A friend of mine has wanted to turn her laundry room door into a sliding door for a long time, so she finally got her husband on board to start the project with a little help from my husband.  This idea came from many years of frustration with a narrow laundry room and the huge presence of sliding barn doors on every DIY show out there!
The regular hinged door opened into the laundry room and took up almost 3 feet of space when opened. Â She wanted to have more room to move in and out of the room without the door always being in the way. Â She began by researching all the ready-made options available online but decided to try to create a less expensive design based on many DIY versions.
With most DIY “Barn” style sliding door projects the DIYers build a door and a track system, but she wanted to give it a try using the regular old door. Â This did add a few challenges when it came to finding hardware that word work because there was more space between the track and door, but after a couple trips to the hardware store (ok, maybe 15 trips…) she was able to come up will all the pieces needed for the track.
Here's a list of exactly what they used:
- (2) 3 in. Garage Door Pulley with Fork and Bolt $4.94 Each
- (4) 1-1/4 in. x 18 in. 20-Gauge Strap $1.27 Each (Needed the extra length to make sure the door hung down far enough)
- (2) 12 in. 12-Gauge Heavy Strap Tie $2.88 Each (Sandwiched these between the metal straps to provide rigidity.  This could have been done with longer 12-gauge strap but would have required another trip to the store!)
- (2) 3/8 in 3-1/2 in.External Hex Hex-Head Lag Screw $0.60 Each (Use these on the end holes of the track)
- (5) 1/2 in. Rigid Conduit Nipple $0.98 Each (Use as spacers behind track)
- (2 or 3)Â 3/8 in. Stainless Steel Flat Washers (3 per Pack) $1.18 Each
- (1 or 2) #8 x 3 in. Phillips Zinc-Plated Flat-Head Sheet Metal Screw (3-Piece per Pack) $1.18 Each (Use these screws in the holes on the track between the bolted holes to keep the door path smooth)
- (1)Â 1 in. x 3 in. x 8 ft. MDF Moulding Board $6.25 (Cut to length a little more than twice the width of your door)
- (1)Â 6 ft. x 2 in. x 1/8 in. Steel Flat Plate $13.99
- (1)Â Light Duty Solid Doorstop $1.68
- (1)Â Closet Door Finger Pull $0.89
-  Cobalt Split Point Drill Bits $3.99 – $11.99 (Use to drill holes in steel. You will need more than one size to match your screws. You may also need a lubricant like gun oil or motor oil while drilling )
If you are considering a project like this, here are a few links to help you get some more ideas:
I'd love for you to join me over on Pinterest (I love that place!) If you have a blog and have done a little fluffing in your home, I’d love to see it, so leave your link in the comments section. Also, if there’s a craft you’ve seen on a website that you’re hoping to make, feel free to share that link as well (I’m always looking for new ideas!)
See previous Friday Fluff Up projects and ideas . . . and Happy Fluffing!
Millette says
Do you have the step by step on this?
Katelyn - PPP Team says
Hi Millette, we do have a link towards the bottom of this post with two links of the tutorial on the DIY project. I hope that helps!
Megan Rockey says
Did she keep on the door handle? How did she cover up the marks on the door from the hinges? I love this diy and have a very similar layout for my laundry room. Thank you!
Laurie says
I used the small circular closet door finger pulls for the door knob holes. I didn’t worry about the marks from the door hinges besides painting over them. You could probably use some wood putty if you wanted to fill them in. Hope this helps:)
Janet says
Where’s the after picture?
Janet says
Duh….Got it.