Today I wanted to share with you our plans that we can up with for a safety issue we currently have in our new place. We have a set of steep stairs that we wanted the keep our girls from playing on, so they wouldn’t fall and get hurt.
The other day I thought that It would be awesome to build our own baby gate for stairs. Baby gates are not cheap and it’s hard to find one that would fit our exact needs. So, I decide that I would just design and build one.
I sketched a plan to show Cassity and she immediately fell in love (like the first time she saw me! ha. ha). I love it when she falls in love with my designs. I am really excited too, because I know that many other people would benefit from having a way to build their own baby gate for stairs and any other place you would want to keep kids out.
Thanks to True Value we were able to get all the supplies that we needed for the job. The design of the gate plays off of the rustic look. We wanted it to be like a barn door and have a really rustic feel with some country charm. The hardware that we purchased is hardware that you would use on an exterior gate, but (NOW)you can use it indoors as well.
Everyone likes free money right? I’m sure that your list is as big as mine and you could use some extra cash to get some of those projects done. So True Value wants to give you a chance to win a $100 True Value Gift certificate. How cool is that?! Enter Below!
And here are the gate plans so that you can build you own barn door baby gate for stairs. Keep those kiddos safe and have fun building!
DIY Barn Door Baby Gate
List of Tools:
- table saw (for ripping cap to 2 1/4”, you could use a 1×3 if you don’t have a table saw)
- miter saw (for cutting the lumber to length and the angles)
- drill
- utility knife (for shaving edges of pine boards)
- framing square
- tape measure
- pencil
- sander block
- sand paper
- 4” foam brush
- old rag
Important Notes:
- This gate was designed for a 35 1/4” opening. The width of the opening where the gate is needed will determine the width of the gate. Generally you want your gate to be 1/2” to 3/4” less wide than the door opening. This will allow it to swing freely and give room for hinges.
- I used pine boards with lots of character for a good rustic look. But you can use any material you like
- After all the pieces were cut the length, I used a utility knife to shave off the factory edge on all corners. By doing this it will give the wood a more hand carved look. After shaving off the edge use a sanding block to soften the edges from any slivers.
- All pine wood used is 3/4” thick.
- All dimensions are finished dimensions .
- All screws in this gate were drilled in through the back stiles. This made it look better on the side with the cross x to not show any screws.
- For additional support, wood glue can be applied in-between all the wood joints where screws are used.
- The angles listed on the cut list are for quick reference only and are approximate. You will need to make proper measurements to ensure the proper angles especially if your gate is not the exact same size.
List of Materials:
- (2) 1x6x96 pine boards (actual width is 5 1/2”)
- (6) 1x4x96 pine lumbers (actual width is 3 1/2”)
- (1 box) 1 1/4” drywall screws (I decided to use screws, because it pulled the two pieces together nice and tight.)
- Wood glue
- Wood stain of your choice (I used Minwax water based staina nd had it mixed to a gray color)
- Hinges
- Gate latch (the gate latch that I used requires a hole drilled in the door frame.)
- Handel (pull)
Cut List:
- (1) Cap - 35” x 2 1/4” x 3/4”
- (2) Short Cross Braces -~14 13/16” x 5 1/2” x 3/4”
- (1) Full Cross Brace – 33 5/8” x 5 1/2” x 3/4”
- (2) Front Stiles – ~24 3/16” x 5 1/2” x 3/4”
- (10) Back Stiles – 35” x 3 1/2” x 3/4”
- (2) Front Rails – 35” x 3 1/2” x 3/4”
Exploded Assembly View
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Cut the front bottom rail to length on the miter saw.
2. Cut the front top rail to the same length on the miter saw.
3. Cut a back stile to length on the miter saw. Use a framing square to square up the corners. Drill in one screw on each corner to attach the back stile to the front rails. Before assembling any of the pieces, shave off the factory edge for a more rustic look.
