DIY Bypass Garage Doors

Want to hide visual clutter across a long wall without paying for custom millwork or specialty hardware?

Here’s a clean, low-cost way to build six oversized sliding doors and hang them on Unistrut. Each panel is ~4 ft wide × 8 ft tall, rides smoothly, and costs roughly the price of a sheet of plywood and a few 1×4s.

What you’ll build

• Six bypassing doors on two Unistrut tracks spanning a wide wall (about 25 ft in the example).

• Each door: ~48 in W × 96 in H.

• Clean, paint-ready faces with no visible fasteners.

• Modular track and guide system you can service or tweak later.

Materials (per ~6 doors)

Doors

• (6) sheets plywood, 1/4 in to 3/8 in (backs)

• 1×4 finger-jointed pine (or similar) for rails/stiles

• Pocket screws, 1-1/4 in coarse thread

• Construction staples, 5/8 in crown (or 1 in brads)

Tracks & rollers

• Unistrut/channel, 1-5/8 in profile (length to suit span; 10 ft sections are common)

• Door trolleys/rollers sized to fit Unistrut (2 per door)

• Carriage bolts, 1/2 in, nuts (for fastening door to trolley)

• Cabinet screws, 1-1/2 in, to mount Unistrut to ledger

Structure

• 2×4 ledger(s) for the tracks

• Structural screws (6 in) to fasten ledgers to wall framing

Bottom guides

• 1/2 in Baltic birch (or similar) for base plates

• 3/4 in plywood for center dividers

• Tapcon screws (or appropriate masonry/wood fasteners)

Finishing (optional)

• Wood filler, sandpaper, primer/paint

• Recess pulls or finger pulls

Tools

• Miter saw, pocket-hole jig, drill/driver, stapler or brad nailer

• Grinder/metal blade (to cut Unistrut)

• Long drill bits (for pilot holes)

• Level/laser, combination square, clamps

Cut list & layout (quick math)

• Frame: Each door uses 2 stiles (full height) + 2 rails (top/bottom) from 1×4. Add a middle stile for stiffness and to act as a grab rail.

• Panel widths: To make the closed wall look intentional, plan so visible stiles overlap neatly.

  • Example math: total opening width minus the combined widths of visible stiles = total plywood panel width. Divide by 6 to get each panel width. Aim near 46-1/2 to 46-5/8 in per panel for a ~25 ft span.

Tip: Make a gauge stick for repeating the middle-stile location. ~40 in up from the floor feels natural for grabbing.

Build the door frames

1. Cut rails & stiles to size.

2. Pocket holes: Drill 2 per joint on each rail end. Worst face toward the back.

3. Assemble corners with 1-1/4 in coarse pocket screws. No glue needed (the plywood back provides shear strength).

   • If a corner starts to split, back out the screw, add wood glue, clamp, and re-drive once set.

4. Add the middle stile (use your gauge stick).

Skin the backs

1. Lay the frame front-down. Place a full sheet of 1/4 in plywood on the back.

2. Square it: Pin one long edge, then check diagonals; adjust until equal.

3. Staple off: 5/8 in crown staples around the perimeter and across stiles/rails.

4. Flip and sand the joints flush. Fill as needed.

Why 1/4 in backs? Light weight, fast to square, and they lock the frame into a stiff, rattle-free panel.

Install the ledgers & tracks

1. Ledger first: Set a laser/level line for the bottom of the 2×4 ledger. Fasten ledgers into studs with long structural screws.

2. Unistrut prep: Drill through-holes in the Unistrut between slots (skip every ~6 slots). You want a flat screw head inside the channel so the trolley doesn’t hit it.

3. Mount Unistrut to the underside of the ledger with 1-1/2 in cabinet screws. Leave a loading gap at one end to insert trolleys.

4. For bypass: Install a second Unistrut parallel to the first on a second ledger (or a stepped ledger) so doors pass in front/behind.

Note on noise: Unistrut edges have slight serrations. Steel rollers can hum. If sound matters, consider nylon rollers.

Hang the doors

1. Trolley holes: Mark 8 in from each door end, ~1-3/16 in down from the top. Drill through for 1/2 in carriage bolts.

   • Slightly oversize the holes for a bit of vertical/horizontal wiggle during alignment.

2. Slide two trolleys into the Unistrut. Lift the door and bolt the frame to the trolleys (carriage bolt head on the visible face).

3. Plumb and align with a laser/level; snug the nuts.

Make the bottom guides (shop-made)

Purpose: Keep doors tracking straight and prevent collisions where they bypass.

1. Spacing rule: The distance between the backs of the two guide channels equals the Unistrut width (1-5/8 in).

2. Build blocks:

   • Base plates from 1/2 in birch (small squares/rectangles).

