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A sliding barn door is the right answer when you want a lot of storage in a spot where a swinging door would hit something. This is a full-height pantry: a tall 1x12 carcass with ten adjustable-position shelves and a center divider, faced with a sliding tongue-and-groove barn door on a track.
The carcass is straightforward pocket-hole casework, but two things make or break it. First, square: a cabinet this tall amplifies any racking, so check the diagonals before the face frame and back go on, because after that it's locked in whatever shape it's in. Second, the door and its track are a system — the track hardware determines the door's height and how far it hangs, so install the hardware first and measure the actual opening it creates before you build the door to fit. Building the door to the drawing and hoping the hardware agrees is how you end up with a door that drags or leaves a gap.
A nice production tip from the source: paint the face frame and the carcass separately before joining them. Cutting in around an installed face frame is slow and fiddly; two flat pieces spray or roll far faster.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x12, 8 ftSides and center divider. | 3 each |
| 1x12, 6 ftShelves, top, bottom. | 7 each |
| 1x6, 6 ftHeader. | 1 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftFace frame. | 6 each |
| 1x3, 6 ftFace frame bottom. | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywood panel, 48" x 96"Back panels. | 2 each |
| 1x8, 6 ftBarn door top/bottom rails. | 1 each |
| 1x6 tongue-and-groove boards, 80"The barn door face. | 7 each |
| Barn door track hardware kitBuy and install FIRST — it sets the door's height and clearance. | 1 each |
| 1x2 crown moulding | 7 linear ft |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Brad nails, 3/4" and 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 12 oz |
| Wood filler and paint | 1 kit |
Overall cost: $$$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Sides1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 90" |
| Top / bottom1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 70 1/2" |
| Center divider1x12 | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 85" |
| Base supports1x4Can also be 2x4s. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 70 1/2" |
| Shelves1x12 | 10 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 34 7/8" |
| Header1x6 | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 72" |
| Face frame sides1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 82" |
| Face frame center1x4 | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 79 1/2" |
| Face frame bottom1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 65" |
| Back panels1/4" plywood | 2 | 1/4" × 36" × 90" |
| Barn door face boards1x6 tongue-and-grooveRip the T&G edges off the first and last boards. Build to fit your hardware. | 7 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 80" |
| Barn door top/bottom rails1x8Cut to the door width your hardware dictates. | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 40" |
Buy 27 boards at 8 ft.
10 boards
Drill 3/4" pocket holes on the ends of the top and bottom boards and attach to the sides with glue and 1-1/4" pocket screws, hiding the pockets on the outsides. Hold the bottom up 3-1/2" for the toe space. Attach the 1x4 base support under the bottom shelf with pocket holes, then secure with nails and glue.
Drill 3/4" pocket holes on each end of every shelf and attach to the sides and center divider with pocket screws and glue. Cut a 12" spacer block to set consistent shelf heights.
Before the face frame and back go on, check the cabinet for square by measuring the diagonals — a tall cabinet locks in whatever shape it has once those are attached.
Build the face frame separately with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket screws, then attach to the front with glue and 1-1/4" brad nails. It's often easier to paint the face frame and the carcass separately, then join the pre-painted parts.
Mark the shelf locations on the back side edges, apply glue, and set the back panels on. Nail the back to every shelf, side, and divider with 3/4" brad nails — nailing it to the shelves is what keeps a tall cabinet from racking.
Install the barn door track hardware first and measure how big the door actually needs to be — the hardware and how it mounts determine the door's height and clearance.
Build the door from 1x6 tongue-and-groove boards, ripping the T&G edges off the first and last boards on the table saw, with 1x8 across the top and bottom. Hang it, adjust the rollers so it glides without dragging, and finish. Add the 1x6 header and 1x2 crown above the opening.
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Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →