How to Customize Barn Doors | Spring ORC | Week 7

Barn doors are the solution to many different types of spaces. They have become popular in homes thanks to Joanna Gaines and farmhouse design. You can even buy pre-made ones at Costco! Say you want to take those pre-made doors and give them a more modern look. Well, that’s exactly what I did!

These doors were here when we moved in, but farmhouse didn’t fit the look of this new bathroom design. A little paint and some wood trim and we have a whole new set of doors. Let me break it down for you.

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First, we sanded down the doors a bit. The barn wood is very rough with lots of splinters. We couldn’t quite get it smooth because that would’ve taken hours of sanding. So we did two thick layers of primer to help fill in some of those gaps. Then we sanded again. Still not smooth, but it was an improvement.

Then, we used black spray paint to spray in between the boards. I knew it would be very hard to get into those spaces with a paint brush. Spray paint was a huge time saver.

I did my first coat of paint using the same satin black paint that we had on the vanity. I assumed it would be best to match. The satin ended up looking very shiny. I think the texture of the wood made it even more noticeable. Sooo I sanded them AGAIN. I got the same color in eggshell and repainted them. The eggshell really toned it down and they look so much better.

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I was most excited to design a detail in trim on the back side of the doors. I have wanted to cover this backside since we moved in because the back still had the word ‘BACK’ all over it! If you look at the top before photos you can see this. It has always bugged me. I took the shapes and design in the wallpaper and started sketching ideas. When I draw designs out, I measure the space and convert the feet into inches on the paper so I know roughly the space I am able to use. It really helps to visualize if you are a visual designer like me.

We bought this thin trim from the hardware store. It was only $3.99 per board. I wanted something that would add detail, but not be too thick. Since the whole room has an Art Deco feel, and to keep it simple, we did 45 degree cuts to make the design. Doing other angles would’ve been a bit more complicated. The 45 degree angle was perfect though!

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We measured out the right side door and did the trim on it first. We started with the diamond shape in the middle and went out from there. Below is all the trim nailed onto the first door. We used a standard brad nailer to attach them.

To do the next door we had to install the trim on it while hanging. Both doors are the same size, but hanging on the track they don’t hang exactly level. In order to make the design match up perfectly we used a level and matched up each piece of trim as we went.

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My original plan was to paint the trim black just like the door. It would make the design subtle, but still give interest to it. Once we had them up, I saw how the white really popped against the black. I got the idea to paint the detail gold! Ya’all know I loooove me some gold! I bought a PPG metallic Gold Gild paint. Since I wasn’t painting it on very thick to avoid drips it took 5 coats to cover. That took me 2 days to complete. Before painting over the edges to get a crisp black line we hung them to see how they looked aaaaaand it looked so YELLOW! In real life it had more of a gold tone, but still didn’t look the way I had envisioned. If I wasn’t crunched on time I might’ve tried getting the same paint in a champagne gold color to go over it and see if it looked any better. Buuuut we are on a time line and I decided to just go back to the original plan instead. These views below are still pretty fun to see, but in real life I promise it didn’t look as good in the room overall.

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I am loving the black!!! It looks sleek and modern and makes these doors have so much more interest. Now, I want to add this trim on every cabinet. Ha ha ha. I’m glad I tried the gold because I would’ve always wondered ‘what if’. It’s just paint and it’s worth giving it a shot!

Finally, I am so excited to show you the doors jewelry! These Menlo Park satin brass appliance pulls from Schaub & Company are the icing on the cake! They match the drawer and cabinet pulls in the bathroom. They give a nice, seamless transition into the room. Having them on the doors makes it so much easier to slide open and gives such a classy, elegant look. I am so grateful Schaub was willing to sponsor the hardware for the space. These doors went from farmhouse to FANCY!

This was week 7 of our One Room Challenge and we only have 1 WEEK LEFT until the reveal!!! I am really feeling the pressure now. We still need to hang a shelf and finish up all the little details that complete the space. I am really in love with the bathroom so far!

Now, check out the Featured Designers and other Guest Participants for this week! To review how far we’ve come, here is Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5&6. To follow along in real time check out my Instagram!

I want to wish all those father’s out there a Happy Father’s Day this weekend. Thank you for being our rocks. To my husband, thank for doing all these insane projects with me, making dinner most of this ORC, and for being the most kind, patient, and loving dad to our 3 kids. We all sure do love you!

Cheers Friends,

Jenasie