The trim piece should now fit snugly between the door trim, from corner to corner. Position the board so that the centerlines lineup with the corners. Finally, you can install the handles and latches of your choice, followed by your choice of wood finish. It may help to remove the wheels first. Barn doors that swing out need to be mounted on very large and strong hinges, and sliding barn doors need to be properly balanced and hung on high quality hardware in order to work properly. Old chalkboards are restored at the Dracut Centre School. Note: It is best to attach only one screw or bolt per hinge to start with, then check to see that the door opens and closes properly and maintains plumb throughout the swing of the door. Make sure that the fasteners are driven deep enough to anchor them to the framing members below the trim. Explore. Cut along this line with a circular saw to make the top and bottom of the door square and even. Use a miter saw to cut the 15 filler strips according to the cut list. DIY sliding barn door hardware is available in all manner of styles and budgets, and the door options are limitlessfrom salvage finds to original DIY creations like this one, a mix of pallet wood and common cedar. Thisoverhang will protect the barn or shed from wind, rain, andpests. Measure and mark cutting lines on the siding, using a framing square. Attach both pieces in place using 1 1/2-inchscrews, a finish nailer, or by hand-nailing with. Measure from the top of the door opening down to the bottom of the door opening, and add any additional length below the opening to suit your taste. All rights reserved. Screw the blocks and strapping in place, and remove the clamps. Lay the 1 inch thick boards out on a flat surface, pressed together tightly. With the siding positioned properly, attach it to the frame using a pneumatic stapler with 1 1/2-inch-long staples. These will be used to make the frames. Hold the door in place with shims driven along the sides of the door. Next, reset the table saw for a 3/4-inch-deep cut, 1 3/4 inches away from the fence. Replace the wheels and slip the track into their grooves. Mark cutting lines along these edges. There are two basic types of barn doors; swing doors and overhead sliding doors. Barn doors take a lot of wear and tear. This doorstop will keep the door from over-extending the hinges if blown shut, and it will cover the gap around the door. For the outside of our door, we will make this design using 1 x 4 lumber. Make sure to work out the math fully before beginning construction. Now return to the beginning and complete the process for the top part of the door. Miter the ends of the bottom trim piece and test fit along the bottom of the door, between the vertical trim pieces. Sew Your Own Reversible Two-Piece Swimsuit! The trim should be flush with the edges of the door jamb, but you may need to compensate slightly if your opening is a bit out of plumb or square. It is advisable to use LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), which is processed lumber, because it's stronger than actual lumber. Begin by marking a line at the midway point in the first long piece of the X trim you already installed. This will make the door much stronger. Snap a chalk line across the ends of the 1 inch boards, very close to their ends. Put the brackets on both sides of the frame. We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. These doors are relatively simple to build, provided you have access to a table saw, miter saw, circular saw, pneumatic nailers, and a drill. With the board in place, you can now mark for the miter cuts on the end of the trim. If your door opening is different than this, you will need to carefully sketch out the rough opening and calculate the dimensions of the frame parts (the horizontal rails and vertical stiles) and siding pieces based on your dimensions. Nail the beams to the frame. "How to Build a Barn Door" The hinges you choose should be strong, strap-style hinges that are capable of holding at least 75 pounds each, preferably more. Copyright 2022 This Old House Ventures, LLC. With the chevrons dry-fit in both panels, lift out one pair of boards at a time, apply panel adhesive to the undersides, and press them back in place. Now, place the board so that one end's centerline matches up with the corner of the trim, and the center line on the other end matches up with the centerline on the existing X-trim board. This will allow you to attach the wheels that run in the sliding door track to the crosspiece, rather than to the ends of the 1 inch boards. Then, pantry cabinets, a soaker tub, and kitchen lighting are installed at the house. At the miter saw, cut a length of 14 equal to the length of the track. Use a cotton rag to rub a liberal amount of paste wax into the wood. With the rails and stiles of the door frame clamped in place, it's time to connect the frame members. These L-shaped trim pieces will protect the edges of the siding and add structural integrity to the door. Next, cut a 47 1/2-inch length of 2 x 6 for the bottom rail on the bottom half of the door. This is critical to having the door open and close smoothly, but also to allow the top and bottom doors to open together. Lay them on a bench or table so that the ends of the boards are hanging off the sides of the table with the undersides accessible. