How to Install Porch Lattice

Framed lattice around a porch.

Lattice around the base of a porch is both functional (it prevents animals from getting under your porch) and aesthetic (it dresses up your house). With this plan, framed lattice squares are put together in the yard or driveway and then attached to the lowest point of the porch. It's designed to accommodate almost any type of porch and is relatively simple because it doesn't involve mitered edges.

Things You'll Need

• Full sheets of wood lattice to cover each opening around your porch (number to be determined by your porch's size)
• Full lengths of 1 by 4-inch boards to frame each opening, plus additional vertical lengths for the middle of any span of more than 4 feet (Example: A 5-by-3 foot opening will need at least 19 feet of board--5 feet for the top, 5 feet for the bottom, 3 feet each for the two vertical ends and another 3 feet for the middle.)
• Flat trim, 3 1/2-inches wide and a 1/2-inch (or less) thick, with enough length to span each vertical measurement, including any center boards. (Example: Two 5-by-3 foot openings will have six 3-foot vertical boards--four sides, plus two center spans--and require 18 feet of trim.)
• Flat metal connector brackets, about 2 inches wide, with screw holes on either side, to affix the lattice frames to the porch, three for each opening. (These will be visible so find a style that looks good with your porch.)
• Spray paint
• Tape measure
• Chalk snap-line
• Power circular saw
• Power drill with screwdriver bit
• Staple gun
• Hammer
• Small box of 1 1/4-inch wood screws
• Small box of trim nails

Instructions

1. Measure the inside of each opening around the porch to get exact lengths for the frame that will hold the lattice. Vertically, the measurement should go from the bottom edge of the porch to just above the highest point of the ground (leave about an inch of space there). For the horizontal measurements, stop 3 inches short of each outer corner.

2. Cut the 1-by-4 inch boards to the measurements of each frame. If the horizontal measurement is more than 4 feet across, then add a vertical board in the middle of the frame.

3. Lay the horizontal boards on a flat surface, parallel with each other. Lay the vertical boards in place on top of them, forming your rectangular frames, with middle boards to break up any spans of more than 4 feet. The horizontal and vertical boards should overlap at the corners to form square edges.

4. Using your drill with the screwdriver bit, put three screws in each corner, drilling them into the face of the vertical boards. Push the screws just below the surface of the wood, so they go far enough down to secure the horizontal board underneath, but not so far that they come out the other side of the horizontal board.

5. Flip the completed frame over so that the vertical boards are flat on the ground and the horizontal boards are lying across them. Measure the dimensions for your lattice, going to the outside edges of the vertical boards and the inside edges of the horizontal boards. Transfer the dimensions to your lattice, using the chalk snap-line.

6. Cut the lattice with your circular saw. Set it in place on the frame. It should completely cover the vertical boards, extending all the way to the right and left edges of your frame and covering any center boards. The top and bottom edges of the lattice should be flush against the inner edges of the horizontal boards.

7. Use your staple gun to affix the lattice to the vertical boards of the frame. The lattice won't be connected to the horizontal boards, but it should be flush against them.

8. Cut the trim pieces to sit on top of the lattice in the same position as the vertical boards underneath, so that you're sandwiching the lattice between the vertical boards and the trim. The trim length should be the same as the vertical boards, minus 7 inches to accommodate the width of the 1-by-4 inch horizontal pieces. (Note: 1-by-4 inch boards are actually 3 1/2 inches wide.) The two ends of the trim should butt up against the inner edges of the horizontal boards. Affix the trim with trim nails.

9. Spray paint the frame and lattice on all sides and allow to dry.

10. Screw one side of each flat bracket to the face of the top horizontal board of each frame (three to a frame, evenly spaced), with the other side of the bracket extending off the top. Set the frame in place in the porch opening, and screw the top side of the flat bracket into the face of the porch structure, so that the frame is hanging off the lowest edge of the porch.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear safety goggles when using your circular saw.