Coming at you, with another modern sliding barn door! I love to build sliding barn doors and this one I’m sharing today was by far the easiest, most fun one I’ve ever built! I’m not kidding! It looks hard, but is SO simple!
I have had my eye on this spot….
to add modern sliding barn doors and last month I finally decided what design I wanted to go with. If you’ve been here a while, you know that I’m slowly changing out all of my trim to craftsman trim. So that was, of course, step one….
I also decided to spruce up this space a bit more and added shiplap (Check out this tutorial on how easy it is to shiplap a wall)…
And then I painted the entire kitchen Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (my most favorite gray paint color)….and built a couple sliding barn doors. Knocked out both of these barn doors in one day. So easy! Let’s get to it!
How to Build a Modern Sliding Barn Door
Materials Needed: (For 45×89 door dimensions)
1x5x8 (8)
1x6x10 (1)
1x4x8 (2)
1x2x8 (3)
1 1/4″ pocket hole screws (Amazon Affiliate Link)
1 1/4″ nail gun nails
Wood filler (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Paint
Tools Needed:
Miter saw
Kreg Jig (easiest tool for pocket holes) (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Drill (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Nail Gun (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Step One: Cut the frame
Cut three 1×6’s at 38″ each.
Cut two 1×4’s at 89″ each.
Step Two: Build the frame
Using your Kreg Jig, drill four 3/4″ pocket holes into each end of your three 1×6’s.
Attach top and bottom 1×6 to 1×4’s using 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws. (As shown below)…
Attach middle 1×6 (measuring to find the middle of your 1×4) using 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws…
Step Three: Add back trim
Cut two 1×2’s at 89″ each. Attach, using nail gun, to each 89″ 1×4 trim piece. (As shown below)…
Cut two 1×2’s at 38″ each. Attach, using nail gun, to the top and bottom 1×6 trim piece…
The back of your door frame should now look like this…
Step Four: Add diagonal trim
So easy! Simply fit each 1×5 diagonally across the top section; starting with the middle board (As shown below)…
Continue adding boards, attaching with your nail gun on both ends…
Until bottom section is complete…
Now you’re ready to start on the top section. Be sure to switch the direction of your diagonal boards…
Turn it over and that’s it!!
You’re ready for paint or stain and hardware (get the same look-here’s the door handle I installed). (Amazon Affiliate Link) I chose Sherwin Williams Naval for my paint color…
Hang your doors using my favorite (lowest price on earth) modern sliding barn door hardware. (Amazon Affiliate Link) I have used this track for almost all of my sliding barn doors (we now have 5 in our home :) ) and I love it! Rolls so smoothly and easy to install.
Just a quick note….Usually sliding barn doors are not so glamorous on the other side and they’re kept open most of the time. So you don’t have to worry about what the back side looks like. If you are wanting a more appealing back side to your barn door, you could add a thin sheet of plywood and add some trim pieces to it…this would cover up all of your not so pretty cuts. Here’s a view of what the backside of your barn door will look like without adding any plywood or trim (As you can see, mine still has the stickers on some of the boards–we rarely shut this door :) )….
I did however, paint the sides of the door, so that when it’s open you don’t see the bare wood peaking through….
If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember that I was very nervous about these doors right after they were hung. I wasn’t sure if I liked that they were different sizes. I had to make one door bigger than the other because of the size of the entryways-they were not the same. To me, it seemed very noticeable. UNTIL, I added some large pieces to the space and now I love it!!
And, with the changes I made over in this space, (post coming soon-can you believe I painted that chair??!!) these modern sliding barn doors are perfect!! Here’s a more updated view. Notice the difference? Yep, I painted our hardwood floors and love how they turned out!
Designer Tip: When It Might Be Time to Bring in Help
If you’re working on your home and things still don’t feel quite right, you’re not alone. Many of our clients start exactly where you are now. They’ve gathered ideas, saved inspiration photos, and maybe even purchased a few pieces, but the space still doesn’t feel cohesive. That’s often the moment when having a designer can make all the difference. We help homeowners create a clear plan so every decision works together. From layout and furniture placement to finishes and lighting, the goal is a space that feels thoughtful, comfortable, and complete.
If you’d like a little guidance with your space, you can learn more about our interior design services below.
Explore Interior Design Services
Planning a kitchen, living room, or full home project? Start with a quick discovery call to see if we’re a good fit.
Ok, so here’s your action step…Pin this on Pinterest and carve out a Saturday to build your own modern sliding barn door. You will LOVE it!!
Quick note! I had a reader email me this morning, saying she was getting ready to build the other sliding barn door I’ve posted but then saw this post and was wondering, what makes this door so much easier to make than other doors? GREAT QUESTION! Two things: First, you have very few pocket holes to drill, making this door a quick one to throw together. And second, the diagonal boards do not have to be precise in their measurements. They just have to fit between your border (1×2’s) on the back and be long enough to nail in on each end….again, making this door a super fast and easy build!
I love engaging with my readers! As always, please don’t hesitate to ask questions or comment on any of my posts. I love helping wherever I can.
Until next time,
Happy Building, Friend!!
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Other sliding barn door posts:
How to Make Your Own Sliding Barn Door
Easy How-To and Hardware for Hanging a Sliding Barn Door
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hi Nicole! I feel like you are my soul sister! I was thinking of building the sliding barn door you posted recently but now you say this one is even easier. What makes this one easier? Is it because there are fewer pocket holes? Keep on rocking it! I love your blog!! Maureen.
That’s a great question! The biggest thing that made this one so easy, is that you don’t have to be precise at all with your diagonal cuts. You just have to make sure they’re long enough and stay between your border trim on the back. And YES, very few pocket holes. This one goes so quickly. I built two of them in just a few hours ( with interruptions from my kids, haha!). Let me know if you have anymore questions. And I think I’ll actually add this to the post. Thank you for asking this!
One more question, so you don’t cover up the uneven edges on from the diagonal cuts? can I see a pic of the finished inside?
Nope you don’t have to. Usually sliding barn doors are not so glamorous on the other side and they’re kept open most of the time. So you don’t have to worry about what the back side looks like. If you are wanting a more appealing back side to your barn door, you could add a thin sheet of plywood and add some trim pieces to it…this would cover up all of your not so pretty cuts. I went ahead and added all of this to the post with pictures. For some reason my comment section won’t allow me to send you a picture in this space. Sorry. You can check out the post again here… https://designtobuildblog.com/easy-how-to-buil…liding-barn-door/
For some reason that link didn’t work. Let’s try this again..https://designtobuildblog.com/easy-how-to-build-a-modern-sliding-barn-door/
You did a beautiful job on the barn doors. I love them!!! Can you tell me what color/brand paint you used?
Hi Millie,
Thank you! I chose Sherwin Williams Naval for these sliding barn doors.
Have a great day!
~Nicole