4. Cut a second back stile to length on the miter saw. Use a framing square to square up the corners. Screw in one screw on each corner to attach the back stile to the front rails. Be sure that the back stiles are aligned with the front rails at 35” apart from outside edge to outside edge. After all four screws are in place, check the frame that is is square. Do this by using your tape measure and measuring from one corner to another on a diagonal (see image below). If the two measurements are the same, drill in an additional screw by the first one, to lock the frame into square position. If they are not the same make small adjustments by pushing or pulling the the opposite corners together or apart.
5. Cut front stiles to length. Now that you know your exact spacing for the stiles between the front rails you can cut them to the right length. Now screw the stiles in place through the back stiles.
6. Cut the full cross brace to length. The opening for the cross brace has now been determined and can now be measured. Place the board under the frame at an angle. Overlap the ends lightly to provide part of the board to be cut off. Take a pencil and mark where the frame crosses over the cross brace. Be sure the make the piece on the wood that will be discarded. The angles are listed below but it might be slightly different. That is why you should just trace the angle from the frame. Cut the length and shave of the edges. Sand and get ready for assembly.
7. Cut the short cross braces. Follow the same instructions as above, but this time mark along the full cross brace where the short cross braces will stop. Cut to length, shave off the corners and sand.
8. Cut (8 more) back stiles. Screw the stiles in place one at a time. As you screw in the back stiles make sure that you are on top of the front boards: the front stiles, rails and cross braces. This is so the screws hold the pieces in front.
9. Cut the cap. Screw or nail on the cap. I used brad nails and clue so they wouldn’t show.
10.Now that everything is assembled and sanded, all you need to to is stain it. After you stain it you can brush a layer of clear varnish to protect the stain finish.
Final Baby Gate For Stairs
Exploded Assembly View
I will show you in another post the pictures of me making the gate and show it installed at the bottom of the stairs.
Now its time for a $100 gift card to True Value, good for participating stores and online purchases. You have the chance to enter below by following the instructions on the widget!
Giveaway Time!
Now its time for a giveaway of another $100 gift card to True Value, good for participating stores and online purchases. You have the chance to enter below by following the instructions on the widget!
Be sure to check out True Value on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and You tube!
“I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”
Here you can find the last True Value project that we tackled with the bathroom sink faucet.
Love this idea! Those baby gates are so annoying and ugly. What a great way to beautify something so practical!
Thanks Kat! We are really loving it too!
Justin, that looks AMAZING (no wonder she feel in love!) I tried to enter the contest and it says “contest is not open yet” Just thought I’d let you know! Beautiful work and if I still had a baby (youngest is 5) I would be building that gate.
Selina! Thanks for letting me know, I had no idea I messed up on the date! Just fixed it so i hope you will come back and enter!
now that is awesome!!! so much better than the ugly safety first one i had!
Thanks Cassie! (we have an ugly one too… we just took it out and replaced it, but we’ve been using it for like 3 years!)
What a great idea! Now I just need to have some babies so my husband will make me a gate!
Devon! It is so good to hear from you! If you guys are hoping to have kids yeah! Do it they are a lot of work but so worth it! Hope you are well, we miss our good old Asheville days!
Good work!
Great idea, brilliant execution!
Thanks Korrie! That means a lot!
Looks great!! What was the approximate total cost?
Thanks for sharing!!!
Around 50 – 60 dollars. We are actually building an upper portion of the door as well, so it becomes a Dutch door, so we spent closer to $100 total. But that includes hardware and stain!
That looks awesome! We’re building a secret playhouse under our stairs and I was planning to put a half door in. Your plans are just what we need!
Awesome, I totally want to see your project when you are all done!
Your baby gate looks awesome and I absolutely love the greyish stain!!!! Would you happen to have a formula or anything you can share? I’d love to know what to ask for at the store to get the same color. Thanks!!
Melissa, Yes I do, it is Minwax Waterbased Wood Stain. It is tintable (you can see the color options here) I chose Charcoal Grey. I had it Mixed at true Value when I picked up the wood. We applied the stain and wiped off the excess to let the knots show in the pine… I haven’t sealed it in anyway. We want the rustic feel, so no shiny finish necessary!
Thank you Cassity!!!!
Great idea and it looks so nice! I might just have to make one but only wider and for our dogs.:}
WOW! That is by far the coolest baby gate that ever existed! And the free plans are so generous. Amazing project!
