How to Make Decorative Wooden Shutters
Decorative wood shutters are a great way to dress up a plain-looking house. There are numerous styles available that you can buy ready-made and simply hang up next to your windows, or you can make your own. One classic old style is a batten shutter, a series of boards tacked together for a rustic look. Use cedar for its roughly hewn country appeal and its durability. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Six 1-by-4 cedar boards slightly longer than the length of the window
- Six 1-by-4 cedar boards, each at least 15 inches long
- Miter saw
- Spray-on weatherizing wood sealer
- Small box of 3/4-inch galvanized screws
- Handful of 2-inch galvanized screws
- Screwgun
Instructions
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1
Measure the height of your windows from the outside of the exterior frame. With your miter saw, cut your six long pieces of cedar to be 2 inches longer than the height measurement. For example, if your window is 40 inches from the top of the frame to the bottom, make the boards 42 inches.
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2
Cut your six short pieces at 11 1/2 inches each. These will be the "battens,'' meaning they will be raised on the surface of the shutter.
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3
Lay three of your long pieces out on a workbench, side by side. Put 1/2 inch of space between them. Lay one of your short pieces across them at the middle. The 11 1/2-inch piece should exactly cover them.
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4
Sink two 3/4-inch screws into the face of the short board at each point where it crosses one of the long boards. Affix two more short boards, one 6 inches from the top, the other 6 inches from the bottom. Repeat the whole process for the second shutter.
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5
Spray a coat of weatherizing wood sealant over the wood. Let it dry.
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6
Set your first shutter next to the window, with the horizontal short pieces facing out and 1 inch of overhang at the top and bottom. Set it so the edge of the shutter is 1/2 inch from the edge of the window frame.
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7
Use your screwgun and 2-inch screws to attach to the shutter to the siding, putting in screw a few inches down from each corner. Repeat for the second shutter on the other side.
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