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Sliding Door Media Center

So my sliding barn door failure isn’t the first barn door hardware Adam and I have DIYed. About 18 months ago this beauty was created…

DIY media center

I never blogged about it for two reasons…

  1. I don’t have a single picture of the process. I know I took a boatload of pictures but they seemed to have disappeared…I’m pretty sure I accidentally deleted the entire folder for this project.
  2. The hardware doesn’t work all that well. At least I didn’t think it did, but compared to the other version it works like a dream.

So this project started when I saw Jaime’s sliding door console she made for a contest entry. As soon as I saw it I loved it (an instantly voted for her.)

sliding door console - That's My Letter

She based her build on this dreamy Yorkville sliding door console at Sundance, which sells for the cool price of $2,995 + $400 shipping.

Yorkville Sliding Door Console

So pretty, right? It had better be for $3,000.

Here is ours. Adam built it out of Purbond plywood and some pecan he and a friend milled themselves (it’s the same pecan we used to build this dining table). It’s pretty much the most awesome piece of furniture ever.

rustic media center

To finish it I stained the inside, painted the outer part white, distressed it with stain, and gave the whole thing a matte clear coat.

sliding door buffet

DIY barn door hardware

The hardware is made from aluminum bars and awning pulleys. It works – don’t get me wrong – and the sound it produces doesn’t make me want to rip my ears off like the other DIY hardware…but it’s not great. The main problem is that the wheels need internal bearings to roll smoothly. Right now, if you slide them around enough the wheels get loose and fall off, but if you tighten the bolt so that doesn’t happen then the wheels won’t roll. You can’t win.

DIY hardware

It’s okay though, we really don’t slide the doors all that often. (Just enough for the spray paint to wear off.)

living room storagemedia wall

Anyway, I obviously don’t have any sort of tutorial for you today, but if you are interested in making one here are a few resources –

That’s My Letter – This is the tutorial we used. She builds the box and also shows you how to DIY the hardware.

DIY barn door hardware from awning pulley

My kids toy shelf post – This is the same shell as the media center (we built this at the same time) and there are some building plans in this post.

kids room toy storage

Ana White – her website has plans for a very similar console.

Grandy sliding door console

If you want to buy barn door hardware and not DIY it (which is what I would do) Amazon has a well rated set for $85. I’m thinking of replacing ours with this set.

budget friendly barn door hardware

So that’s the story of our media center! (Well, sorta…)

In other news, our new house is completly framed and I’m working on a post for later this week. It looks amazing and I can’t wait to show you!

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16 Comments

  1. I absolutely LOVE this piece!! Have you ever thought about adding washers to the front and back of the wheel? I watched a show once where they used only 2 washers on the front and 2 on the back (with a dab of oil in the middle of each set) to create a bit of movement without losing the tightness of the bolts. I’ve never actually tried this but the theory seemed sound. In any case, the form of this furniture is gorgeous even if the function isn’t at 100% =)

  2. I love the idea of diy sliding console doors. The wood you used with all the little holes and wear is so unique and beautiful, I can’t get over it. Wonderful job!

  3. How about “Rollerblade” Inlineskate Ball-Bearings, they should roll smoth, and you can fix them with a bolt. you only have to build some sort of guidance, so that the door doesn’t falls off.

  4. What a beautiful piece of furniture! I recognized that amazing pecan the second I saw it, which is saying something as I am hardly a wood connoisseur. I would love to take a woodworking course some day and learn to make something like that, using the course’s workshop and tools. Wouldn’t that be a great niche business, running a giant workshop for all the frustrated DIYers who don’t have garages to come and work on projects?

    1. That really is a great idea! When Adam was in the Army they had the same kinda thing on base, but for cars. They have a shop where you could rent out a bay and use all their tools and lifts and DIY your own car repairs. It was SO nice and saved us a ton of money and hassle. They even had a few professional mechanics around that would help you if you got stuck.

  5. I just have to say that I love this. It’s really great, and I like it more than the inspiration version you linked to! I also wanted to say that I really only started reading home blogs a couple years ago, and yours was my first one. It is still my favorite, and I get so excited when I see that you’ve posted. I love reading about anything that you all are working on!

  6. The original is nice, but love your project. Thanks so much for passing along how you did this. It is awesome. So glad to find your site.

  7. Your sliding barn door console is beautiful! We are almost finished ours and ran into the same problem as you with the nuts loosening. We solved it by using clevis pins (google it, I didn’t know what it was at first). We used that instead of a bolt and nut. It totally worked! Just a suggestion to your hardware problem.

  8. LOVE THIS POST!! My hubby moved to Phoenix from NYC while I am away in Vietnam. Ít’s a challenge to decorate via the web and photos while on the other side of the globe. Your clever DIY stories are wonderfully helpful! Thank U!

  9. Love this idea! You guys did an awesome job. I want to make this but am not crafty enough and don’t have the tools to make it from scratch. Do you think I can use a wooden dresser as the base??

    Thanks!

  10. I have a question regarding the clearance of the wall and back of furniture. I have a surge protector and it gets in the way of me being able to place it closer to the wall. How do I manage of hiding the surge protector?

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