I get a whole slew of email newsletters from various remodeling sources. They offer great inspiration and sometimes completely novel ideas. Like these doors in a recent newsletter from RemodelingCenter.com

Cool Hardware, Cooler Doors

The use of exposed sliding door hardware like this is gaining popularity. It looks cool, saves floor space, and is easy to install. I published a post yesterday about some wall-mounted sliding door hardware from Johnson.

But what really makes this work is an awesome door. The question is, where do you get those doors? And maybe, how much do they cost?

Build Them Yourself

If you have the skills we might really be talking YOURself, but we might also be talking about YOUR carpenter. The point is that someone goes out and buys a stack of lumber and paint and goes to town cutting and sanding. End result: awesome door.

Just Look Closely

You’re not relegated to only those ideas that you can find a detailed tutorial on. You can often just look very closely at a picture to see how something was done.

This door is clearly made-up of a bunch of slats (probably 1×3’s). These slats are rounded or beveled on the edge to create a nice seam or joint. You could just glue together a bunch of bead-board slats and get a decent slab to start with.

Then a frame is made. This one is probably 2×4’s on the sides and 2×6’s at the top, middle, and bottom. The cross-bucks look like 1×4’s.

Decide Your Priority

If your priority is quality and longevity, you need to put some effort into the “joinery” in this door. To “do it right” you would most likely use a number of fairly advanced woodworking methods.

But, if your priority is look and cost, and you don’t mind some oddities, like a seam down the edge, or the back of the door being just the slats without the frame and cross-bucks, or it being a little less than perfect, then you can just start building and see what happens.

I wonder sometimes if the fear of throwing some work in the trash is what stops people from trying things like this. It all depends on what works for you. Would you rather spend $800.00 on a custom made door that is perfect (and that would be a good deal), or would you rather spend $100.00 on materials and learn as you go?

If you have the time, and want to learn, you can take a picture like this and just try to make it. Research joinery options online, or buy a book on woodworking. After a little trial and error you’ll have knowledge you can use on project after project. And, with a little luck, you’ll have a cool door.

I’d also like to talk about that wall paneling! But we’ll have to do that in another post. There are a couple of posts here about that if you’re interested:

Wainscot, Chair Rail, and Paint for a Quick New Look

Chair Rails and Crown Molding