07I have heard some whispers that sliding barn doors are so yesterday. But yet, perusing on Pinterest, I see them everywhere. How can a door that is both functional and beautiful lose it’s appeal? I don’t believe it has. And if you love it, I say go for it! It’s your house. You get to choose what you like and don’t like. For me, I love a modern sliding barn door. So, when making over my master bedroom, I knew I wanted to incorporate a sliding barn door. I fell in love with the look of the frosted glass sliding barn door and knew that was the one! Nailed it! The perfect fit to our midcentury modern styled master bedroom….
And just for fun, here’s how my brain works….I need to “see” it before I build it. So, this was my visual of how I wanted my frosted glass sliding barn door. I know! It just looks like a bunch of sticky notes–and it is, but in my crazy brain, I can see it! 🙂
How to Build a Frosted Glass Sliding Barn Door
Materials Needed:
(Instructions are based on the following dimensions: Height: 87″; Width of the door: 37.5″) If building a different size, be sure to adjust measurements accordingly).
- 1/2″ plywood sheet (4×8 sheet) I like to have Home Depot cut my plywood in half to make it easier for me to manage (i.e. getting it up onto my table saw). If you choose to do this, make sure they cut it into two 2’x8′ boards. If you don’t have a table saw, Home Depot and I believe Lowe’s will sometimes make the cuts you need. Another option would be to use 1x6x8 pinewood boards-note: this will slightly change the dimensions of your door).
- Plexiglass sheets(You’ll cut these down to 11.5″ x 28″ sheets, so if you can get a larger size to get more sheets out of it-that would be a good option). These sheets from Amazon are pretty reasonably priced though. I went with 1/8″ thick x 24″x36″ sheets. If going with the linked Amazon option, you will need 5 of them.
- Acrylic Sheet Cutting Tool(to cut your plexiglass)
- Rustoleum Specialty Frosted Glass Spray
- 3/4″ Kreg Jig screws
- FlexShot (to attach your plexiglass)
- 3/4″ finishing screws
- Wood glue
- Wood Filler
- 220- grit Sandpaper
- Paint
- Poly
- Hardware Kit
- Sliding door hardware
Amazon Affiliate Links Included
Tools Needed for Frosted Glass Sliding Barn Door:
Step One: (OPTIONAL) Rip your boards
First step…if you’re going with the plywood option rather than the 1x6x8 pinewood board option, you’ll need to rip two 6″ x 96″ strips, using your table saw. You’ll then rip your remaining plywood into 5″ x 96″ strips. Here’s a picture of a few of mine….
Step Two: Build the Frame x’s Two
Next step…Here’s a quick visual of what we’re going for. We’re actually going to build two of these that will sit on top of one another with our plexiglass sheets in between….
Let’s make the cuts for both the front and back side of the door….
- Cut four of your 5″ wide plywood strips @ 87″ using your miter saw.
- Cut eight of your 5″ wide plywood strips @ 27.5″ using your miter saw.
- Cut four of your 6″ wide plywood strips @ 27.5″ using your miter saw.
- Using your Kreg Jig, drill 1/2″ pocket holes on both ends of ALL of your 27.5″ boards.
Here’s a great tutorial on how to use a Kreg Jig-so easy!!
Build the front side of the door….
Lay out two of your 87″ plywood strips (these will be your vertical pieces) And attach a 6″ wide x 27.5″ strip to the bottom (as shown below).
Attach another 6″ wide x 27.5″ strip to the top. Use 3/4″ pocket hole screws to attach both boards.
Below is a picture of one of the end boards attached. Do this to the other end too and you should now have a rectangle….
Build the back side of the door….
Repeat the “front side” door steps.
Make sure your “back side” door boards line up perfectly with your “front side” door boards.
(Note: I did not do this, and therefore, the spacing for my windows was off a little bit. A great solution to this is to mirror both doors together while building.
For example: when you complete a step for the front side of the door, repeat that same step for the back side of the door by setting your “back side” boards on top of the “front side” boards to make sure they line up perfectly, before attaching.)
Now you’re ready to fill in all of the 5″ wide boards. Measure 11″ from the bottom of your top board and attach a 27.5″ strip, using 3/4″ pocket hole screws. Make sure it’s square, before attaching. Remember to mirror this with the back side of the door, as I mentioned above.
Build both sides of the door, simultaneously together making sure they line up perfectly, as you go. Measure another 11″ and attach your next 27.5″ strip. Repeat with two more 27.5″ boards. It should now look like this; but you should have two of these door frames built….
In the picture below, you can see how I have both the back side and the front side of the door on top of one another and they line up together perfectly….
Step Three: Cut and Add the Plexiglass for the Glass Sliding Barn Door
I found the easiest way to do this was to draw my measurements on my plexiglass, using a sharpie. 28″ x 11.5″
I then carefully ran my plexiglass cutter down the sharpie drawn line against a metal ruler and repeated this several times. After several swipes, there was a deep enough cut that I was able to easily snap it apart….
When finished, you should have 5 windows cut at 28 x 11.5″.
Let’s attach the windows….Outline the edges of one of your plexiglass windows with FlexSpot and attach to one of your door frame windows. Repeat this with each glass insert and allow to sit for a couple hours. I placed a heavy object on each end of my plexiglass to give it a firmer hold….
Note: If you prefer, you can replace the plexiglass panels with glass panels.
Once dry, mirror your other side of the door on top of the door with the windows and screw together, using 3/4″ screws….
Step Four: Finishing Touches
Sand any rough edges.
Spray plexiglass with Rustoleum Frosted Glass Spray paint. I gave mine 4 coats on both sides. Allow to dry between each coat.
Tape off windows and paint both sides of door; front and back. Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams is my go to for all of my modern barn doors.
Now it’s ready to hang. (Here’s a great post on how to hang your DIY barn door with window)….
That’s it! I love how this frosted glass sliding barn door is functional, beautiful and provides privacy. Such a beautiful and unique look for our bathroom door….
DIY Barn Door With Window FAQ’s
How wide should my sliding door be?
This is really dependent on the size of your door opening. To determine the right size for your sliding door:
Measure the width of your door frame (including your door trim). Subtract 2 inches from this number. That is how wide your sliding door should be.
For example: If your door frame (including the trim on both sides) measures at 40″ wide, subtract 2 inches from 40 inches. Your sliding door should be 38 inches wide. The purpose for this specific measurement is, it allows some of the trim to still be visible when the door is closed. But yet, still allows enough coverage for privacy.
How much overhang should my barn door have at the top?
A good rule of thumb is to allow for 1 inch of overhang at the top, In other words, your sliding barn door should cover about 1 inch of the top trim piece, when hanging on its tracking.
Where can I add a sliding barn door?
Literally anywhere. Sliding barn doors can be a great option when space is limited. If you don’t have a lot of room for a door to swing out, a sliding door is the perfect solution. And much easier than DIYing a pocket door.
A DIY barn door with window is a great way to add visual interest to a space.
Perfect for a laundry room, master closet, a smaller room or a large opening. Frosted glass barn doors can replace any interior doors.
How far from the wall do barn doors sit?
About 1 3/4″. Most tracking will allow for a 1 3/4″ clearance from the wall.
Let’s go beyond the design to build something beautiful together!
Be sure to Pin This Post to your Pinterest Board for later…
Until next week,
Happy Building, Friend!!
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Other RL Sliding Barn Door Posts:
Easy How to Build a Sliding Barn Door that is Timeless
Easy How to Build a Modern Sliding Barn Door
How to Make Your Own Sliding Barn Door
