Lately, I have been helping my sister with projects around her house. Together we built a mudroom, added decorative molding to her kitchen island, and built an electric fireplace!
We were discussing what to do in her long hallway that leads to her laundry room and we decided we would add a barn door. My sister, Brooke, wanted to add some character to the hallway with a statement piece barn door. After some online research, we found a door we loved. Much to our surprise, the door cost $1,500 dollars! Knowing we could make a door for her space, we decided to tackle the challenge of building a custom made barn door.
Getting Started
The first stage of any project is research. Looking online, I found several blog posts that gave me a general idea of what I would need to complete the project and how I would get it done.
Next, I ordered my materials. Amazon has the best price on barn door rail systems. Click the link for the amazon rail system we ordered for this custom made barn door.
Once the rail system was ordered, we measured the door opening and determined the dimensions of the barn door. Finally, I placed an online order through Home Depot for all of the wood and materials we would need to complete the project.
Materials Used for Custom Built Barn Door
- One Sheet of 3/4″ 4ft x 8ft MDF
- (3) 1in x 4in x 8ft Primed MDF Boards
- (5) 1in x 2in x 8ft Primed MDF Boards
- Wood Glue
- Wood Filler
- 1-1/4in x 18 gauge Brad Nails
- Paint
I ordered all of my materials through Home Depot for an order pick up! Online order pick up is one of the best things to come out of Covid, at least for me and my family!
Once I received all of the materials, I got to work on the door. This project was great because I was able to work on the project at my house in my free time. Having a little baby makes completing projects way more difficult!
Building The Custom Barn Door
First, I had to cut the the MDF plywood sheet down to size. Normally, I would do this on a table saw. However, I do not own a really good table saw. Instead of a table saw, I used the next best thing; a circular saw and a Kreg Accu-Cut attachment. The Kreg circular saw attachment is the coolest piece of equipment I own. Not only is the Kreg attachment easy to use, it feels safe and secure while also providing accurate cuts.
After the base was cut, I was able to start adding all of the wood details. First, I framed out the MDF Plywood base with the primed 1in x 4in x 8 foot boards. I attached the framing with wood glue and brad nails to ensure strong bond.
Next, I cut several 1in x 2in x 8 foot boards at 45 degree angles on each end at varying lengths. I attached each 1in x 2in MDF board to the MDF Plywood base using wood glue and brad nails.
Next, I wood filled all of the seams and nail holes. Once the wood filler was dried, I sanded the entire door down.
My sister wanted to match the barn door paint color to the existing cabinets she had installed in her open air office. I painted the barn door black. It took approximately 4 coats of black paint per side.
Finishing Touches
After the barn door was dry, I drove the door over to my sister’s house. Together, we installed the barn door hardware above her door opening. Since we left the door molding on, we added a backer board to the wall before adding the rail system. My sister painted the backer board the same color as her existing wall so it would blend in.
We followed the installation instructions on the barn door rail kit manual and were able to hang the door with ease. Finally, we added the handle hardware my sister had picked out for the door.
I am in shock and complete love with this custom built barn door! I was able to build the entire door from start to finish in less than a week for less than $250! My sister was so happy to have her statement piece. Normally I get worried when I do work for other people but I had no complaints about this project! I cannot wait to build my next barn door. Possibly an updated Barn Door Shutter in my future!