Things You'll Need:
- Large Hinges
- cicular saw
- 2x4s
- 3/4 plywood
- cable with turnbuckle
- 3 1/2 nail plates
- 2" screws
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Step 1
First you will need to decide what type of material will be your finish on your barn door. For this tutorial I am going to suggest that you either paint or stain the plywood. You could also finish it with viny siding or perhaps something else just keep in mind that you want the door to be as light weight as possible.
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Step 2
The next thing that you need to do is decide what size you want to build your door. You will need to measure your opening and make the frame for the door 1/2 smaller in height and in width to have about 1/4 inch margin around the door.
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Step 3
Now that you know what size you need it to be you will need to build the frame in which to attach the 3/4" plywood to. you will need to cut the top and bottom 2x4 the size you want the door to be and then you will need to cut the side pieces 7" less that the height.
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Step 4
Next you will need to lay the frame out on a flat surface so you can attach the nail plates.Before attaching the nail plate you will need to make sure that the frame is square. You can do this by measuring diagonally from corner to corner of your frame. adjust until you have the same dimension across both directions. Attach the nail plates.
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Step 5
Next you will need to add the diagonal 2x4s from corner to corner again making sure the frame is square. The finishsed frame should look like a square with an x in the middle of it and then a + to attach the 3/4 plywood to.Attach the 3/4 plywood to the frame with 2" screws about 8" on center around the edge.
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Step 6
Next you will need to hang the door. I suggest using strap hinges and the bigger the hinge the more it will hold. You should also use screws to attach the hnges. Once the door is hung for added support you will need to add a cable fromthe top hinge to the bottom of the outside edge of the door. If you put a turnbukle in the middle of the cable it will help you be able to tranfer a lot of the load of the door back to the hinge and keep the door from sagging.
