How to Make a Sliding Dog Gate (DIY Step by Step Guide)

Thinking about the safety of your beloved dog? Want to build a gate so that your puppy can enjoy outdoor air & sunshine? 

While making a sliding dog gate is kinda complex, it’s actually fun to try out a DIY sliding gate. 

Making a sliding dog gate yourself at home is less expensive & will match your house decoration & style rather than purchasing the gate, which might be costly.

How are you going to do it? How are you gonna make yourself a sliding dog gate? 

Well, in this article, we are going step by step to create a sliding dog gate & breaking things down properly so that you can easily understand the process & do it yourself. 

Let’s check out the process to learn more! 

How to Make a Sliding Dog Gate Follow Those Steps

Our ideal Sliding Dog Gate size is – 59 x 35 inches (90cm height & 150cm width). Based on your preference & requirements, scale it up to suit the most gaps. 

Necessary Materials (required)	Necessary Tools (required)
. 16m of 19x90mm hardwood Decking (approximately) . Stainless steel or blue coated 32mm pocket hole Screws . Galvanised regular 30mm & 50mm Screws . Non-swivelling 3 Casters . Water-based decking Oil .Wood Glue (water-resistant) .Gate Latch .Wall plugs & Deck pre-treatment (optional).	·  Hand Saw or Circular Saw or Jigsaw ·  Power drill, driver bits & drill bits ·  Pocket-hole Jig ·  Speed square-cut ·  Clamps ·  Imperial tape measurement ·  Sandpaper ·  Decking/Paint oil brush.

Optional Tools – Impact Driver, Table Saw or Mitre Saw, Combination Square, Power sander, Shop-Vac, an Awl, Pockethole Clamps, etc. 

After you gather all the necessary items & make a scratch or plan to fit this gate properly, it’s time to go through a step-by-step guide of a DIY sliding dog gate. Let’s go!

1. Cross-Cutting The Decking To Length

The first starts with cutting very straightforward crosscuts using a circular saw & speed square. Now, 

• Markup to label the boards. 
• Cut a few mm to remove the sealant & rough parts. 
• Cut the pieces to your required length. 

        *Note – As we will use offcuts, so cutting a particular piece is not necessary for the caster mounts. 

2. Rip Cutting The Thinner Pieces

Cutting a piece of wood to its length is a rip cut. To do it safely with an edge guide & a circular saw instead of using a table saw can be quickly done by using a process – 

• Set up your circular saw. Now you can do long cuts freehand; just make sure it remains a straight line. 
• Set up the ripping & screw L-shaped scraps at the end of a spoil board to support your decking boards against the push. 
• Cut the rear rails & front stiles using the rip cuts method. 
• Don’t trim the middle brace yet. 

3. Drill The Pocket Holes

Using a pocket hole jig, get ready to start the drilling.

• Mark the spots with a pencil on the front stiles & rear rails evenly. 
• Set up the pocket hole jig & put two pocket holes at the end of the front rail backside. 
• On the same side of the first drilled pockets to secure the top cap. Grab the top front rail. 

4. Assembly The Rear & Front Frame

For assembling, grab a pocket hole screw box & start cracking. 

• Assemble the rear frame first using pocket screws & water-resistant glue. 
• Repeat the same assembly process for the front frame. 
• Now trim the middle brace to match the length, then screw & glue it in position.

5. Fitting & Shaping The Top Cap

Now create a top cap & shape it to attach to the front frame. 

• To smoothen the top edges of the cap, use a round-over bit.
• Choose a thin sheet of steel for your reveal, anything to lift the front slat. 
• Clamp the top cap & apply a bead of glue to it on the front. 
• Drive the screws to secure the top cap, starting any side of the clamp position.

      *Note – Top cap should be resting on the branch, not on the spacer. 

6. Fit The Rear & Front Frames Together

Time to join the frames together. Instead of using glue, use screws to hold the edges.

• Place the rear frame on top of pocket holes down & front frame face down on the bench & line them up.
• Grab the Combination Square & make center lines down on the rear frame to pilot hole the screws.
• Clamp the rear frame onto the front frame & drill pilots through frames. 
• Time to countersink all the pilot holes.
• Use weatherproof screws & get most clamps closer to the pilot holes.
• To knock off the sharp edges, use 120 grit grains of sand. 

7. Build The Guide Box

The guide box holds the finished product on the wall & keeps it running in a straight line.

• To attach the guide box’s top, drill four pocket holes in the wall cleat & guide box. 
• Use three mounting screws pre-drilling holes in the wall cleat to secure the wall.           
• Apply glue, clamp & screw the guide box into the top of the guide box.
• To test it, attach the guide box’s front & run it forth & back on the gate’s top cap.

      *Note – Don’t add glue after mounting the guide box. 

8. Attaching The Wheels With Gate Casters

Add fixed casters & make this thing mobile.

• Crosscut three mounting blocks for the screw plates equal to the width of your gate & grab some deck offcuts. 
• Mark the screw holes using an Awl in the middle of 3 mounting blocks. 
• Drill the pilot holes & 4 mounting holes go through to the mounting block.
• Round over the corners & edges of those three mounting blocks.
• Clamp the mounting blocks as close to the gate parallel for easy rolling action.
• On the pre-drilled pilot holes, screw the casters & give it a test roll.

9. Installing The Guide Box

Add fixed casters & make this thing mobile.

• Crosscut three mounting blocks for the screw plates equal to the width of your gate & grab some deck offcuts. 
• Mark the screw holes using an Awl in the middle of 3 mounting blocks. 
• Drill the pilot holes & 4 mounting holes go through to the mounting block.
• Round over the corners & edges of those three mounting blocks.
• Clamp the mounting blocks as close to the gate parallel for easy rolling action.
• On the pre-drilled pilot holes, screw the casters & give it a test roll.
• Pop the guide box on top in a closed position where it would attach to the fence. 
• After removing the front face, line it up a level to your mark of the guide box. 
• Extend the pilot holes to an adequate depth for wooden surfaces. 
• Start mounting the screws until those poke out from the back of the cleat. 
• Now slide the gate through the guide box as a test run. 

10. The Gate Latch Installation

As there are many stylish gate latches available, find one suitable for your gate. 

• Screw a support wood piece on the back of the latch.
• Drill pilot holes & follow the instructions written on the packet.
• Open & close the gate several times to check the gate is running smoothly, engaging the latch. 

11. Release Your Dogs

It’s time to release your pets & check their reaction to our newly built sliding gate. 

F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions)

How Long Can A Sliding Gate Be?

Sliding gate length varies on your own requirements. For maximum gate length, it should be 45 – 100 ft. & gate speed will be 24″ per second.

How Does A Sliding Gate Work?

Sliding gates have track along the driveaway’s bottom as there is a roller on the gate’s bottom. It works the same way as a sliding door.

How Do I Build A Self-closing Gate?

To make a gate self-closing, all you have to buy is a gate spring & mount it. The metal gate’s hinge will attach to the opening in the wall

Conclusions

After reading this article, I hope you got the idea of making your own sliding dog gate. 

I tried to explain as easily & clearly as possible so that you wouldn’t face the difficulties I met when I was constructing this gate. 

Good luck with your retractable dog gate!