How to Make a Hinged Barn Door
Barn doors are an excellent addition to any home. They can be used to accentuate the beauty of your interior design or provide functionality like privacy and security. However, if you’re looking for barn doors that will offer both style and function, then hinged barn doors might be the perfect choice for you! In this blog post, we are going to discuss how to make a hinged barn door.
Hinged barn doors allow homeowners to create beautiful designs without sacrificing practicality. They come in many different styles, including modern, rustic, contemporary, and more, so there’s sure to be one that matches your decor perfectly! So if you want an eye-catching door but don’t want it taking up space when not in use, then hinged barn doors are worth checking out!
12 Ways on How to Make a Hinged Barn Door:
Here we have given some ideas on how to make a hinged barn door. Be sure to follow this up.
1. With Two Pieces of Wood:
This design requires two long pieces of wood. The boards can be plain or decorative, as well as any color. In the middle of the top piece of wood, drill a hole for the handle to go through. You may also want to cut halfway through one side of the board so that you can fold this flap down after opening the door to keep it in place.
Then, drill holes through the bottom piece of wood on either side of the top board and screw it in place. Afterward, you will want to cut notches out of both sides so that they fit together when folded.
2. Using an Industrial Hinge:
Hinges are used indoors that swing both ways. For example, installing one on your barn door will allow you to open it sideways like a stable door or tip the top half down for an easy opening. Many of these hinges already come with large handles attached to them, making this design quite convenient.
3. With Lame:
This design may seem unfamiliar, but it is an ancient concept. Before hinges were invented, doors were commonly attached to walls by two large pieces of wood called lame. These would be attached one above the other and folded down tightly against the sides of the door after opening.
4. Re-purpose an Old Door:
As you may know, all barns used to be built with doors. Therefore, when changing or tearing down an old barn, you will likely find large doors that can easily be re-purposed for other uses, such as a room divider or even a piece of art.
For this idea, you will want to take the door outside and set it against the wall of your house. To make a barn door, you will want to attach hinges and either leave one side open or add another hinge and fold the whole thing down flat like a regular door.
5. Make It Fit:
If you would prefer to save money on buying all new materials for this project, you may want to consider purchasing a door that is already the size you need. To do this, measure the height and width of the space where the door will be hanging. Then, if you are lucky, you will find an extra-large door that fits these exact measurements.
6. Build It in Place:
If your barn is being built on-site, this will be the best way to make your door out of wood. You can build it while working on everything else, which should make things go much faster. Also, building a barn door is extremely easy if you buy the wood already cut to size so that you do not have to purchase anything else or do any cutting yourself.
7. Construct an X-shaped Metal Pipe Frame:
This is simply a metal frame consisting of two pieces that overlap to create an X shape. Depending on the type, you may need to cut this down if your door is shorter than usual. The pipe can be painted or sprayed with rust-resistant spray paint before attaching it to the wall of your barn with screws.
8. With a Piece of Metal:
You can save money and still make a barn door is to using a large piece of blank metal instead of wood. Many people will buy the giant sheet they can find and cut it down to have two hinges on one side. You can then attach this with screws or bolts to the wall of your barn.
9. With Shutter Hinges:
This project is rather simple, but it might require you to purchase several different hinges depending on how they are made. First, you will want the hinges that come with roller shutters or old doors that already have these installed (if your entry does not have a built-in hinge, you will need to buy one). Then you will want to attach both sides of the door with these hinges, which will be on opposite sides.
10. Awning Door:
You might like this idea if you are more concerned about quickly getting your barn door open than anything else. When using this design, you will want your door only to be attached to the top with hinges so that it can open sideways. You can attach these hinges to the bottom if you want the door to stay up most of the time, but they are most commonly designed to fall when opened.
11. With an Old-fashioned Latch:
This is a simple design that will make it appear as though your barn door was never intended to open. This kind of latch is also designed so that there are holes where you can slide a pin through to hold the door shut if needed, which is especially convenient for this type of application. You may need to attach some hinges if your door does not already have them.
12. With a Sliding Bolt:
To make a barn door with a locking option, you will want to use a large piece of steel that is significantly longer than the width of your door. To start with, this bar will need to be attached horizontally on both sides to slide.
Make sure that the two holes you put on either side are lined up correctly so that they will meet in the middle when closed, then attach them with hinges or latches depending on how your barn door is being made.
Some Tips and Suggestions:
1. You can use any size hinge to adjust the height of the door. We used two hinges longer than I needed, but it allows for flexibility when building your door.
2. When screwing into the plywood panels, countersink the screws so that they will be flush with or just below the surface of the wood. This will prevent them from being exposed and catching on your clothes or skin as you pass by.
3. We recommend building the door with plywood panels and then adding the vertical pieces to make it appear like a solid door. This is easier than building a regular framed door and attaching the barn door hardware to it.
4. You can use any handle or knob that you prefer.
5. When attaching the track to the wall, carefully measure and level it before marking where to screw into the studs.
6. It is a good idea to prime and paint or stain your door before attaching hardware so that the raw wood will not show through.
Can You Turn a Regular Door Into a Barn Door?
Yes, you can make a stable door into a barn door. The only problem would be finding the right hinges to support the door’s weight and keep it from sagging over time. Again, though not necessary, if you want to make sure your regular door will hinge properly and function like a barn door should.
It would probably be best to find a barn door company in your area and ask them to make the hinges for you. Of course, this would be the most expensive option, but you would know that it would work properly and not sag over time with daily use.
Conclusion:
To conclude, this article has given you some background information on the history of the hinged barn door and explained how to make one. The next time someone asks you about these doors or is interested in purchasing one for their property.
Feel confident that you can give them accurate knowledge based on what we’ve covered here today. We hope you enjoyed learning about how to make a hinged barn door. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.
