How to Make Interior Primitive Shutters

Primitive shutters can be made with a few simple tools.

Interior primitive shutters can add some country charm to your home. Hung on the walls rather than on the windows, they are simple to install and even pretty simple to make.

Things You'll Need

• 8-foot-long 1 inch-by-12 inch piece of pine wood
• Saw
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Sandpaper
• Primer and paint or stain and polyurethane
• 4 toothed picture hangers

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of the 1 inch-by-12 inch wood to be the length of the window, from the top to the sill or the top to the bottom of the frame if there is no sill. Sand the edges with heavy-grit sandpaper, then medium grit, and then fine-grit paper.

2. Make a cardboard pattern of a heart that is about 5 inches wide and 7 inches long. Place it 1/3 down from the top of the pieces of wood and trace it with a pencil. Using the chisel and the hammer, chop out the hearts. Sand the openings, again going from heavy grit to fine.

3. If you decide to paint your shutters, prime them and then paint them. If you are staining them, choose an appropriate color for your decor and stain them. Finish with a coat of polyurethane.

4. Attach picture hangers onto the top backs of the shutters, 1/2 inch down from the top and 1 inch from the sides. Measure the distance between the centers of the hangers and place two nails or screws into the wall where the centers of the hangers will be so that the shutters will rest about 1 to 2 inches away from the window frame.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure the wood is cured or else it could warp later.

References

• Cutouts
• Wooden shutters