Would you love to have beautiful shutters but don’t have the hundreds of dollars required to buy them? Make your own! Your homemade shutters may not look like store-bought ones but neighbors and visitors will be very impressed! That’s because yours will have a look all their own and will be like no one’s in the neighborhood.
Using one-by-fours will make creating shutters very simple. The boards can be found at any home improvement store and are inexpensive. The rough wood pieces can be cut into sections that will become some of the most unique shutters you’ve ever seen. If you don’t use power tools, or don’t have any, most home improvement stores will cut the wood to your specifications. This will make it possible for anyone to create the shutters.
There are different designs you can make by using the 1″x 4″ boards. A basic design is made by first measuring the height of the window and cutting two boards to that length. Cut two more slightly smaller than those, and two more even smaller. Screw the boards into the side of the house, placing the longest board beside the window, the next size beside that, and the smallest board beside that one. There should be a few inches of space between each board.
A different pattern is done by cutting all six boards to the same length. Position them, three on each side of the window, leaving spaces between each one. Put one screw at the top, one in the center, and one at the bottom of each board.
Create still another design by butting the boards together rather than leaving spaces. For this design you may want to use five boards on each side, rather than three. The shutter will be much more narrow if you only use three on each side, while butting them all together. The butted boards can be all the same length or can shrink in size as they move away from the window. No matter what design you select you’ll hang them and then cut horizontal boards.
The horizontal boards are small pieces of 1″x4″s that will join the three or five shutter boards together. Cut four of these for each window, two for each shutter. Each one should be long enough to reach across all three – or all five – boards. One will be attached across the top of the boards; one will be placed across the bottom. A different design can be created by placing a third vertical board across the center of the shutters.
It’s up to you if you want to cut the vertical – and horizontal boards – straight across or at an angle. Cut them at a slant or even to where they come to a point at the bottom. A different design is made if you cut them to a point at the bottom as well as the top. Each cut and combination will give a different look to the finished shutters.
The one-by-fours are sold unfinished and unsanded. Hang them as-is or sand and paint them first. Although you can hang them and paint them afterward you’ll find it much easier to paint them first. Some touch-up might be needed after handling to hang. Whether you paint them or not make sure to treat them with a lacquer-type product which will protect them from the elements.
Painting the one-by-fours will require you to first primer them. The rough boards soak up paint quickly and it will take many coats to cover them if you don’t primer first. Primer the boards and allow to dry thoroughly. Apply one coat of paint, allow to dry, then apply a second coat. Lastly, apply the lacquer or other protective coating. You’ll love these shutters which are easy to make and easy to hang.
