Bedroom Door Project

Bedroom Door

In January of 2014,  we started building an additional bedroom since it looked like Rita's mom was going to stay a while. With the exception of the interior door, it was completed in April of 2014.  

We lived with no door for over a year.  It was not too uncomfortable since the bed sleeping area could not be seen from the studio.

But, we could not shut out the animals nor did it feel very private.  

We looked for a used door at Construction Junction, but never found one that would work for us.  

Then, in the fall of 2014, Rita was at her mom'a and called to ask if we could use some of the lumber her dad had cut and stacked in an outbuilding over 20 years ago.  It was black walnut and appeared to be enough of it in good shape that we could use it to make a door. 

It was one of those questions, where there is only one answer. I said 'yes' and she loaded up the Transit.  She drove 500 miles with a load of back walnut sticking a foot out the back door.  

We took the rough cut boards to a Amish wood worker on got it planed and joined  

To make the project more challenging, the board planed to a thickness of 5/8". Normally interior doors are 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" thick.

After a lot of thinking and looking at door designs, we decided to build a sliding barn door. 

Something similar to that pictured on the right (from Cottage Barn Door)

After more planning and research, we finally found the hardware at a reasonable price (at Home Depot - which surprised us saving us well over $300 in the hardware cost). I also had to get more bar clamps for I had only two and needed eight.

We started the project in August of 2015.  We had about 12 boards to choose from that varied in widths from 3 1/4" to 8". The length was easily over 7 foot.

After selecting boards to make up a 39" wide door to cover a 37" rough opening, we then selected boards for the molding and a header board for the bar.  

Then we started gluing boards together, fist two, then three, then four then all of them.

Then,  I sanded. I sanded with a belt sander. I sanded with a palm sander. I sanded by hand. I sanded until the cows came home.

After a few pounds of sawdust, watering eyes, and a large number of  great big sneezes, I  was done sanding.

I then  put two coats of Teak oil on it.

Then, we installed the barndoor hardware, after getting new holes drilled in the track to match up with our stud locations. We screwed the track through the header board into the studs.

Then we hung the door ... ah, well, we tried to hang it.  There was a mistake someplace of 1/2" and the door didn't hang on the bar. The bar was too low. 

The door just sat there on the floor while Rita and I looked at each other.

I think I was the fist to speak:  "Bummer Shit!" I exclaimed.

"What happened?", Rita asked.

We had a choice of cutting a 1/2" off the door bottom or moving the bar up higher.

So, we took the bar down and re-installed it up higher by a 1/2".

Then we hung the door.

There will be a few minor things to do yet, like install a door handle, guide on the floor.  

But now we have a bedroom door!

I'm still trying to figure out where we were off that 1/2". It is one of those things I may never figure out.