Barn Board Partition Wall with Custom Sliding Door

I was asked to build a barn board partition wall on 3rd floor of this duplex, in order to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the master suite. In the first couple of photos you can see how wide open the space was before I began. The client didn't want the wall to go up to the cathedral ceiling so it didn't block the natural light, which made the project much simpler as well.

I started by stick framing the wall, as the floor and both walls that I was attaching to were out of level/plumb. I made sure to add 3/4" plywood backing beside the door header on the door side to eventually support the door rail hardware. I also sheathed both sides of the framing with 3/8" plywood to stiffen it up and provide solid backing for the barn board.

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The brand of barn board I used was found off the shelf from Réno-Dépôt, from a company called Grange Design. The boards were approximately 3/8" thick and they came in various widths and lengths. I took the time to open several boxes and organize the pieces into piles so I knew roughly how much of each width I had and so I could maintain a random pattern throughout. Due to the variety in the widths of the pieces, I had to make sure to check for level every few rows.

I used PL construction adhesive and 1 1/2" 18 gauge nails to attach the barn board to the plywood. I started by covering the sides of the door frame with the largest pieces that I had, then started on the wall. I made sure to have some black paint with me to cover the plywood wherever there was a knot hole or a crack that I couldn't close completely. I aimed for the studs with the nails, but also anywhere the barn board was separating from the plywood.

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The client went back and forth about what to do for the door, but eventually decided he wanted it to blend in as much as possible. So I started by cutting a sheet of 3/4" plywood down to 84" x 36" and covering the two long edges with 3/4' strips of barn board. Then I used the same attachment technique (except with shorter nails) to cover both sides of the door panel with barn board. I had also picked up some grey wood stain to cover the exposed edges of raw wood, which helped make the whole project look a lot more finished.

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Here is the finished partition wall and door with the hardware installed. All of the hardware came off the shelf from Réno-Dépôt.

Overall this was a simple and enjoyable project; and most importantly, the client was thrilled with the final product.

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