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How to build a simple room divider

diy room divider

Now that the holidays are over and the kids back to school, I can start to work again on my office renovation started in November….damn it! I set myself the goal of finishing the room before the end of this month. I need to have a little pressure, if not it will never be finished. So I checked back my to-do list, which you can find in my office makeover planning, and some serious work has been done.

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The orange is gone forever, check the ugly before pictures, I added some texture with a nice patterned fabric, I purchased and placed new lighting. I also hanged a dowel on the wall to hang large sheets of papers.

I can now also strike out my list building a room divider. It’s nice to have the kids playing next to me but I wanted to be able to separate the playroom from the office.

There is a large opening between both spaces, so when we have little friends who come to play-over, it has happened more than once that the kids take my office as a second playroom or play with my craft supplies (which, every time, give me a heart attack).

I like that the room divider is foldable and easy to remove.

Most of the time the kids can still pass from the playroom directly to the office, but we can completely separate the spaces if needed.

I was also surprised to find out that it also works quite well to prevent toys from invading my space. I’m messy enough with my craft supplies 😉 no need to add kid’s mess!

I still need to print nice and large wall art and to find a solution to hide the plastic drawers under the desk, is on my to-do list for the next week!

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paint the divider plywood panels

Materials you will need to build a simple room divider

The unfolded room divider is about 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall. So let’s build it! Here are the supplies you will need:

You can give your room divider a fancy finish using high-quality hinges like these ones or these ones. Hinges remain visible, so it’s worth it building the screen with nice looking ones.

assembling divider frame

You can start painting both faces of the plywood board the color you like. Then you need to build

frames using the wood pieces. The long ones will make the verticals post. Nail and glue the small 16″ wood pieces between the posts to build the frame.

building room divider frame

The distance between the 16″ wood pieces is 64″, you must be able to wedge the plywood board into the frame.

You need to build three frames to make the room divider.

placing the panel into frame

Once the frame is done place it on a flat surface. Place the plywood into the frame.

The board must stay at mid height of the frame thickness, I placed some bottle caps on the floor to hold the board.

Put wood glue all around the plywood edges. If possible hold the frame and the board together with big trigger clamps and wait for the glue to dry.

screwing room divider hinges

Once the 3 panels are build fix them together screwing hinges on the edges and done!

The screen is quite easy to move around, so you can create some private corner anywhere in the house.

You can also decorate the panels with wallpaper or some stencil.

I wanted to add some texture to mine but it doesn’t turn out very well. So I had to paint the panels in white again to cover the mess…it will stay that way for now!

RELATED: IKEA Room Divider Ideas: Transform Your Space with These Clever Hacks

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easy to build room divider

 
You will find all the tutorials featured in the video on my “Best DIY” page.

homemade room divider

make a room divider

easy to build diy room divider

Amaryllis

Amaryllis

Sirena

Friday 5th of May 2023

Thank you very much I'm so happy I can do this hello . I had 8 kids k th8s is a piece of cake . I'll send picture in thank you have a wonderful day.

amaryllis

Wednesday 14th of June 2023

Thank you Sirena! Let me know how it turns out. You are welcome to tag me on Insta if you like to share @ohoh.deco

Jessica Reinsfelder

Sunday 1st of November 2020

Hi! Looking forward to making this with my son. Can you tell me how easy is it to move? We'll be moving it a lot, so that important to me. How much does it weigh? Thank you!!

amaryllis

Monday 2nd of November 2020

Hello Jessica, True is I do not know exactly the room divider weight but I can move it alone. If you just want to fold it, unfold it or move it around in the same room, it's easy to do. But it is a bit too heavy if you plan to change it often from one room to another or to a different floor. I can lift it myself but it's too heavy to do it on a regular basis. I hope it's helpful.

Ashley

Sunday 11th of August 2019

Where did you find 6mm ply?

amaryllis

Monday 12th of August 2019

Hello Ashley, I bought it at homedepot 😉

Kara

Thursday 21st of March 2019

I’m not able to find the date this was published, so for all I know it’s 5 years old and you won’t see this! But if you remember, could you tell me how much you spent on materials (including how much hardware and other supplies would be if you didn’t already have them:))? I really want to do this since I can’t find a divider under $125 that fits my style, but last time I tried to make a simple diy planter light post I ended up spending $150 after all the little materials (and needing to redo some parts, ha). Trying to decide if it’s worth a go or if I’ll end up spending more in the end! Thanks! Also, this is an amazing tutorial and idea- I hope to be able to do these easily someday!

amaryllis

Thursday 21st of March 2019

Hello Kara, I did this room divider a little more than a year ago. I bought all my material at home depot, and if I remember well I pay between 50-60 US for the materials (wood trim, plywood and hinges) I already had the paint and the varnish so they are not include in the price I give you. You can always check the prices online before going to the store ;) Let me know how your room divider turns out if you decide to make it!

Ben Backhouse

Thursday 9th of August 2018

Thanks for sharing this Amaryllis :)

You make interior design seem so effortless and simple.

Keep up the great work Amaryllis!!!

amaryllis

Tuesday 14th of August 2018

Thanks for your nice comment Ben :)