So it is finally finished and it is hanging up in our baby's room. It took a while because I had some issues with the hardware that I got from amazon and our drywall. Now that it is up, I was able to take some pictures so that you guys can see exactly how I made this door.
We have a lot of those hollow wooden doors in our house so I am trying to change those doors in the most cost effective way. This was definitely cost effective and creative at the same time. I was inspired by Pinterest as I was looking through some door options and came across a pin where this lady actually made a barn door with some plywood. I cannot claim this as my idea but I wanted to try it and see how it looked and it was a success.
COST BREAKDOWN
1. $49 one sheet of plywood (Lowes)
2. $6 Wood Filler (Lowes or Wal-Mart)
3. $8 Sanding Sheets for Craftsman Electric Sander (one pack)
4. $5 Wood Glue (Lowes or Wal-Mart)
5. $8 Door Handle (Lowes)
6. $60 Sliding Door Hardware (Amazon)
TOTAL COST: $136
SEE THE PICTURES BELOW AND MY STEP BY STEP PROCESS.
I purchased the most expensive plywood, which was $49 per sheet. I brought the measurements with me and had one of the Lowe's staff to cut all of those pieces. If you are handy with a wood cutter, you can do it by yourself. The only thing is that I was not able to fit the whole sheet in my car, so cutting the pieces allowed me to fit the pieces into my car. You also have to be careful when cutting it because the plywood can be very fragile and the cuts end up being jagged. When I brought the cut plywood home, I had to sand down all of the edges so that it was smooth.
STEP 1: Once the pieces have been cut, sand down the edges.
STEP 2: Assemble the pieces together to make sure that all of them fit properly.
STEP 3: Glue the planks to the frame of the door with wood glue and use wood filler to fill in cracks. Allow the wood filler to dry for a day and then sand it down.
STEP 4: Once the edges have been sanded down use paint or a stain to paint the door. A good rule of thumb is to always paint the backside of the door first, so that the front gets a seamless finish without having to be flipped!
STEP 5: Drill two holes for the handle and attach it to the door. You might have to buy two longer screws because the ones that they give you along with the handle are too short for the thickness of this door. I believe I had to get the 2inch screws.
STEP 6: Hang the sliding barn door hardware. I found this one on Amazon and it is heavy duty. Just make sure that you have sufficient amount of 4 by 4s that you would be able to hang this hardware on, otherwise the door will bring the whole hardware to the ground because it ends up to be like 50lbs. I had two 4 by 4s over the door and just dry wall for the two other ones. I had to get two studs from Lowes that would go into the dry wall and hold up to 265lbs. It is best if the nails actually go into the 4 by 4.
Did I make mistakes along the way? Yes I did! Next time I will know precisely what to do. This is why I am sharing with you my experience so that you can save some money and do it right the first time!
I enjoyed doing this project and it makes me wonder what else is out there for me to conquer! :) You know me, I will always think of another project that I can do!
PS. Don't forget to comment below and let me know what you think! I love getting your feedback.
Create Coleture, Be YOU
Viktoriya Cole