This is exactly what I need, not for human babies, but for my four-legged ones! Going to True Value right now to get the supplies, will make it a little taller, as I have large pets, but it will be perfect. Thanks!!
I don’t have babies anymore, but that gate is amazing! Love it.
I love your baby gate design and it’s just what I was looking for to put in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. Can you explain what kind of hinges or other hardware you used and how to attach this gate to the wall?
I will be explaining that in another post soon. That is a good question though. This situation of ours it a little bit custom and not a typical door frame. Stay tuned for more hopefully next week.
Love this, what a great idea!
Great idea. We might have to do this when our little one becomes mobile. Also, it’s “stiles” not “styles.”
Looks gorgeous!! I just made a similar wood baby gate, although my pattern is a bit simpler and I used distressed wood leftover from our fence that blew over in a tornado. I think these wood baby gates are so much prettier than ugly plastic ones! And they have the added benefit of having a smooth side, so my kittens cannot climb it:
http://house-capades.blogspot.com/2012/08/baby-gate-from-tornado-wood.html
Although perhaps you should also post some sort of warning that kids shouldn’t chew on the stained wood? I was thinking that if I had progeny I would look for a safer stain perhaps?
Very nice! I like how you did yours and using old wood. That’s a good tip on the stain, thanks for your comment.
Thank you so much for this wonderful step by step tutorial! We have a utility entry into the basement and side entry – this would make a perfect dog gate to keep our girl from running off during salt deliveries. My husband is going to want to know what the other (completed) side looks like. Is there any chance of seeing a picture from that perspective? It’s really lovely. Well done!!
I am setting up another post about it soon, that will show that back side finished. I am glad that you liked the tutorial. We are pleased how it turned out for us.
I stumbled on this on pinterest I think its awesome. Really wanting my husband to make one for our pups as we dont have kids yet but I was wondering how it is held in place. Is it really just a half door or completely moveable? Would love to know. Thanks in advance
Jessica, this door is hinged in place with gate hinges on the back side. I wrote about it and have pictures in this post about turning it into a Dutch door. here. Thanks for liking it.
I just built this gate and now I’m scared that the hinges won’t hold it up. This thing weighs a ton!
Did you get smaller hinges, you could always go bigger. But ours have held up perfectly, and they get used A LOT! Tell me how it goes..
Love this. We do not have little ones, but we do have dogs. This would look a lot better than what we have been using to keep them in a central location. Thank you so much for sharing.
I love this! I have dogs and use baby gates to keep them off the stairs and out of the laundry room. I am going to make the gate for the stair way and the Dutch Door for the laundry room! Thanks for the info I needed to make this a reality!
Tanya! We are so glad, we LOVE ours, it is the favorite feature of our new house so far!
Love this! We are actually going to make it for our Great Dane “baby” and add a sign with her name hanging from the front and then also add a sign that says “Stables” over the top of the door. She has her own room under the stairs that currently houses her crate. This is much better and open. Thank you!
We loved this plan! I posted our gates on my blog – along with a link to your plans
Thanks so much for sharing! http://www.sewhomegrown.com/2013/03/barndoor-baby-gate.html
Jessica, I checked out your gates i love them! Great colors, and I love how you cut the one in half! Smart!
Wow! I love it! I need to make a couple of these before my newest starts crawling, way sturdier than the sore bought plastic ones!!! Cutie too.
Good luck! I miss having tiny little babies around!
How did you do the hinges? We have a similar issue, and figuring out what kind of hinges/latch to use, and how to install them, given the way it’s flush with the wall on the sides, is the part that has me stumped.
Rachel, you can see in this post how I attached the hinges to the back of the gate and the wall.
Great idea and plan. Do you have instructions or pics of how you attached the gate to the wall?
Thanks!
Jason
Jason we don’t because our situation was a little abnormal since there wasn’t a door or even a door casing where we put the door. But it is basically like any old door hinge, there might be some good you tube tutorials that you could watch. Or I could talk to my hubby about doing a tutorial but it might take some time. Sorry for not being more help!