Charlie’s Room DIY Barn Door

This blog is sponsored by National Hardware. All opinions are my own.

It feels so good to share this finished sliding barn door with you guys! I feel like Charlie’s room is feeling completed and I am so happy how his room is looking. Lots of hard work has gone into transforming his room into a space of his own. Removing the standard door was key for his room to function correctly. Having his closet door open into his room caused some issues. There is nothing like having a closet door slam into your freshly built desk! He would have to keep his closet door shut to use his desk. I have the perfect solution!

Coming to the rescue was National Hardware. Their 927 Designer Interior Barn Door Kit (stock # N700-005) in matte black saved the day, not to mention all of the amazing architecture touches their kit added to his room. They did an amazing job packing their kit. Every piece has a spot, it came with photographic instructions, and all of the hardware to do this installation right So let’s hop into this build, who is ready to build a barn door ?!?! 

++Before starting the below steps, plan your door size based on the instructions in your kit. This is critical before installing the header and track.++

After verifying that everything was in our kit it was time to install the header board. I went to our local hardware store and picked up a quality 1x6x6, the key is to make sure the board is perfectly flat. A little tip is to lay the board flat on the floor and make sure there isn’t any cupping or warpage. In our case we needed a board 72” to mate with the track. Your board needs to be the same length as your track. Using a stud finder I marked all of the stud with a light pencil mark, making sure the marks went above the header so I could see them. Note with our kit, the center of the header needed to be our door height plus 1-⅞” from the floor. Marking a center line on the header, using a level and a buddy, I used 3” interior screws through the header and into the studs. Please feel free to paint/stain or header before installation. Note: Do not place screws where you will install the mounting hardware for the track!!

Now it is time to mount the track onto your header with the supplied hardware from your kit. The center of the track will line up with the centerline of the header. Use a level as your installing to make sure the tracking is horizontal! Follow your instruction to use the proper hardware for this step in your kit. Our kit has four mounting points. I drilled a ⅛” pilot hole to avoid splitting the header during installation. 

Next is door prep, we decided to go with the double floor guide so we did not have to mortise our door bottom. Now we can install the top brackets! Using their handy template and some painters tape, we position the template on the front of the door. You align it with the top edge of the door and make sure the template is at least 2″ from the door edge. I marked the center of the holes to drill and got busy! Repeat all of these steps on the other side of the door!

First I drilled an ⅛” pilot hole, then followed us with a 7/16” drill bit to finish. Using a square, the bolts run through the back, the nuts will be shown on the front of the door. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN the hardware! 

After you have your hangers installed it is time to install the anti-jump disc on the top edge of the door. You need a minimum of 2″ away from the inside edge of the hanger. Make sure the mounting hole is closest to the front of the door. Do the same steps on the other side of the door.

Now it is the time to see all of that hard work pay off! It is time to hang the door. Grab a friend, rotate the anti-jump discs out of the way when placing the door on the track. Grab a level, and make sure the door is level once installed. Slide your door back and forth (do not run off the track) and make sure you have smooth operation. Rotate the anti-jump disks back into place.

Install your floor guide choice, we went with the wall mounted floor guide.

Let’s keep that door from flying off the track, let’s install the door stops. Slide the door to the closed position so it overlaps the opening by 1″ on both sides. Slide the first door stop onto the track so it touches the door. Tighten the set screws to secure it in place. Slide the door to the open position so it overlaps the opening by 1″. Follow the same steps to install the other door stop.

Finally install your handle, I would recommend you do this before hanging the door like I did. Would have made this step much easier.

I am so happy how this door turned out, it really changed Charlie’s room function and look. National Hardware sliding barn door kits are super high quality, the instructions are super easy to follow. I feel like this kit will last a lifetime, and I am super excited to convert Meredith’s closet into a barn door. I would love to know in the comments what you think, or what room in your home would benefit from a barn door? Thanks so much for taking the time, stay classy.