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Our project door is designed for a door opening that is 4070 (4 feet wide by 7 feet tall), and the lower half weighs well over 50 pounds, so make sure that the hinges you choose to employ will handle the weight. Measure inch above the casing and mark two spots on the mounting board. Because barn doors are so much larger than normal doors, you need to take weight and support into account more seriously. Your door is done [source: Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security. Keep the staples within one inch of the edge all the way around the perimeter of the door. The trim pieces will be cut and attached "picture-frame" style, with 45-degree mitered ends that fit together to make perfect corners. Test-fit the trim pieces on the door. If you are adapting this project for a different-sized door opening, make sure to allow for this. Mark the screw locations, drill pilot holes into the filler-strip edge with a -inch bit, then screw the hardware in place, as shown. Diagonally "toenail" a few long screws through the frame members as shown here. The hinges should be equidistant from each other. Gently remove the face frame and set it aside. In other words, if the door measures 47 1/4 inches from the lower portion of the beveled top rail to the bottom of the door, cut the two side pieces of 2 x 4 trim to 49 1/4 inches. 22 April 2011. Note: In the project, we'll focus on building the bottom half of the door first. The outside portion of the frame is the one that has the beveled face of the top rail. Swing doors are two doors that meet in the center of the opening and a sliding door is one door that slides to one side. Many of our readers have asked us whats the best way of tackling homemade sliding barn doors. In this article we will show you how to build both. Keep in mind is that these doors are relatively heavy. Cut a length of 1 x 4 to this length. Apply wood glue to the ends of the rails and the adjoining edges of the mating stiles, then clamp the frame together. In other words, position the frame so this beveled edge of the rail is facing up. The next step is to attach the hinges to the door. The products included in this article are available at various home improvement stores, local home centers, and online retailers like Amazon. Drive screws through the 1 inch thick boards that make the face of the door into the 2 inch thick diagonal brace. Drive 2 screws through each board and into the crosspiece. Get a rustic look by building your own barn door with this step-by-step guide. Cut a piece of 1 x 2 to that length for a doorstop, and attach it to the door jamb using finish nails. Looking for more decorative options? Attach the beams at the corners with the L-shaped brackets. Once the trim is installed, you can move onto installing the bottom door. Xaxx worked as a cabinetmaker for 12 years, as well as building and renovating several houses. Attach four track wheels to the top of the door. On a flat working surface, align the rails and stiles into position. This is common in barns, and it will allow us to have the bottom portion of the door flush with the outside of the bottom concrete threshold of the door opening. Add the lower stiles and rail, leaving a 1-inch channel for the floor guide that contains the door. Arrange the pieces rough-face down covering the filler strips. Fitting the pallet boards requires some fiddling, but the skills are basic. Lay it in place, as shown, and align it along all four edges. Working from underneath the 1 inch boards, drive screws through them and into the 2 inch thick crosspieces. Using a chalk line, mark a line on the siding from the top, hinge-side corner of the door to the opposite, bottom, handle-side corner of the door. Because the edges of the T-111 siding on the face of the door are a bit unsightly, we will mask these edges with 2 x 4s that are ripped to include an L-shaped rabbet along one edge. He has studied under master carpenters and also designs wooden tools and furniture, sharing tutorials on websites including Woodworkers Workshop and Homemade Tools. For the boards that hit the corners, use the combination square to mark where the piece overlaps the stile and the rail. Be certain that the nails are slightly countersunk so that the holes can be filled before finishing. Thats not a problem with one of these compact, ultra-efficient units that heat water as you need it. One could get by