How to Make and Install Board and Batten Shutters

Dress up your home’s exterior with cottage-style board and batten shutters that you (and a friend) can build yourself. Learn how to make and install board and battern shutters in this DIY network video:

Because of its exterior durability, the primary material for this project is 1×6 and 2×4 pressure-treated lumber. Other materials you will need include exterior paint (semi-gloss is a popular finish for shutters), safety glasses, exterior wood screws, spacers, wood glue, exterior lag screws, and exteror caulk. In terms of tools, you will need a miter saw, clamps, power drill and bits, impact driver, measuring tape, pliers, paint roller and tray, and a caulk gun.

1. Get your measurements together. As a general rule of thumb, you want your shutter to be the same height as your window and roughly half the width.

2. Cut your boards to length and lay them out so they end up being as wide as your final measurement (Tip: Mark your measurements with a “V” for a more precise cut). Wood expands and contracts with the weather, so leaving a gap between the boards is necessary. Use spacers or nails to keep the gaps equal.

3. Measure for the length of your horizontal pieces (battens), and cut the 1x4s to size.

4. Prime and paint the wood. Make sure every surface is covered with paint as moisture can seep in and rot the wood. If you hit one of the sides before you lay it flat, you get two sides coverage, and they dry at the same time, so you only have to rotate the board one more time. Tip: Take a nail and a hammer and punch several holes around the paint can lid; this allows for the paint to drip back into the can when you put the lid back in.

5. While the paint is drying, demo the old shutters. Fill any holes with exterior silicone caulk to ensure your house is weatherproof.

6. Once the boards are dry, lay them out with the planned spacing between them. Measure from the top and bottom for where the battens will be attached. Secure these with wood glue to the boards, then clamp everything securely.

7. Attach all the wood pieces together using exterior wood screws. Use your drill to screw the pieces together; be sure your screws are shallow enough that they won’t poke through the top. Remove your spacers, and then you’re ready to install.

8. Measure, mark and drill pilot holes into the four corners of your shutters. Then hold the shutters up to the windows and pre-drill into the house. Pre-drilling will keep the wood from splitting.

9. Attach the shutters to the house with the lag screws.