How to DIY A Designer Barn Door for 100 Bucks

 

Barn Door in the master closet of The New Southern Home by NWC Construction

The Barn Door has made its way from the farmyard and into home interiors where its sliding entry and raw, reclaimed wood is both practical and poetic. About a year ago, I started seeing the barn door in master bedrooms, closets and bathrooms of show homes such as The New Southern Home, recently on tour during the Southeast Building Conference. The barn door is hailed for its utility in universal design because it provides greater accessibility  allowing users to move in and out of a space without having to maneuver around hinged doors.

 

Barn door with Hafele hardware

Despite its humble beginnings as a way to keep the hay and horses contained, a barn door can be pricey home decor. (Just the hardware alone can cost upwards of $1,400.) However, with a little ingenuity, elbow grease and strategic scouting for materials, you too can build a barn door on a budget that rivals designer versions.

 

DIY Barn Door for under $100

My dear friend Julia Reilly is a DIY'er who recently tackled the task and produced a beautiful barn door for her bathroom at a fraction of the cost. Here's her step by step DIY Recipe for building a barn door on a budget.

1. Search out Reclaimed Wood:

 

Reclaimed wood from an old fence is used as the Barn Door cross bucks

Julia used reclaimed wood from an old fence (pictured above) as the cross bucks of her barn door. She purchased the reclaimed wood from a local antique shop/salvage yard.

2. Age or Paint the New Wood:

 

The base of the barn door is made of new wood planks purchased from Lowes at a cost of $7 each.

New wood planks form the base of the barn door. Julia purchased the wood planks at Lowe's at a cost of $7 each. To extend the length of the door, plywood was added to the top and bottom. To get an aged look for the barn door, create an oxidizing mixture out of  vinegar soaked with a piece of steel wool.  Let the mixture sit for 24 hours, then brushed the vinegar on the wood planks to instantly age the wood. This gives the barn door its raw, timeworn character.

Reclaimed fence wood is used as the cross bucks on this barn door. The bottom half of the door is aged with vinegar oxidizing mixture. If you want a more whimsical or contemporary look, then give it a coat of paint. Julia opted to paint the door a bright yellow for a pop of color in her bathroom. She used two coats of Behr satin finish in yellow gold.

3. Build the Hardware:

The barn door hardware consists of a steel rod  with pulleys and steel door holders. Pipe pieces function as extenders to create space for the sliding track. Pulleys and steel door holders install at an angle to allow gravity to keep the door shut and prevent it from opening. The hardware costs $28 for the steel rod and $12 for the pulleys.

The bathroom darn door in the closed position, stays closed because the hardware track is angled.
Julia's DIY  barn door cost under $100 and is just one designer element in her recently redone masterbath. In my next posting, I'll show you how she worked with SB Tile & Stone to transform her 1980s space into a stylish spa-worthy retreat.