This barn door window covering is a great alternative to blinds or curtains. It is a show stopper, especially in a basement bedroom where light is limited. Do you have a window where you could put one of these? I hope you do because I am SO excited to show you how to build one.

If you are looking to transition a little boy's room to a teenage pad, here are some ideas you can do yourself on a budget.

Basements…Oh Basements…

Allow me to share with you my opinion about basements.

I don’t like them.

I almost used the word hate, but as some would agree, hate is a strong word. I appreciate the extra space basements provide. After raising four children in this house, I admit I could not have done it without the basement.

Now that my kids are older, they really appreciate this space. The further away from parents they can get, the better!

Still, I dislike the dungeon-feel, window wells, and limited amount of light you get in basement rooms. But, I gotta do the best I can with what I have, right? That was my goal with this window treatment.

Simple and budget friendly room decor ideas for teenage boys

This is my 20 year old son’s bedroom. He is currently serving a 2-year mission for our church, in the country Guatemala and and I decided to make some much needed improvements in this room while he’s out.  The thing that bothered most me about this window is that it is not centered on the wall! Luckily, the empty space on the left is perfect for the barn door to slide!

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering

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Materials Needed


Note on door size

The cuts vary per window size. For the width, I added as many boards as it took for full coverage. But I had a hard time with the height, so I decided to put the hardware up before I built the door. Once the hardware was up, I measured the height and cut the boards to size.


Step 1: Hang the barn door hardware 

I know, I know. I did this a little backwards, but it’s how it made the most sense to me. I hung the hardware following the manufacturer’s directions before I built the door. I did screw a 1×4 on the studs first, because my studs were not lining up with the predrilled holes on the steel bar. It is super important to make sure the board is level .

DIY Barn Door Window Slider

I painted the 1×4 to match the wall and attached the hardware according to the instructions.  My hubby wasn’t home at the time and I was anxious to get this up, so I did it by myself. Not too terribly bad, but it would have been easier with another set of hands. What can I say, I’m stubborn! (and impatient).  Again, you will want to make darn sure it is hung level, or else your door will slide unwanted.

Easy DIY Barn Door Window Covering

Once the hardware was up, I measured the exact height my boards needed to be and cut them to size. I also took the blinds right out of there.

Step 2: Cut boards to size

Using my miter saw I  sliced the edge off each end of the boards to make sure I was working with straight edges.

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering!

Then I cut enough boards the height I needed to cover to the width of the window, plus a little overlap.

DIY Barn Door Window Covering

I did not rip any of the boards. In the end, the door was slightly wider than necessary. The height had to be precise, as the boards sat barely above the windowsill

Step 3: Join the Boards Together

After I cut the boards, I laid them on the floor and I drew arrows facing in, staggered about every 6 inches, to mark my pocket holes.

DIY Barn Door Window Covering. Super cool project!!

I used the Kreg Jig to drill pockets holes to join these boards together.

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering!

Then I put them all together with wood glue and pocket screws 

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering


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Step 4: Add Top and Bottom Piece

Measure the width, then cut the 1×10’s for the top and bottom horizontal pieces. Attach them with 1- 1/2″ wood screws from the top. If you don’t want the screws to show, you can screw from the back, but I didn’t mind them showing. It added to the rustic look. You could also attach these with nails as an alternative.

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering

Step 5: Add the Cross Piece

You can actually leave this door as is and it would look great. But, you have the option of adding the middle piece on a diagonal if you like. It makes it look more like an actual barn door, I think. I used my sketchy technique to figure out my angled cuts.

Sketch technique: Set the 1 x 10 board across on the diagonal, mark the two ends with a pencil, and draw a line.

(PS…This picture was taken before I attached the top and bottom boards)

DIY Barn Door Style window covering

Then I adjusted the angle on my miter saw to match my line, and made the cut. Ghetto.

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering

If you have a better way to do this, by all means, use it! (um…protractor? I know, I know). I cut one board too short the first try, using my method. Luckily I had an extra board and the second try was good.

