How to Build and Install a Sliding Door for a Shed

A shed door is an important part of the shed in that it allows you to lock up your valuable stuff from both theft and the weather. You can buy pre-hung doors to put in your shed but it really is silly to spend that kind of money, not to mention the pain in the neck that pre-hung doors can be to install. Building doors for you shed is a much more logical decision. The other nice thing about building your own door is that you can make it how you want it and for the needs of the shed. You will know what the shed will be used for and the door can be a valuable tool for getting things in and out. A sliding door is a good option for a shed, it fits in with a shed look and provides the functionality. A sliding door does come with some exterior hardware which some people may not like.

A sliding door glides on a track mounted above the door opening. A 1/2 x3 inch lag screw at each end of the track keeps the door from sliding off the track. The guide wheel holds the door against the wall. The first thing you do when building a sliding door is to cut 1x4's to length for the head and sides of the door jamb. The jamb should be slightly smaller than the rough opening. Assemble the jamb with nails and set it in the opening. Insert shims along the sides and top until it fits snugly in the opening and is level and plumb. Nail through the shims to secure it. Score the shims with a utility knife and break them off by hand. Double check the size of the door opening with a tape measure. You'll build the door 2 inches taller and wider than the opening so that it overlaps the sides of the opening and extends to the bottom of the shed without touching the ground.

Assemble a frame for the door out of 2x4's. Add a horizontal cross brace at the center of the frame and diagonal braces across the upper and lower sections. Cut 3/4 inch plywood and nail or screw it to the exterior side of the frame. Position the track so it sits level over the door opening, you should look at the manufacturers directions when doing this because there are sometimes different instructions that are important. Then fasten the track with the hangers and hardware provided. Attach the wheeled hanger to the door and slide it into the track. Install lag screw stops at the ends of the track. Install the guide wheel at the bottom corner of the door opening so the door slides easily between the wall and the wheel. Install the support bracket to help guide the door as it is opened. Install a latch or hasp so you can lock the door.

The process of actually building and installing this type of door is extremely easy, sometimes the difficult part is to plan it out. To me a sliding door is a little much but is does work best in some applications. A good plan and good measuring and placing of hardware will be the key when installing this type of door. Just take your time when planning this door out. You can really do this from start to finish in about 2 hours, and most of that will be building the door. The instillation of this door is really easy and goes really quick. The two things you need to remember when doing this project is why you are doing it. You are doing it to keep the stuff in and the weather out. Just keep that in mind when building and installing your door so you can make adjustments. Luckily, when you are building and installing shed doors there is always room to make adjustments. Good luck with this one.