Introduction: Little Barn Door for Home Security

About: We're Mother Daughter Projects, sharing our DIY adventures as we learn to maintain, improve, decorate, and use tech in our homes.

In the news lately there have been reports of people putting cameras on the outside of peepholes to see into your house/apartment/hotel room.

I (Steph) started thinking about the peephole in my front door and possible ways of covering it when not in use. After much thought, I came up with a DIY solution that is cute, functional, removable, and adds a little more security to my home. Mom helped bring the idea into reality and had most of the materials we used in her craft stash! Watch the video above to see it come together.

Step 1: Watch the Video

Step 2: Gather Materials

Materials:

  • (9) Large popsicle sticks
  • Craft Glue
  • Metal Hanger
  • Duct tape
  • Rubber door stop
  • Sugru Moldable Glue
  • Wood stain
  • (2) Lego gray half pin with stud
  • (2) Lego black tile 1x4
  • (2) Lego black wheel spoked small (these are apparently retired pieces now but you can still find them online for sale or just use a different wheel)

Step 3: Tape 5 Sticks Together

We started with five large popsicle sticks. We made a guide to hold the sticks while we duct taped them together.

Step 4: Measure, Cut & Glue Sticks to Cover Bottom and Top

Step 5: Make X Pattern

To make the X pattern on the door, we measured and cut the sticks again.

It took a few tries to get the right cut on the sticks, but we had plenty of extra sticks to practice with.

Step 6: Find a Handle

The handle is the rubber end of a door stop. This was something that we had available but get creative with this.

I dipped the door stop in the same stain we used for the door so it would look cohesive.

Step 7: Stain Door and Glue X

Step 8: Figure Out Placement at Front Door

We use tin snips to cut a straight piece of metal from an old coat hanger.

Step 9: Make Wheels With Legos

To make the barn door move, we used six Lego pieces. I have a large Lego collection so this came from my personal stash. If you're not into Legos, you can probably do this with small wheels from the hardware store.

We added a half pin to a wheel, and attached a 1x4 tile to that. The wheel rolls very smoothly.

Step 10: Use Sugru to Attach Handle and Wheels

We have been wanting to try out Sugru. It's a product that is designed to stick and mold to many things and can be removed. We thought it would be great for this project.

We used it to attach the handle in place. We used a toothpick to remove the excess Sugru.

We also used it to attach the wheels to the barn door.

Step 11: Attach Bar to Front Door With Sugru

Sugru takes 24 hours to cure so I placed a piece of duct tape on the metal bar to keep it in place.

Step 12: Done!

Hand Tools Only Contest 2016

Second Prize in the
Hand Tools Only Contest 2016

Big or Small Challenge

Runner Up in the
Big or Small Challenge

Make it Move Contest 2016

Participated in the
Make it Move Contest 2016