There are certain must - haves that every modern farmhouse needs. I'm talking shiplap, subway tile, open shelving, a farmhouse sink, a barn door...all the things that make my heart go pitter-patter! At our house, we have slowly been checking items off of that list. However, we didn't have the right space for a barn door...that is until we got creative! In this post I'll share a step by step tutorial of how we built the quadruple bypass barn doors of my dreams!
DIMENSIONS
Below is a list of supplies that you will need to build one 84" x 35.5" door. If you need your door to be wider you can increase the number of 1x4's you use across the back. It is important to point out that our door is an odd width because all boards measure about a quarter of an inch less than what is advertised. For example, the size of a 1x4 is actually 3/4" x 3 1/2." So even though you might think that putting nine 1x4's across your door would give you a 36" width, in reality it took us 10 to get a 35.5in door. If you have a table saw you could rip your boards down to 1x3's, however, we didn't feel that it was necessary for us to do that for this project.
SHOPPING LIST
- 1X4 8' Quality Pine (11 per door)
- 1X6 8' Quality Pine (3 per door)
- 1 - 1/2" Flexible Putty Knife
- 80 Grit Block Sanding Sponge
- Sliding Compound Miter Saw
- 1.25" 18 Gauge Finishing Nails
- Paint Brush/Roller/Plastic Tray
- DAP Fast Dry Acrylic Latex Caulk plus Silicone
- Pittsburg Ultra Paint & Primer In One Interior Satin
- 3/8" Drill Bit for drilling holes in metal (door track)
- Barn Door Living hardware (Available for purchase here)
- Recommended Tool Shop 2 Gallon Air Compressor & Brad Nailer Combo Kit
CUT LIST
- 10 - 1x4s @ 84"
- 2 - 1x6s @ 84"
- 3 - 1x6s @ approx 24 1/4" to frame the top, middle, and sides (I recommend taking your own measurements after you get it laid out)
- 2 - 1x4s @ approx 42 1/2" for the x detail (Again, I recommend measuring after you frame the sides, bottom, and middle of your barn door)
STEP 1
I've always been a look at a picture and figure it out as I go kind of gal when it comes to things (which fails me most when I'm in the kitchen cooking). If you are one of the smart ones who prefer a tutorial, I'll do my best to explain our process. We began building our first barn door by laying 10 precut 1x4s on the ground.
Next, we began framing the door and securing the boards together (don't mind my roots...it was time for a touch up). We did this by placing our precut 1x6 over top of the 1x4s on the first side, making sure that the edge of our 1x6 matched up with the edge of the 1x4 underneath it. We pressed the boards tightly together so that there wouldn't be any gaps between the boards when looking at the back side of the door and then secured them together with our Brad nailer. We repeated these same steps on the second side of the door. This was our first time using a nailer and I gotta tell ya, it felt so bad*** hahaha!
STEP 2
After the sides were framed, it was time to frame the top and bottom of the door with 1x6s. We made sure to measure both places to ensure the perfect fit, and then secured everything together with the nailer so that our door was now ONE PIECE!
Then we found the center of the door and put another 1x6 across the center. Our door was really starting to take shape and we were feeling pretty good about ourselves at this point! Building a barn door was proving to be super easy! There was only one part of the build left, the X detail on the bottom half of the door.
STEP 3
This detailing slowed us down a little. I had not seen a definitive way to make these angles anywhere. And remember I teach reading, NOT math, for a reason haha! So it took one trial and FAIL, and some blank stares at each other, followed by uncontrollable laughter, before we figured it out. What ended up working the easiest for us was measuring the space where the X would go from one inner corner to the other on a diagonal.
We used a miter saw to cut the a 1x4 to that length. Then we marked the center of each end of the board and laid it over top of where it would go, making sure that the marks we had made matched up with each corner.
Then we marked the sides of the board for our next cuts.
...which should look something like this!
Perfect fit! Just repeat the same steps for the other side of your X.
And TAAA DAAA...the barn doors of my dreams! Had to test them out quickly.
STEP 4
We got DAP Fast dry acrylic latex caulk plus silicone to fill imperfections, instead of wood glue. This product was recommended by a friend who completed a similar project and I wanted to try it out and see how it worked.
I used my finger to apply a small amount of DAP to all of the nail holes and gaps, making sure to scrape any excess off with a putty knife before it dried and hardened, which made things easier on us. And then we finished up with a power sander, but a sanding block would work too.
STEP 5
Finally, it was time to paint! I used Pittsburgh paint & primer in one because I didn't want to mess with two different products. I bought the white interior satin finish right off the shelf and just had them shake it before leaving the store. I was pleased with the coverage. I believe we only applied two coats to each side of the doors. We had quite the operation set up in the garage, and worked like dogs to complete this project in one weekend. I definitely got my work ethic from my parents.
STEP 6
And the exciting part.....hanging and styling your doors! I knew I wanted a single track (here) for my bypass doors, as opposed to a double track (here). That was just my personal preference because the single track has a cleaner look, even though the doors overlap slightly with this hardware. I looked all over for a four door bypass system on a single track because I wanted to ensure that I had everything I needed and it all fit together and functioned properly. And Barn Door Living on Etsy, also known as The Barn Door Hardware Store on Instagram and online, was the only company that I could find that sold this in a kit. With this kit (ON SALE NOW for 15% off), you get to pick your finish color and your track length. You will have to drill the holes in the track yourselves, as we did, but I assume that is so that you can line them up with the studs in your wall. We used a special drill bit for metal to make our holes every 16" and it proved to be fairly easy. I would love to use the same exact thing for my bedroom closets someday!
I couldn't be happier with the final product! I think these barn doors add so much interest to this space. And because the doors bypass each other, the space doesn't seem closed off. We still have that open concept that combines the kitchen, dining, and living room, which is great for spending time with family and friends. I hope that all of you have found this tutorial helpful. I also have step by step videos in my Instagram stories under 'DIY' @randilynnblog. If you use my my tutorial to build your own doors, I would love to see photos and hear your feedback in the comments below. You can also use the comments or one of my Instagram photos to ask any questions you still have. I hope I didn't leave anything out but when we're working, my dad doesn't like to slow down for anything! I truly believe anyone can build this! Thanks for stopping by my blog today and good luck! Come back soon to see what I'm up to next; I think I'm going to turn my attention to the exterior of our home this summer.