Not Your Average Barn Doors

How are these not your average barn doors, you ask? I used a solid panel for the center but made it mimic tongue and groove boards. I also used an enclosed track that slides smoothly and keeps dust out of the track, which is critical for me since these doors are located in my woodshop!

I’ve teamed up with my friends at Kreg to sponsor this project and bring you the FREE PLANS!!!

Center Panel

To start off this build, I wanted to get the center panel knocked out first. I used the Kreg ACS to first cross cut the sheets to their length and then headed over to the table saw to cut it to the final width.

Faux Tongue and Groove

I originally wanted to make tongue and groove boards for this door, but since these doors are for my finishing room and the point is to minimize air infiltration, I opted to use a single MDF sheet for the center. To create this effect, I used my track saw to cut lines into the center panel.

Build the Door Frame

To construct the frame for these doors, I used 2×6 lumber. I wanted to avoid using the planer for this build, so I bought the straightest boards I could find. Often times the 10′ boards are better than the 8′ boards. If you can’t find good boards in the 8′ racks, check the 10′ boards before settling. I cut the boards to final length and width and then added the dados as needed.

Assembly

To assemble these doors, I went with pocket hole joinery. I used (3) 2-1/2″ pocket hole screws per joint. This would also be a good application to use the HD pocket hole jig and screws. With the pocket holes drilled, I moved on to assembly. I started by setting the panel into the vertical frame pieces (centered) and then tapped the top and bottom rails into place with a mallet. Once all of the parts were in place, I used 12 2-1/2″ pocket hole screws to finish the assembly.

Adding Pockets for Door Rollers

For these doors, I used different hardware than what is typically found in sliding barn doors on Pinterest. These rollers attach to the door with a bolt and bracket that I cut a pocket for in the back side of the door using my router and a few templates.

Paint Prep

I filled any imperfections with Elmer’s wood putty and then sanded with 80 grit. Next, I rounded the edges with an 1/8″ radius bit in my trim router and finished things off by sanding up to 120 grit.

Finishing

When painting MDF, it’s very important to seal the material to prevent the fibers from swelling. To produce the best surface, first seal the panels with shellac (I omitted this step since my doors are in the shop). Next, I shot 1 coat of General Finishes Primer. Once the primer was cured, I shot two coats of GF Milk Paint in the color “Queenstown Gray” and sanded between coats with 220 grit paper. With the milk paint cured, I then applied one coat of GF High Performance Top Coat to add some additional durability and to make the door a little easier to clean.

Install

I then followed the MFG guidelines to install the track and roller hardware. With the door hung, I installed the handles using painter’s tape to protect the finished door and to mark the hole locations on.

Get the Plans

This project is built with MDF and rough lumber from FREE plans I have available.  Grab these to take out the dimensional guess work and get your project done quickly!

As always, if you have any questions, leave them in the comments. And until next time, have fun making something!

This project is sponsored by my good friends at Kreg!

Kreg provided me with product and/or monetary compensation as a sponsor of this build. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the sponsor. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.