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The famous 7-1/2-foot media console with sliding barn doors — a concealed 2x3 frame carries everything, so the pretty parts only have to be pretty.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame rails | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 84" | 2x3 | ☐ |
| Frame ends | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 17" | 2x3 | ☐ |
| Frame middles | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 14" | 2x3 | ☐ |
| Side panels | 2 | 3/4" × 17 1/4" × 36" | Project panel | ☐ |
| Face frame verticals | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 36" | 1x4 | ☐ |
| Face frame horizontals | 8 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 17 3/4" | 1x4 | ☐ |
| Bottom shelf boards, 1x8 | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 87" | 1x8 | ☐ |
| Bottom shelf boards, 1x10 | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 87" | 1x10 | ☐ |
| Middle shelf cleats, short | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 14" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Middle shelf cleats, long | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 17" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Back planking Ripped into strips 36" long for the planked look. | 1 | 1/4" × 48" × 36" | 1/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Bottom trim, front Both ends 45°, NOT parallel, longest point. | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 90" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Bottom trim, sides One end 45°, longest point. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 18 3/4" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Top boards | 2 | 1 1/2" × 9 1/4" × 91" | 2x10 | ☐ |
| Doors Cut to fit — and to your hardware's spec. | 2 | 1/2" × 20" × 30" | 1/2" plywood + strips | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 2x3, 8 ft The two concealed structural frames. | 6 each | ☐ |
| 2x10, 8 ft The top. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x8, 8 ft Shelves. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x10, 8 ft Shelves. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Project panel, 3/4", 17-1/4" x 36" The sides. Sold as '18-inch' panels — measure in store; plywood or reclaimed wood substitute. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Plywood or hardboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheet The back — ripped into strips for the planked look, or applied whole. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 1x2, 8 ft Shelf cleats and base trim. | 3 each | ☐ |
| 1x4, 8 ft Face frame. | 4 each | ☐ |
| Sliding barn door hardware The budget-defining line item. Buy or DIY it BEFORE building the doors — track dictates door specs. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Plywood, 1/2", half sheet Door slabs, with applied strips — or reclaimed boards. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive | 40 each | ☐ |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga | 200 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 8 oz | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig, Speed Square. Materials: 2x3, 8 ft, Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive, Wood glue
Screw the 2x3 frames together — 2-1/2" screws (or 1-1/2" pocket holes with 2-1/2" pocket screws), glue at every joint. These are the console's entire structure and they will never be seen; the plan's words are 'don't be concerned about being perfect here,' and it's right. Strong beats pretty on this step.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: Project panel, 3/4", 17-1/4" x 36", Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive, Wood glue
Screw the project-panel sides to the frames (nails at 1-1/4"+ and glue also work), with the panels overhanging the BACK of the frames by 1/4". That reveal is the pocket the back panel disappears into later — the detail that hides every raw edge.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: 1x4, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Lay the console on its back and arrange all the 1x4 face frame boards on the front. Glue and nail each down with 1-1/4" brads — or pre-build the face frame with pocket holes and attach it as a unit, the cleaner path if you have the jig.
Tools: Brad Nailer. Materials: 1x8, 8 ft, 1x10, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Lay the bottom shelf boards on the lower frame and glue and nail down. Gaps between boards are fine; the shelf must NOT extend past the back frame — the sides' 1/4" overhang owns that space.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x2, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Nail and glue the 1x2 cleats to the insides at the middle-shelf height — these carry the shelf you build next. Level them against each other, not just the tape.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver. Materials: 1x8, 8 ft, 1x10, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Assemble the middle shelf by attaching its boards to the shelf cleats with 1-1/4" brads and glue — a center gap is fine — then place it in the console and fasten from the outsides to lock it in.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Table Saw. Materials: Plywood or hardboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheet, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Rip the 1/4" ply into strips and nail them on one at a time for the planked look — the visible texture through the open bays is worth the extra half hour. (A whole sheet works too.) 3/4" brads are ideal; 1-1/4" is fine.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Miter Saw. Materials: 1x2, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga, Wood glue
Miter the 1x2 base trim around the front corners and nail with 1-1/4" brads and glue. Tight miters here — the base trim is at eye level to anyone sitting on the floor, which in front of a media console is everyone under ten.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: 2x10, 8 ft, Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive
Fasten the 2x10 top with the 2-1/2" screws from below through the top frame — flush at the back, even overhangs on the sides and front. The plan's tip: stain the top boards BEFORE attaching; finishing 91" of top against a finished carcass is fussier than it sounds.
Tools: Circular Saw, Drill / Driver, Tape Measure. Materials: Sliding barn door hardware, Plywood, 1/2", half sheet, Wood glue
Confirm your barn-door hardware's specs, THEN build the two ~20" x 30" doors to suit: 1/2" plywood slabs with applied strips like the source, or reclaimed boards, or anything flat and rigid. Hang them on the track, set the floor guides, and check they glide past each other without kissing.
DIY track (the tutorials the plan points to) saves real money if you're handy with metal; bought track saves an afternoon. Either way: hardware dictates doors, never the reverse.