Barn Shutters - A Simple DIY Project - Helpful Photos Included!
The Horse Barn project has taken way longer than anyone hoped for. Especially Mamakirbs ( @findingjoy )! She doesn't like unfinished projects. Sometimes I can be bad about leaving things sorta unfinished. That last 10% is always the hardest to achieve!
These shutters help Mamakirbs be just a little happier until I can get the rest of the barn finished.
The Barn Shutter Layout
This style of shutters is very simple to create on your own. The list of boards needed is short. In my case I used 4 1x6 boards that had been cut to the same height as the barn window. These boards were laid out on a table side by side and squared up.
The horizontal boards were cut to 22 inches to span the width of these 4 background boards. I used short exterior grade wood screws to attach the boards. The 1.25" length will hold the boards together without going all the way through them.
Simple Method of Aligning Horizontal Boards
Of course I want the horizontal boards aligned nicely across the top and bottom. The distance from top and bottom was to be the same too. This was achieved by using a scrap board to line up with the outside edge of the shutter, then to fit the horizontal board.
Cutting The "Z" Board
The "Z" pattern is very typical for barn doors and shutters. We love this style. Marking the "Z" board is very simple once the horizontal boards are in place. The 1x4 board is simply laid across diagonally so it touches and overlaps the inside corners of the horizontal boards. I marked these corners with the green circles in the image below.
Once this was laid in place I used a scrap board to line up the mark to be cut. Since my old cedar boards are dark and soft, the sharp point of a screw was used to make the mark. I was too lazy to go inside for a pencil :)
The Unfinished Shutters
All these parts and pieces were attached together with the deck screws. They were very attractive even at this stage, but we were going to make them more special with paint and hardware. Here they are leaned against the house before getting pretty.
The Finishing Touches
These shutters are decorative only. They were coated with some exterior latex paint, then mounted to the barn wall with deck screws. Black hinge hardware was added for aesthetics only. They will not function for anything other than to make Mamakirbs happy... and that is all the reason I need.
Hey! I hope you enjoyed this simple project as much as I did. If you have questions or comments about the build or the outcome I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Great set of instructions and pictures for doing this project @daddykirbs!
Sharing to twitter for others!
Lol, story of my life.
Another great article, man. Always appreciated. I know trying to document how you’re doing a ‘DIY’ always doubles the amount of time the job should normally take.
Keep it up!
Indeed! There are a lot of projects that get NO DOCUMENTATION because I don't have time. Normally I'm glad to have the project done, but always wish I would have taken the time to snap some photos or videos.
The horse seems to love its window. Reminds me of that old TV show, "Mister Ed."
Ah yes! I loved that show when I was a kid. ( of course I was watching reruns LOL )
Great! Now I've got the Mr. Ed song stuck in my head! :-D
You're welcome! LOL
Nice job Blake, looking good!
Thank you :)
@daddykirbs seems to me that making @findingjoy happy is a very good reason to do something. Loved the post, and now I know who to call on when I get ready to build a chicken coop and want it pretty!
What a beauty! (the horse) and the shutters look great too! I can relate on forgetting or deciding not to photo document something (and then thinking later "oh darn, I could've written an article about this") :)