How to Board Up Windows on a Hardy Plank

Living on the coast offers you stunning views of the ocean, but your home is also in danger from a hurricane or northeastern. If you know that a severe storm is coming, you need to prepare your home. Placing plywood boards over all of your windows will prevent them from being broken by flying debris. If you live in a wood or brick home, you can use wood or masonry screws to attach the plywood, but for homes with cement fiber siding, such as HardiPlank, you will need to use another method to attach your plywood boards. There is a unique product which makes it easy to do without screws or nails: Plylox brand hurricane clips.

Table saw
Measuring tape
Plywood, 1/2-inch thick (the clips will not fit on thicker plywood)
Pencil or marker
Notepad to record measurements
Several Plylox clips (one per 24 inch in length on your windows with at least 2 per window)

Instructions

- 1
  Measure all of your windows inside the casing. Subtract 1/4 inch from the length and 1/4 inch from the width of all of the measurements. Write down these numbers. These will be the dimensions you need to cut the plywood to.
- 2
  Cut your plywood to the dimensions in step one. Write down on each piece of plywood the window it will be covering. You can also move it to just below the window as you cut each piece.
- 3
  Place at least 2 Plylox clips onto each piece of plywood on opposite sides of the board. The legs will be pointing to the outside of the window. If your window is wider or longer than 24 inches, you will need more than 2 clips. The projected wind speed will also be a determining factor in the number of clips you need. See the resource link for a guide to the correct spacing between the clips. When in doubt, use more than you think you need.
- 4
  Push each piece of plywood into its pre-determined window casing. The legs will be pointing outward, toward you. The clips will hold the plywood against the window casing.
- 5
  Remove the clips by pushing the exposed leg inward to ease the tension. You can then pull the plywood off of the window.

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