opposite side. When cutting the slots with a biscuit joiner, make sure to align the cutter with the center of the boards. Also make sure to have the joiner fully seated before making the plunge cut.

Glue the boards together. Be sure to only glue up two boards at a time to save frustration and to avoid mistakes. Run a bead of glue along the entire edge of the boards making sure to get glue in the biscuit slots. Insert the biscuits, tapping them with a mallet making sure they are fully inserted.

Apply more glue to the newly installed biscuits and clamp the two boards together. Watch the boards as you’re drawing them together to keep them flat against the clamps so you don’t create a cup. Repeat this process until you have all the boards glued up.

Add accent boards and visual interests. This step is all up to you in how you make the sliding barn door look. Some folks add X’s, some folks add diagonals, some even add a chevron pattern. It’s totally up to you, but I will say adding accent boards will make the door more beefy and in turn adding strength. Get creative.

Sand and finish. Be sure to sand away any glue runs and jagged edges. Once you sand the sliding barn door to your desired grit, next finish it with a nice clear coat like a water based polycrylic.

Add hardware. The kit I used was pretty simple and not much to do in the way of assembly. The sliding barn door received two rollers and the wall received a flat iron track.

These were fairly simple to install and easy to adjust. Add the stops to the track to prevent the sliding barn door from rolling off the track at the ends.

Also add the door guide at the bottom to keep the door from swinging away from the wall.

SOFT CLOSE INSTALL

Installing the soft close mechanism was fairly easy. I installed mine after I made and installed the door. I would recommend installing the soft close mechanism before installing the door railing if possible. The actual soft close hardware is simple in design and is easy to install. Holes are pre-drilled in the barn door railing kit making it known where to install them.

These soft close mechanisms mount to the backside of the railings so they’re not visible from the front side. There is a “catch” however that is lower than the railing to ensure the door hardware catches it to activate the soft close.

Once the soft close mechanism is attached, hold the door in the open and close positions to mark where the door hardware will be mounted. After mounting the door hardware to the top of the door, you’re done.

Website article and more projects... https://stoneandsons.net/sliding-barn-door/