New Barn Doors
My barn on the property is falling apart. It isn't built correctly, has many structural issues and I'm just trying to make it last. If I hadn't already put a metal roof on as part of the original upgrades, it might make sense to tear it down and start over. I kid that someday I'm going to go out and the second story and roof will be sitting on the ground!
At the end of last year I decided that several of the barn doors needed replaced and over the winter I've been rebuilding 3 of the worst of the doors. The original doors were made from 3/4" plywood and 1x4's but when I went to purchase my supplies I decided to try using exterior siding and a new composite material called Miratec. The siding was thinner than the plywood but since it was intended to be used as an exterior product, I thought it might hold up better. Also keep in mind that the siding is sandwiched between the trim boards so I figured it would be plenty strong. The Miratec product was pre-primed and had a 30 year warranty. Additionally I purchased a few 2x4's to replace some of the framing that was also looking in pretty bad shape. I took measurements on the doors to be replaced, and purchased enough supplies to get me started. I already had barn paint and exterior white paint so I was good to go.
Next step was to get the wood painted. I figured it was easier to paint everything before I assembled the doors. A few nice warm winter days and I was able to get started with the painting. The large sheets of exterior siding were cumbersome to move but at least I could lift them myself, not sure I would have been able to do this alone with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. I set myself up in the backyard and painted away.
Now came the fun part, assembling the doors. I've done very little wood working in my life so at first this was a little awkward for me. I did have a nice Makita chop saw that could handle the trim but I wasn't sure what to do about cutting the large pieces of exterior board. I ended up buying a circular saw since there have been other times that I needed this tool. I laid the large piece out on my garage floor, sitting on stacks of the trim wood so that my blade would clear and I ripped the pieces to size.
Then I cut the two outer trim boards to size. For assembly I decided to use wood adhesive and 1 1/4" brads. When I bought my compressor the brad nailer came with it and I've used it for several other projects. Makes for quick easy assembly. Next I cut the end pieces and middle supports. Pretty straight forward. Now came the tricky part, cutting all the diagonal pieces. Using a small square and a pencil I was able to scribe the angles onto the boards. I then used the chop saw to make my cuts. Due to the irregularity of the angles, every cut was unique and I just had to take my time. The most difficult cuts were the greater than 90 degree cuts since my saw couldn't go that far but I figured out how to safely handle these.
Once one side was completed, I flipped the door over and started all over again. I was shocked by how much wood and time each door took to assemble. I spent several weekends over the winter in the garage when the weather permitted. After the first weekend, I moved the saw off the floor and onto a sturdy shelving unit. Should have done this sooner with all the bending and kneeling, I certainly felt it after the first weekend.
I was building one large door (side entrance to barn) and two smaller double doors (loft doors). Moving the larger built door was not an easy task. Initially I was concerned about using the thinner exterior siding but once the trim was attached, the door was plenty sturdy and my concerns were dismissed.
Finally had all three doors completed but because of their weight, I knew I could never hang them myself. My son Brian and a friend came to my rescue and spent a Saturday afternoon, removing the old doors, replacing the framing as needed and installing the new doors. I borrowed a framing nailer from my brother and that came in very handy for installing all the framing. The boys did a fantastic job and I was very grateful for their help. We were able to re-use most of the original hardware which was a huge savings. The cost for new strap hinges was pretty steep and I was glad to salvage whatever we could.
Now the rest of the barn is looking even shabbier so as soon as the weather warms up, I'm going to start painting. Trying to make the other doors and trim last as long as possible. Last spring I re-painted most of the siding but the trim needs to be done. The harsh winter that we had did a number on the doors and the loft doors were basically falling apart by the time we replaced them. They wouldn't have made it another season. I think I ended up spending about $400 to build and replace the doors but that included paying the boys for the installation. After all, they are starving college students! Glad to have another project off my list.
At the end of last year I decided that several of the barn doors needed replaced and over the winter I've been rebuilding 3 of the worst of the doors. The original doors were made from 3/4" plywood and 1x4's but when I went to purchase my supplies I decided to try using exterior siding and a new composite material called Miratec. The siding was thinner than the plywood but since it was intended to be used as an exterior product, I thought it might hold up better. Also keep in mind that the siding is sandwiched between the trim boards so I figured it would be plenty strong. The Miratec product was pre-primed and had a 30 year warranty. Additionally I purchased a few 2x4's to replace some of the framing that was also looking in pretty bad shape. I took measurements on the doors to be replaced, and purchased enough supplies to get me started. I already had barn paint and exterior white paint so I was good to go.
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| Door Panels |
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| Door Trim |
Next step was to get the wood painted. I figured it was easier to paint everything before I assembled the doors. A few nice warm winter days and I was able to get started with the painting. The large sheets of exterior siding were cumbersome to move but at least I could lift them myself, not sure I would have been able to do this alone with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. I set myself up in the backyard and painted away.
Now came the fun part, assembling the doors. I've done very little wood working in my life so at first this was a little awkward for me. I did have a nice Makita chop saw that could handle the trim but I wasn't sure what to do about cutting the large pieces of exterior board. I ended up buying a circular saw since there have been other times that I needed this tool. I laid the large piece out on my garage floor, sitting on stacks of the trim wood so that my blade would clear and I ripped the pieces to size.
Then I cut the two outer trim boards to size. For assembly I decided to use wood adhesive and 1 1/4" brads. When I bought my compressor the brad nailer came with it and I've used it for several other projects. Makes for quick easy assembly. Next I cut the end pieces and middle supports. Pretty straight forward. Now came the tricky part, cutting all the diagonal pieces. Using a small square and a pencil I was able to scribe the angles onto the boards. I then used the chop saw to make my cuts. Due to the irregularity of the angles, every cut was unique and I just had to take my time. The most difficult cuts were the greater than 90 degree cuts since my saw couldn't go that far but I figured out how to safely handle these.
Once one side was completed, I flipped the door over and started all over again. I was shocked by how much wood and time each door took to assemble. I spent several weekends over the winter in the garage when the weather permitted. After the first weekend, I moved the saw off the floor and onto a sturdy shelving unit. Should have done this sooner with all the bending and kneeling, I certainly felt it after the first weekend.
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| Molly overseeing my work |
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| Interior view of completed door |
I was building one large door (side entrance to barn) and two smaller double doors (loft doors). Moving the larger built door was not an easy task. Initially I was concerned about using the thinner exterior siding but once the trim was attached, the door was plenty sturdy and my concerns were dismissed.
 |
| Exterior view of completed door |
Finally had all three doors completed but because of their weight, I knew I could never hang them myself. My son Brian and a friend came to my rescue and spent a Saturday afternoon, removing the old doors, replacing the framing as needed and installing the new doors. I borrowed a framing nailer from my brother and that came in very handy for installing all the framing. The boys did a fantastic job and I was very grateful for their help. We were able to re-use most of the original hardware which was a huge savings. The cost for new strap hinges was pretty steep and I was glad to salvage whatever we could.
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| Upper loft doors |
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| Side door |
Now the rest of the barn is looking even shabbier so as soon as the weather warms up, I'm going to start painting. Trying to make the other doors and trim last as long as possible. Last spring I re-painted most of the siding but the trim needs to be done. The harsh winter that we had did a number on the doors and the loft doors were basically falling apart by the time we replaced them. They wouldn't have made it another season. I think I ended up spending about $400 to build and replace the doors but that included paying the boys for the installation. After all, they are starving college students! Glad to have another project off my list.
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