Home Improvement: Custom Couch (or Arm Chair) Legs
Home Improvement: DIY Board and Batten
Today’s contributor is Sara from The Aqua House. All posts written by Sara for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.
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Hello Everyone! It’s Sara from The Aqua House and I’m so excited to share with you my super simple barn door! I don’t know about you, but I am loving the barn door trend! Its a fabulous way to add some function and visual interest to a room.
When we did our bedroom makeover I just knew that I wanted to add a barn door into our bathroom/closet area. Although I love the chippy look, I didn’t really want my door to be that way. I wanted the look of a barn door but with a smooth, finished appearance. With a little bit of research and several drawings, my husband and I came up with this idea for a simple barn door.
Why simple? Because it is made out of only TWO pieces of wood! Yep, two! And out of those two pieces of wood you only cut one of the pieces! Simple, quick and no butt joints on the front of your door so it looks elegant and finished.
(Still loving my Darling, I Love You Sign!)
Are you ready to make your own Simple Barn Door?
For this project you will need:
*All measurements are for a 33 inch by 84 inch door. You may need to adjust your measurements to fit your own space.*
To start out, you will cut the cabinet grade plywood and MDF sheets down to 33 inches wide by 84 inches tall on a table saw or have your local hardware store cut it for you.
Set the plywood piece aside. We will be using the MDF piece as the front of the door and this is the piece that will be cut. Place the MDF piece either on saw horses or the ground and measure to the center of the width which is 16 1/2 inches. Make a tic mark on the top and bottom of the door front and flip a chalk line so you have a line running down the center of your board.(Make sure to use blue chalk because it’s non permanent.) We will use this line to make sure everything lines up when we do our X.
Now we are going to lay out the outer border of the door. On my door the bottom border is 6 inches (to match my trim height) and the other three sides are laid out to 4 inches thick. Measure in from the edge four inches and flip a chalk line on the top and sides. Measure up 6 inches from the bottom and flip a chalk line.
Next we will make a giant X on the door by taking our chalk line going from one top corner down to the bottom corner on the opposite side of the door. Measure from the inside of the square (border) you just made and flip your chalk line. The X should cross on the center line. This X will be our “Center X”, and is a guide to help us make the bigger “Outside X”.
We are now going to make the “Outside X” which will be the edges of X on your barn door. To do this you measure 2 inches away in each direction from the “center X” and flip a chalk line. Make sure your lines intersect at the center line.
When you are finished your door front should look like this.
Using a drill and a 1 1/4 inch paddle bit, drill a hole near the edge of the “Outside X”. This hole is to help you start the jig saw.
Carefully and slowly start cutting out the triangle shaped pieces between the border and “Outside X”.
Once the front of the door is cut out apply construction adhesive to one side of it.
Flip the door top over onto the cabinet grade plywood and make sure all edges line up. Clamp it into place using as many clamps as you can.
Let the door sit for 24 hours so the construction adhesive can dry. To smooth out the edges use a router with a straight bit and use a straight board as a guide along all the inside edges. Clamp the guide board to your door so it doesn’t move.
Once your edges are straightened up, caulk along the joints between the door front and door back. Take the wood putty and putty in the seam between the door front and back on all four outside edges.
Paint your door. I used a paint sprayer to get a smooth finish.
Determine where you want your door handle and drill holes to attach. I put my handle 2 inches in from the outside edge and the top of the handle is 4 foot from the bottom of the door. My handle is 12 inches long and was from Lowe’s.
You will need to purchase a barn door hanging kit (I got mine from Home Depot) and follow the directions to hang your door.
Now step back and enjoy your beautiful new simple barn door!
-Sara
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Making little improvements and updates to your home doesn’t have to be difficult or break the bank. We love sharing our ideas for simple updates to your home that we just know you’ll love. Check out a few of our past favorites:
DIY Laundry Basket Organizer (…Built In)
Home Improvement: Custom Couch (or Arm Chair) Legs
Home Improvement: DIY Board and Batten
Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
