This may sound counterintuitive, but some of the most eye-catching barn-style accent doors rank among the easiest DIY home improvement projects. And a few insider tips might help push the project along. For example, people who do not work in the construction trades rarely realize that many 10-inch wide boards run closer to 9.25 inches. That insider tip will come in handy as you build a barn-style accent door.
Measure the height and width of your doorway. Then, consider the exterior lumber employed in side jambs. This is typically a 1-inch thick piece of pine that runs on each side and above the entryway. It’s crucial to have a reasonably secure jamb in place to attach the barn door hinges later.
A standard interior doorway usually runs 28-32 inches and upwards of 80 inches tall. The width and height are not necessarily important because you will take the measurements and purchase 1-inch common pine boards to fill out the space.
Common board, sometimes called No. 2 pine, is relatively inexpensive and delivers the knotty appearance of a classic barn door. You are tasked with literally measuring the pine boards to fill the width and height. Pine boards come in a variety of widths. Some people use 10-inch lumber straight across and trim one edge to fit. Creative approaches may use alternating sizes to add a design element. You also need enough 1x4 pine to create the Z-style supports. Once you’ve gathered the lumber, follow these assembly steps.
Once the door is firmly attached and flush across the top and bottom, lay the Z support boards over the attached supports to form the design. Mark them accordingly so you can cut them to form the angled pieces. Next, screw the Z-style lumber to each length it covers as well. That’s it. It’s assembled.
Consider using classic black wrought iron hardware that attaches to the exterior of the door and entry jamb. This hardware can be secured to the door facade. Then you can put a pry bar under the door, lift it into place and affix the hardware to the jamb.
If the door ends up being a tad too wide, no worries. Just take it down and trim it back until it fits perfectly. Remember, you can always trim a door back. But you can’t add wood as easily.
Susan Shuxian Hu has been a dedicated realtor serving in Silicon Valley since 2010. With great passion, outstanding negotiation skills and due diligence, she has helped many buyers and sellers in their real estate needs. Living in West San Jose for more than 14 years, she has broad knowledge in Cupertino, West San Jose, Los Altos and Saratoga. She has enormous patience working with buyers and never tired of showing all possible properties that may fit client’s needs. Clients appreciate her best service to their satisfaction. She specialized in luxurious real estate purchase in Los Altos, Cupertino, Saratoga and Palo Alto. She also helped friend and past client’s referral working in San Francisco, Foster City and far reached Bay Area.
Susan Shuxian Hu was graduated in East China Normal University in Shanghai with bachelor and master degrees in Bio science. She came to US in 1989 and earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics in Texas A&M University in 1996. After one year of postdoc in Southern Florida University in Tampa, she moved back to Orlando with her family and started working in Lucent Technologies. In 2002, Susan moved to California, Silicon Valley joined a start-up company. Since then she worked in high tech Corporation till 2009. Driven by her dream job pursuing, she found her passion working in sales by helping people in real estate after one year of education in De Anza business and real estate law study. Since then, she has been serving many people in Bay Area for their real estate needs.
With bilingual advantage, she has been actively working with Chinese immigrants as well as local engineers and residents. With rich high tech background and connection with Chinese community, Susan has served in luxurious real estate in last a couple of years.