DIY Baby Gate - Or Dog Gate - The Little Frugal House

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Do you want to make a DIY baby gate? Or a dog gate to keep our furry friends from going in rooms? In this post, I’m sharing how we easily made a DIY wood gate on a budget.

If you want to put up a gate so babies and pets can’t go in certain rooms, this DIY baby gate is an easy project to tackle.

We are expecting our first baby in May, and I know I want to close off our bedroom most of the time, but be able to open the gate when I want to.

This swinging gate was the perfect solution, and it looks great, too!

DIY Baby Gate – Or Dog Gate

This DIY baby gate project was easy and affordable to make. It works great as a dog gate or pet gate, too. Full step by step tutorial and plans to make it!

You only need a few affordable supplies and an afternoon to complete this project.

And I think you will love the outcome!

Supplies Needed:

*To make a 30″ wide X 24″ tall gate.

2 small hinges with screws

1 gate latch kit (You could also use a hook and eye latch kit like this.)

5 pieces of 1″ X 3″ X 8″ pine boards (see cut list below) – These are less than $2 per board at our local home improvement stores.

Paint or stain

Wood glue

Nail gun and nails – I used 1 1/2″ finish nails

Cut List:

*Note: You will want to measure your door frame or opening to get the exact measurement you need. The gate will need to sit inside the front edge of the door trim, leaving just a very small gap. Our overall gate is 29 3/4″ wide x 24″ tall and this cut list reflects that. Make adjustments as needed.

4 pieces cut to 29 3/4″ (These are the horizontal pieces on the top and bottom of both sides.)

7 pieces cut to 24″ (These are the vertical slats in the gate)

Angle piece – 35″ with 45 degree angles cut. (To get this measurement just right, you will want to assemble the rest of the gate and then lay a piece of 1″ X 3″ at an angle across the gate and use a level to make cut marks just below the bottom and just above the top edge of the horizontal pieces.)

Directions:

1.Make your cuts. (see above cut list)

You will want to wait to cut the angle pieces until you have the gate assembled.

Use a sander to sand down any rough edges.

2. Assemble the gate.

Space your vertical pieces out evenly, apply wood glue to the bottom and top 2″ of each board, place your horizontal pieces on and nail in place.

You can use a level to get these square and even.

Do not nail the horizontal pieces on the other side just yet! It’s much easier to paint the gate without these in place.

3. Cut your angle piece, glue, and nail.

To get this measurement just right, you will want to assemble the rest of the gate and then lay a piece of 1″ X 3″ at an angle across the gate and use a level to make cut marks just below the bottom and just above the top edge of the horizontal pieces.

Then, apply wood glue and nail it in place. You can always use wood filler if you have larger gaps than you like.

4. Paint the gate.

Time to paint or stain the gate. Do this before you apply the horizontal pieces on the other side to make painting/staining much easier.

I just used a basic white paint we already had and applied two coats.

You can paint the horizontal pieces by themselves while you have the paint out to make this quicker and easier.

5. Nail the 2 horizontal pieces on the other side.

Once the gate is dry, apply wood glue and nail the top and bottom horizontal pieces on the other side.

If you didn’t paint these already, do that now.

6. Install the gate.

Screw the hinges into the side of the gate (whichever side you don’t want to swing open). Then, screw the hinges into the door trim to attach the gate.