How to Make Board and Batten Shutters
Board and batten shutters are the easiest to make. They are simply two to four vertical boards with two horizontal battens. Built roughly to the dimensions of the window, most shutters are simply decorative. This can add character and style to the exterior of a home when done correctly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Lumber for the boards, 1 inch by 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 inch
- Lumber for the battens, 1 inch by 2, 3 or 4 inch
- Weather sealant
- Power saw
- Wood glue
- 1 ¼-inch galvanized screws
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Stain or paint (if desired)
- Wall fasteners
Instructions
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Making Board and Batten Shutters
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1
Measure your window. The shutters will be the same height as the window and half as wide. For example, if the window is 36 inches tall by 24 inches wide, the shutters will be 36 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Also measure the space available on either side of the window to ensure there is enough room. If there isn't enough room, then don't make the shutters.
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2
If the lumber is not weather-treated, and you don't plan to paint or stain it, then apply weather sealant to all of the lumber, and let sit over night.
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3
Cut the lumber for the boards to the length of the window, 36 inches in the above example. Clamp them to a flat surface with a small gap between them. The top and bottom need to be even with one another. For the example provided, the boards will be 1-by-6-inch so the final width will be about 12 inches (half of the width of the window).
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4
Cut the lumber for the battens, to the width of the clamped boards. For the example, they will be 1-by-3-inch boards. Position one toward the top of the boards and the second the same distance from the bottom of the boards. In the example, the top will be about 6 inches from the top of the shutter and the bottom batten will be about 6 inches from the bottom of the shutter. Fasten the battens to the boards in step 3 with glue, and let dry.
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5
Screw the 1 ¼-inch screws into the shutters through the boards into the battens to securely fasten one to the other.
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6
Drill two pilot holes through each batten and board for fastening the shutter to the house. Finish the shutter with stain or paint if desired. When the finish is dry, attach the shutter to the house with fasteners that will work in the surface of your home.
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Tips & Warnings
Call your local government to make sure there aren't any required permits and to learn the local codes if there are any.
The lumber sizes vary depending on the size of the window. For very wide windows, more than two boards may be used.
If you desire a more historical shutter, the battens can be attached by sliding a beveled batten into a dovetail slot.
