A Guide for Building Wooden Window Shutters

Wooden window shutters are a classic addition to any home, but they are particularly well suited to traditional homes and cottages. You can build wooden window shutters for your home as a DIY project. The beauty of traditional wooden shutters is in their simplicity. Wooden window shutters consist of two halves that, when combined, close to cover the window. Traditionally, they were used to protect homes during bad weather, but they are now mostly used as a decorative feature. These shutters are for a 24-by-24-inch window opening, but you can adjust the plans for your needs.

8 boards, (full) 1-by-3-inch, 24 inches long
2 boards, (full) 1-by-4-inch, 12 inches long
2 boards, (full) 1-by-6-inch, 12 inches long
Hammer
Square-head nails
4 shutter hinges, with screws
Screw gun
2 shutter dogs
2 hook and eye sets

Instructions

- 1
  Lay the eight 1-by-3-by-24-inch boards side-by-side, vertically oriented on a work surface with the 3-by-24-inch sides resting flat. Separate the eight boards into two groups of two. These are the vertical shutter boards.
- 2
  Position one 1-by-4-by-12-inch board perpendicular across the top edges of each of the two vertical shutter board groupings. The 4-by-12-inch sides of the boards should be resting flat. Position the top edge of each board 2 inches down from the top ends of the vertical shutter boards. These are the top cross support shutter boards.
- 3
  Position one 1-by-6-by-12-inch board perpendicular across the bottom edges of each vertical shutter board grouping in the same manner as you did for the top cross support shutter boards. These are the bottom cross support shutter boards.
- 4
  Hammer square-head nails through the top and bottom cross support shutter boards into the vertical shutter boards. Evenly space the nails so that you have two nails in each vertical shutter board. You should now have two shutter halves fastened together.
- 5
  Align two shutter hinges on the outside sides of the two shutter halves. Space the hinges up 6 inches from the top and bottom edges of the shutters.
- 6
  Drive the screws that were included with the hinges through the mounting holes into the shutter assemblies with a screw gun.
- 7
  Hold the shutters in place against the respective sides of the window opening, against the side casing boards, with the help of another person. Make sure that they are aligned so that when they close they will join perfectly in the center of the window opening.
- 8
  Drive the included screws through the mounting holes in the hinges into the side window casing boards. Open the shutters so that they rest against the side of the house. Align a shutter dog in the center of the bottom on each shutter. Screw the shutter dog into the house siding once you have it aligned correctly. Rotate the dog to hold the shutter in place or turn it to release the shutter so that it can be closed.
- 9
  Close the shutters. Stand on the interior of the window opening. Align the hook and eye between the two shutter halves and screw them into the respective shutter halves at a height that is easy to access.

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