without the pneumatic nailers, but they make the job go by much quicker, particularly if you have a few of these doors to build. The brace board should now fit snugly within the frame, but not so tightly that it causes the frame to bend. Note: Keep in mind that the high-edge of the beveled 2 x 6 you cut in the previous step will be on the inside portion of the door. Drill two pocket holes at each end of the upper and middle rails, as shown, and three at each end of the wider bottom rail. The edges should align exactly with the outside edges of the door frame, and the bottom ends should overhang the door by 2 inches. Keep in mind that the top half of the door will be shorter than the bottom half, but you can easily measure from the existing bottom door to the top of the door opening and compensate accordingly when building the top half. Reset the jig along the other edge and repeat. Because barn doors are typically rustic in nature, you may choose to bypass sanding altogether, but that is a matter of taste. Attach the diagonal brace to the frame by toenailing, as you did in the previous step. The doors should both close with an even gap along both sides. Test-fit this first trim piece on the door, making sure the tips of the mitered ends are exactly flush with the overall width of the door frame. Measure the frame diagonally from opposite corners to make sure that the frame is square. Begin by measuring the distance between one top corner and the opposite bottom corner of the trim. If you paint, be sure to caulk all joints and fill nail and screw holes with wood filler. Repeat steps 1 through 5 above, only this time saw four 1-by-6 beams, and make the frame large enough to cover the entire doorway. 30 Easy DIY Calendar Ideas To Make Your Own Calendar, 42 Hummingbird Flowers That Can Attract Them To Your Garden, 30 Entryway Shoe Storage Ideas for Small and Large Spaces, 20 Easy DIY French Drain Installation Guides To Save Money, 25 Best DIY Balloon Arch Ideas Anyone Can Make, 50 Cute and Cool DIY School Supplies for Back To School. Working from underneath the 1 inch boards, drive screws through them and into the 2 inch thick crosspieces. Learn How to Build Slab-Style Cabinet Doors, Learn How to Build Your Own Adirondack Rocking Chair, Build These Free Woodworking Plans With Your Compound Miter Saw, 11 DIY Console Table Plans You Can Get for Free, Learn to Make Beautiful Louvered Doors and Window Shutters, Build Your Own Portable Miter Saw Stand With These Free Plans, Here's the Right Way to Hang Cabinets with French Cleat Wedge Brackets, Take Your Ceramics Studio to the Next Level, How to Build Super-Strong Wooden Shelves That Look Great. If the raw framed opening is sufficient (since this is a barn or a shed), you likely won't need to build a door jamb. Nail a beam diagonally across the center of the door between the outer frame beams, as an extra support. The piece will now fit snugly into the corner. After verifying measurements and calculating the dimensions of the door pieces, the first step is to rip a 45-degree bevel along one edge of an 8-foot long 2 x 6, using atable saw. Note: If you are using your barn doors to keep animals, such as horses penned inside, keep in mind that some of these animals try to chew on the top of the bottom door when the top is open. Mount the door on the track. Level the mounting board above the casing and drill pilot holes through it and into each stud with a -inch bit. Position the siding piece over the frame so that the bottom is flush with the bottom of the door frame and the sides are set inside the frame by 2 inches on each side. Saw eight 1-by-6 beams. Next, set up your table saw so that the blade is 1 3/4 inches high, and the side of the blade opposite the fence is 3/4 inch from the fence. Once all four corners have been toenailed, remove the clamps and check again to make sure the frame issquare. Use a straight edge to mark cutting lines on the face of the brace board. ItsOverflowing.com | Itsoverflowing.com is a participant in the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Carefully align the trim pieces over the door, making sure the top and side edges are flush with the door frame. Get DIY project ideas and easy-to-follow crafts to help you spruce up your space. Traditional Dutch barn doors have an X-shaped face design. Ratchet the rest of the lags in place, then go back and snug them all up. Mark the screw locations, drill pilot holes, and secure the guide to the floor with the included screws. Note: Our cutting instructions provide dimensions for a pair of Dutch-style barn doors for a door opening 4 feet wide and 7 feet tall. Keep in mind that the barn door will extend 2 inches below the opening, so although you can trim to suit your needs, it would probably look best to match the height of the door by adding 2 inches to the door opening height for the length of your side trim boards.