If I had to try a third time, I would have left it out. #impatient

Step 6: Sand and Paint

I took the door outside and gave it a good sanding. I used my cordless sander that I love so much. I made sure the edges were smooth and rounded. I followed with a light coat of weathered grey  stain and polyurethane. I used the spray on poly this time and loved the convenience of spraying. No clean up!

After attaching the hardware to the door I got my hubby to help me hang it on the track. Sliding it back and forth was the best feeling ever!

DIY Barn Door Style Window Covering

I love how it covers the entire window when shut. Bad picture, I know. See what I mean about dark basements? Someday I will invest in a light kit.

DIY Barndoor Style Window Covering. I want to make one of these!!

What do you think? Let me know if you have any questions about this project!

If you like it, pin it! And if you like fun projects like this and you want to stay in the loop join my email list! I’d love to keep in touch with you (without spamming you of course!)

I never thought of using a barn door window cover! I LOVE this idea!!


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Janice| Sawdust Sisters

Novice woodworker and serial Popcorn eater, Janice Thomas writes detailed tutorials that motivate others to "dare to try". Originally from Puerto Rico, Janice is fluent in Spanish and dreams of owning a beach house on the island someday! Janice currently lives in Utah with her husband and children, where she works as a university professor.

This Post Has 19 Comments

  1. Ann Tatum

    love it! We were never allowed to say “hate” when I was growing up. It was on the “bad word” list… lol

    1. Janice

      Haha Yes. The truth is I hate basements 🙂

  2. Toni

    I love this! I’ve wanted a barn door for the last 10 yrs and its not gonna happen so I’ll have to live vicariously in seeing beauties like yours.

    1. Janice

      Awe, thanks for stopping by, Toni!

    1. Janice

      Thanks Cassie!! I’m glad you like it!

  3. MEDINA GRILLO

    You made this look so easy janice. I think ill be using a few pointers for when I made doors for my wardrobe. Your son will love this!

    1. Janice

      Thanks Medina! A barn door would be gorgeous on your wardrobe!

  4. Anika

    I love this!! It is just so awesome!! The window looks amazing now!!

    1. Janice

      Thanks Anika!

  5. Anna

    I have two windows in a bonus room that we use for big screen movies. Does the barn door window covering really block out the light when closed? As far as decor it would be perfect in my house. Love it!

    1. Janice

      Hi Anna! We had regular 2” blinds in that window and the barn door blocks out the light a lot more than the blinds did. So, I would say yes! If you want to block even more light, you could use plywood instead on the planks to build the door. That way you don’t have any light sneaking in between the planks. Thanks for stopping by!

  6. Michelle

    I loved how it turned out and I appreciated the step by step directions that I could understand. I too want to do this for my sons bedroom window and it will be my first time creating a barn window. I have priced out what it would cost to pay someone to do it and decided i could do it myself with a little patience., plus it looks like I would get a lot of gratification doing it myself and save money in the process.

    1. Janice

      Hi Michelle! Thanks for taking the time to comment! I’m glad you were motivated to try it yourself! I’m about to post a room reveal of my sons room in the next day or two. So, stay tuned! DIY is definitely rewarding!

  7. Christine Miller

    Did you put anything behind the door so that when it slides open it does rock and make up the wall?

    1. Hi Christine, no I didn’t put anything behind the door. It hasn’t been a problem so far. I’m working on a ‘real’ barn door and we’re installing a floor guide for that one.

  8. Linda Lunsford

    Hi Christine, thanks for showing us how you did this, it’s truly beautiful. My question; does the bottom of the door tilt toward the window? I’m wondering if it will rub on the window molding.

    1. Thanks Linda! My window is not framed so no there’s no worries about that. I don’t think it would rub even if it was framed IF you mount the hardware on a mounting board. That will make the door stick out more and give a little clearance.
      Good luck with your project!
      Janice

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