Hello Pretty Handy friends, Jaime from That’s My Letter here today to share how to build functional interior cedar shutters using inexpensive AND readily available hardware.
I have been itching to build some cedar shutters for our living room for quite some time now. I had two requirements: 1) they had to be completely functional to block out the hot summer sun (which also makes them great for privacy) and 2) use no fancy hardware. I didn’t want to special order any shutter hardware and I like to build using readily available supplies.
You can find the cedar planks and hardware at your local home improvement store. Ready to learn how to build the shutters and install these beauties?
You can see just how much light the shutters will block out once closed. I plan to keep the shutters open except during the extremely hot summer days.
Interior cedar shutters make a great alternative window treatment if you’re not into fabric panels. They truly are a statement piece (and hopefully distract from the fact that my windows don’t match!). I also built the sliding door console last Spring, a link to all the details on that piece is in this post.
Materials:
Hardware: (for one pair of shutters)
Instructions:
MEASURE YOUR INTERIOR WINDOW SPACE. MEASURE IT AGAIN. MEASURE IT AGAIN. The top of the window may vary from the bottom.
Shutter length = interior window height – 1/2″
Shutter width = (interior window width – 3/8″) divided by 2.
My shutters are 44 1/2″ l x 13 5/8″ w.
Step 1: Cut cedar boards to length. Push all boards together to determine width, if too wide rip down one board.
Step 2: Cut 1×4 cedar boards to width. Mark long boards 5″ from the ends. Place the short cross board in position and attach using finish nails. Repeat the process for the other end of long boards.
Step 3: Center the hinge on the short cross board and on the side of the shutter. Mark the holes with pencil. Pre-drill holes and secure the hinge with screws.
Step 4: Attach the decorative tee hinge first to the end of the short board and then onto front of the short board. This hinge is purely decorative and has no function.
In the above picture the shutter is closed and you can see the extra depth the 1×4 cross board plus hardware needs in order to close without bumping into the window.
Step 6: Hold the shutter in place and mark hinge screw holes with pencil, pre-drill holes then attach the hinge with screws. You want equal spacing at the top and bottom.
This is a fairly simple DIY project using readily available supplies that makes a great addition to any room. Do you have the perfect place for a set of interior cedar shutters?