A while back, I built a barn door with a steel frame encasing the wood—and it’s been a conversation starter ever since. One question keeps coming up: “How do you keep the bottom from swinging around?”
Specialty Tools I used In this build:
• Pro For Sho Hearing Protection https://amzn.to/2wkQJbR
• Lincoln Mig welder 180 pro https://amzn.to/2w851NT
• Hitachi 4 ½” angle grinder https://amzn.to/2QRZx2o
Most barn door hardware kits come with a standard floor guide—that T-shaped piece you screw into the floor. Normally, you’d route a slot in the bottom of your wooden door for the T to slide through. But when your door has a metal base? That’s not really an option. This is a great example of where wood meets steel.
So I made my own custom floor guide, and here’s how I did it.
The Build
I started by cutting two short lengths of angle iron, each about an inch and a half long. Then I cut the “L” off one of the pieces to create a flat piece.
Next, I cut a piece of scrap plywood to use as a spacer, making it 3/16″ wider than the thickness of the door. I ground down both pieces of angle iron until they just barely touched when positioned on either side of the spacer.
After clamping everything to the jig, I welded the pieces together and ground them smooth. I used the grinder to round over and ease all the sharp edges of the steel.
Once I was happy with the shape, I painted it black. To prevent metal-on-metal grinding, I used spray adhesive to attach some felt to the guide before screwing it to the floor.
The Result
Now the door glides smoothly without any wobble, and the custom guide fits perfectly with the steel frame design. Problem solved—and no routing required.
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.