How to Make a Rose Trellis Out of Furring Strips

Cut two, 2-by-4-feet wood boards, made of treated lumber or a rot-resistant wood such as cedar, to the height of the trellis wall you prefer plus 18 to 24 inches. Typically, a trellis should be about two-thirds of the height of the house wall if placed against the home, or 8 feet tall if free-standing and you want to walk underneath it. The extra length allows you to anchor the trellis frame in the ground securely. Thus, a 6-foot-tall wall requires two, 2-by-4-feet boards cut to 8 feet in length.

Place a carpenter's square at the bottom of each 2-by-4-feet boards and draw straight lines from the center of the board to the edge at the side. Create a "V" shape to make the ends into stakes. Leave the bottoms uncut if you prefer.

Measure and cut two additional 2-by-4-feet boards to form the top and bottom pieces of your trellis wall. Make these the width of the wall you desire; a 6 foot high wall, for instance, will need 4 or 5 feet.

Lay both of the vertical 2-by-4-feet pieces on edge with the top ends aligned so the boards are flush and resting against each other. Set one of the horizontal frame pieces on top of the uncut ends of the vertical pieces, resting it on the edge as well. Ensure the horizontal piece is flush with the ends of the vertical boards.

Hold the horizontal board in place. Run a pencil down the edge of the horizontal board to mark the vertical boards. This mark indicates the dimension of the board, which will become the trellis wall frame top.

Repeat the process at the bottom of the vertical 2-by-4-feet boards, marking both sides of the horizontal piece. Allow for the depth buried in the ground by adding an additional 1 foot, so that the wall will have free space between it and the ground. Thus, a wall buried 18 inches in the ground will have a horizontal frame piece 30 inches above the tip of the boards.

Use a speed square to measure down 1/2 inch at each mark, both at the tops of the vertical boards and at the bottoms. Alternatively, set the depth of your circular saw to 1/2 inch.

Make kerf cuts to create the openings that the horizontal pieces will fit into. Use a circular saw to create numerous cuts, 1/2-inch-deep, across the vertical boards and between the marks. Eliminate the excess wood in these notches by using a chisel and hammer to knock the wood away. Test the fit of the boards and cut a little more of the vertical board as necessary to allow the horizontal piece to fit in place.

Assemble the rose trellis frame, fitting the horizontal pieces in place. Squirt a small amount of a suitable outdoor adhesive into the openings before inserting the horizontal frame pieces.

Cut four furring strips to correspond to the height of the wall between the top edge of the lower horizontal frame piece and the bottom edge of the top horizontal frame piece. These will form vertical stops to hold the lattice you build.

Create horizontal stops by measuring the inner dimensions of the horizontal frame pieces. Cut four furring strips to correspond to these measurements.

Position two of the vertical stops along the inner surface of the trellis frame, along the vertical frame members. Adjust the placement to allow for 3/4 inch clearance from the board edge. Attach using screws and a drill or galvanized nails and a hammer.

Attach two of the horizontal stops similarly. Allow for 3/4 inch clearance past the frame and secure.

Flip the trellis wall over so that the stop is against the ground. Place additional furring strips, cut to length, inside the wall frame so that the ends of the strips rest on the edges of the stops, which extend past the frame both vertically and horizontally. Glue each in place as you work. Space the furring strips about 3 inches apart. Run the strips either diagonally for a basketweave look or side to side and up and down for a gridwork appearance.

Set the remaining stops, both vertical and horizontal, over top of the furring strip ends. These will create a sandwich effect, with the stops on the outside holding the furring strip latticework trellis from falling out and the inner stops holding them in place, much like a photo frame. In addition, the screws or nails in the stops help reinforce the outer trellis frame.

Dig two holes in the ground, slightly deepr than the depth you wish to sink the wall. Make it large enough to accommodate the 2-by-4-feet vertical boards. Layer a small amount of gravel in the bottom of the hole and set the trellis into place. Fill with concrete and dirt to anchor.