How to install a sliding door by yourself, part 1

You're probably thinking I dropped the damned door on myself

and have been trapped under it since my last blog post.

Not so. 

The sliding door installation project (click here if you missed the video preview)

has actually been moving along quite well. In fact, it's almost done.

And as yet, no major fuck-ups! 

I did think I was in way over my head on this one,

but with a little help from above, so far, so good.

Let's start with a quick overview of what I'm trying to accomplish.

Here is the official "before" picture.

The goal is to install a sliding door across this opening in my bedroom.

This will involve:

1. Buying the door.
2. Getting the door home without breaking it.

3. Buying a board on which to mount the track on which the door will slide.

4. Removing the wall sconce and replacing it with a can light in the ceiling. 

5. Attaching the board to the wall in the right place.

6. Attaching the track to the board in the right place. 

7. Sanding and sealing the board and the door.

8. Hanging the door on the track.

My previous glass-door hauling experience came in handy,

as did a little rope, a little cardboard and a few bags of chicken feed.

I scoffed at the drawing of two guys carrying the door on edge,

then improvised with a small furniture dolly,

toppling it over just once.

The door proved very sturdy. It survived the crash.

On to the electrical work.

This wasn't my first recessed light, and the hole-cutting and wiring hook-up went well,

as did the dozen or so round trips tiptoeing through the attic trusses. 

No legs crashed through the ceiling during the installation. Score!

Next up, fix the hole left behind by the wall sconce.

Look closely at the wall to the right of the ceiling fan pull chains

and you'll see the terrible job I did the last time I patched drywall.

This time would be different because YouTube.

It taught me about these 3M wall repair kits. Who knew? 

They work as advertised. Score another one for me.

I sourced a lovely oak board at a lumber yard in Albuquerque

and set up a temporary wood shop in the yard.

Fake carpentry is fun when it can be done in the sun.

I moved the sanded board to its approximate destination and contemplated my next move.

It needed to be screwed into the studs about 10 inches higher 

than where you see it now atop the ladder.

Hmmm.

I went into the garage looking for something 10" high, sturdy enough 

to hold the weight of the board, yet small enough to fit atop the ladder.

In a moment of divine intervention, my eyes immediately landed

on a milk crate.

It was the exact height and shape I needed to hold up the board.

Now this isn't just any old milk crate. My dad made a lid for it and checked it as baggage 

one time that he flew out here to help me with some project or another. 

How else would you get a circular saw on a plane?

 Anyway, he handed down the saw and the crate to me, 

along with a treasured cache of knowledge about building and fixing things, 

and excuse me for a moment while I reflect upon 

what a lucky girl I am to have had him as my dad.

Yeah, so it seemed like he was here with me every step of the way on this project.

As were Danni and Tall Paul. 

Did you see that fancy digital laser level two pictures back? 

Birthday gift from them because they knew this project was in the works

and thought I might need it. Did I ever!

With my improvised board-holder-upper and the world's coolest level,

it was easy to screw the wood into the studs and keep it straight.

I countersunk the 4" deck screws, filled the holes with wood putty,

then applied four thin coats of polyurethane, 

lightly sanding the board between coats because the can said I had to,

and making a gargantuan mess and stench in my bedroom.

So maybe I should have done the polyurethaneing/sanding

before I hung up the board, but I figured I'd scratch the hell out of it

trying to get it up there, and oh well.

Ta da!

Meanwhile, over in the garage, I was polyurethaneing/sanding the door.

Then it came time to decipher the instructions for mounting the hardware –
very few words, just illustrations and lots and lots of measurements.
Oddly, it seemed to make sense.

Here we are back at the ladder and milk crate,
with a boost from a hunk of 2x4 to raise the metal track to the right place
and a couple of clamps to hold it still while I leveled it and drilled in the screws.
I wonder if real builders use makeup removal pads with their clamps to prevent scratches?
If not, they should.

The hard parts are over.

You: Why didn't she paint the drywall patch before hanging the board?

Me: I don't have much green paint, so I'll do all the touching-up

at the same time, once the door is hung and the wall-nicking is done.

Back to the cold garage we go to sand and seal and sand and seal
the door a few more times, except it's so cold now that the sealer
is taking forever to dry.

 So yesterday morning I moved the door to the sunroom,
where I'll seal-and-sand x 4 the remaining side and it should dry faster.

Assuming all my measurements were correct (let us now bow our heads in prayer), 

the next time you see this door, it should be in its final resting place.