How to DIY a Chevron Barn Door

This door is headed to our newest rental property - which we're currently renovating! Even though the house is over 100-years-old, it lacks character. So this fun door is just one fun element we're adding to try and bring some interest to the home.

The good news is the price of barn door tracks have gone down by almost half since the last time I bought one about a year ago! We'll be buying this one to hang the door. It will serve as a closet door in Unit 1.

Here's how we built it.

Materials:

(2) 1 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. Common Board

(1) 11/32 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Rtd Southern Yellow Pine Plywood Sheathing

(2) 1 in. x 10 in. x 8 ft. Common Board

(1) 1 in. x 10 in. x 10 ft. Common Board

Nail gun & finishing nails

Square

Pencil

Chop saw

Table saw

Circular saw

Clamps

Paint or stain of your choice

Barn door track

2 saw horses

Measuring tape

(2) 1/2" spacers (I used a scrap of 1/2" MDF we had laying around)

Step 1:

We started by cutting the base for our door. Measure the opening on your wall. Ours was 28" x 81".

On the plywood sheathing, we drew a red rectangle that was 4" larger than our opening in height and width:

( 28"+ 4" ) x ( 81" + 4") = 32" x 85"

We used our circular saw to make these cuts.

Step 2:

With our door base laid out on saw horses, we then built a picture frame.

We took measurements and cut the 1" x 2" common board strips down to size and nailed them into place.

Now you just need to fill in the center.

Step 3:

To make the chevron pattern, we started by cutting our three 1" x 10" common board planks 1" x 4" strips. This is how wide we wanted the chevron pieces to be, but if you prefer another size, you can change it however you like! Though I will tell you if you follow our design, you won't have to make any awkward corner cuts.

To make these cuts, we simply set the table saw to 4" and ran the 10" planks through twice. Your three 10" boards should now be six 4" boards. You can also have Home Depot do these cuts for you if you don't have a table saw.

Now that we had our 4" boards ready to go, we began working on the widest "V" in our chevron pattern.

To figure out where that goes, simply draw a line down the very center of your door, cutting it in half at the waist. This is the line you will work from to create the chevron pattern.

Next, set the base of your table saw to 45-degrees and cut the very end off of one of your 4" boards. Take that perfect 45-angle cut and line the cut side up with the picture frame of your door. The pointy end should point right up to that freshly drawn center line.

The excess will hang over the opposite end of your picture frame. This is where you will be making your next cut.

Firmly holding the wood piece in position, draw tiny mark where the 4" board meets the picture frame. That's where you'll make your 45-degree cut on the other side. No measuring tape needed.

Just make sure the previously cut side is not dipping down into the frame. That will skew your measurement.

I used the square to make a straight 45-degree line off that tiny mark.

Once your first "V" of the chevron is nailed into place, you can use 1/2" spacers (I used a scrap of 1/2" MDF board we had laying around) to properly space your boards to make your mark in the right spot off your picture frame.

Once you get into the rhythm of doing this, it goes fast!

Now all we need to do is paint it!

If I can help you with your own chevron door project, feel free to reach out to me by commenting below. Happy to answer any questions!