CLEVELAND — Some of you may know that woodworking has become one of my favorite hobbies - I've tackled all kinds of projects around my house, and I have learned a lot along the way.
So, I want to share some easy projects that are perfect to try out this summer, in a new series we're calling 'JAY D-I-Y.' And today, I'm going to tackle what might seem like a big project, but is actually incredibly easy! I'm going to show you how to make your own window shutters.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Note: It’s best to use cedarwood for outdoor shutters as they will hold up well to the varying weather elements.
- Start by getting a measurement from the top of the window trim to the bottom. This will be the length of your shutters.
- The width of the shutter is a matter of individual preference. Once you determine what you want the width to be divide that by three.
- For instance, if your windows are 40 inches tall and you’d like the shutters to be 15 inches wide, your cut sheet for a pair of shutters would include 6 pieces of cedar cut 40 inches long and five inches wide.
- Those are your vertical boards for the shutters.
- For the horizontal boards, you would need four pieces of cedar cut 15 inches long and 5 inches wide as the horizontal boards should be the same width as the vertical boards for proper optics.
- Then position three of the 40x5 inch boards side by side. Take the two horizontal boards and place them 8 inches from the tops and bottoms of the vertical boards. They can be nailed or screwed into place.
- Repeat for the second shutter then paint or stain the color of your choice.
Good luck!
Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a story published in April 200.