   • Add angled guide rails (1-1/2 in strips) beveled on the inner edges to help the doors enter.

   • A 3/4 in center divider between bypass lanes where needed.

3. Placement: Align each guide with a stile location so the door edge rides the guide.

4. Anchor: Trace and Tapcon into the slab (or screw to a platform if you prefer). Use the actual doors as spacers while positioning.

Alternative: 3D-print these guides in slick plastic later. Wood works now, plastic lasts longer.

Finishing & hardware

• Sand, prime, paint panels off the wall for speed.

• Add recess pulls or finger pulls at the middle stile height.

• Caulk minimal gaps if you’re casing ends or adding a valance to hide the track.

• Consider a shallow valance fastened to the ledger to mask the ceiling wave and track line.

Troubleshooting & pro tips

• Splitting at pocket screws: Pilot deeper, reduce clutch torque, or glue/clamp and re-drive.

• Racking door: Check that the plywood back is fully stapled and the diagonals match.

• Roller rubbing screws: Ensure track screws are not in the slotted face; use through-holes and low-profile heads.

• Access planning: Two tracks = access to ~50% of the wall at once. More tracks = more simultaneous access (budget accordingly).

• Floor not friendly to Tapcons? Mount guides to a shallow front toe-platform tied to the shelving.

Cost & time snapshot (ballpark)

• Per door materials: ~one plywood sheet + a few 1×4s + screws/staples ≈ $45–$65 (varies by market and thickness).

• Track hardware: Unistrut is inexpensive; specialty brackets are not. DIY ledgers + cabinet screws keep it cheap.

• Build time: Frames and skins in a day; tracks/guides/hanging the next.

Customize it

• Chalkboard paint, whiteboard skins, or cork on select panels

• Edge banding for a furniture look

• Integrated soft-close trolleys (if you upgrade beyond Unistrut)

• Additional bypass lanes for greater access

Quick checklist

•  Frames pocket-screwed, middle stile set with gauge stick

•  Backs stapled, diagonals equal

•  Ledgers level, anchored to studs

•  Unistrut drilled between slots; trolley path clear

•  Doors bolted with slight adjustment play

•  Guides aligned with stiles; doors ride freely

•  Sand, fill, paint, pulls installed

FAQs

1. What’s the safe weight per door on Unistrut trolleys?

   
   

   Most 1-5/8 in Unistrut-compatible trolleys handle 100–150 lb each. With two trolleys per door, plan a conservative 150–250 lb max per door. Stay well under that for smoother rolling and longer life.

   
   

2. How thick should the door be to stay flat over time?

   Aim for a 1×4 frame with a 1/4–3/8 in back skin for a total thickness near 1 in. If doors are wider than ~48 in or your plywood is bend-prone, upgrade the back skin to 3/8 in, add a second mid-stile, or use a thin front skin too (sandwich).

   
   

3. My ceiling isn’t straight. How do I hide that gap cleanly?

   Install a straight ledger (level), mount tracks to it, then add a shallow, scribed valance to the ledger. The valance hides ceiling waves without forcing the track out of level.

   
   

4. Can I make them quieter?

   Yes. Use nylon (poly) rollers, wax the Unistrut running edge, add thin UHMW tape inside the channel, and put felt pads where doors meet stops. A soft valance also dampens sound.

   
   

5. How do I keep doors from drifting or bouncing?

   Add adjustable end-stops in the Unistrut (rubber-faced or felted), and use floor guides with a light friction fit. For gentle hold-closed, embed small rare-earth magnets at stile/stile overlaps with steel strike plates.

   
   

6. What if my slab is out of level or wavy?

   Set tracks perfectly level. Make bottom guides height-adjustable: screw the guide blocks to thin shims or slotted plates so you can micro-tune them to the door, not the floor.

   
   

7. Can I lock these doors?

   Yes. Easiest: surface slide bolts or hasp/lock at the stile that overlaps the next door, engaging a keeper behind. For a cleaner look, use recessed cam locks on select doors tied into a hidden keeper on the shelf face.

   
   

8. Any finish that resists shop grime and fingerprints?

   Prime, then roll a durable enamel or waterborne alkyd. For extra toughness, clear-coat with a matte 2K waterborne poly. If you want wipe-clean white, choose a satin sheen (hides swirl marks better than gloss).

   
   

9. How do I future-proof for lighting or wiring above?

   Keep the crown/valance removable (screwed, not glued) and leave a small service gap behind it. Because the crown is on the ledger, you can drop it, run LED strips or wiring, and reinstall without touching the doors.

   
   

10. Will seasonal movement make doors rub?

    It can. Leave at least 1/8–3/16 in side gaps at overlaps, seal all faces/edges before paint, and use a stable plywood back. If you live in high-humidity zones, add one more vertical stile and keep guides slightly looser to tolerate swell.