How to Build Board and Batten Shutters

Yesterday, I shared the Lowe’s Exterior Makeover Reveal with you, and today I wanted to show you how we made the board and batten shutters.

How to Build Board and Batten Shutters

 

We had the most amazing team of Lowe’s volunteers to help with the makeover!

They helped us build, sand, and stain the board and batten shutters for Grant and Beth’s house.  

Lowe's volunteers

Steve, the assistant manager, was helping us make the shutters, and I put him on the spot and asked him if I could video him making one of the shutters.

Without any practice at all, Steve whipped out this 3 minute video tutorial with complete perfection!  He nailed it in one take!

As soon as he finished, all of the volunteers erupted in applause!  It was so fun!  I told Steve he was giving Mike Holmes a run for his money and that he was better than most guys on HGTV!   

You are going to love this video tutorial!  Steve does such a great job!  :)  Please give him mad props because he deserves it. 

Here is our supply list:

  • 1×6 poplar boards
  • 1×4 poplar boards
  • compound miter saw
  • wood glue
  • nail gun and nails (1 1/4″, 18 gauge finish nails)
  • tape measure
  • sanding sponges
  • stain  (We used MinWax Dark Walnut.)
  • rubber gloves and cloths for staining
  • paint sticks to use as spacers between boards

 

 

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46 Comments

  1. Love this post! I’ve been wanting to make my own to look exactly like these but didn’t know how I would do it to look that perfect! My only question is what is the best way to attach them to the house? Thanks so much for the post!

  2. I like the way the shutters + window box are made from the same material. It’s important to repeat design elements, don’t you think? We’re trying to do the same in our white kitchen’s wood island. ;-)

  3. I can’t wait to be able to have new windows put in. After this video, I think that I may now want to put these shutters and window flower box on also. I love this idea. : )

  4. Hi there, I really love the idea of using window boxes to the window. That’s one things that I will be doing in my next revamp. But how long should the screws be? I dont know if some 3 inch nails will be able to pin the box strongly, Any thoughts on this?

    Cindy

  5. Very nice shutters! We are thinking about building board and batten shutters for our house. I have a question, have you noticed the poplar ‘greening’? I’ve heard that when you stain poplar the wood tends to take on a green hue after some time, but I’ve never tested the theory…

  6. Board and Batten shutters are the last thing we have to make and install for our exterior makeover project. We have stalled ONE YEAR trying to figure out what wood to use and how to do this. This video is a blessing and to watch him whip a shutter out in minutes is AMAZING! What took us so long? I guess it was waiting on this video to assure us we can do this and FINISH!

    Thank you SO much! We really needed this video and we appreciate you!

  7. Dove White?!?

    I’ve been remodeling the exterior of my house by myself for the past 6 weeks and have been following the Lowes makeover to a T.
    I spent $1,000 on Valspar Reserve Exterior paint in Balanced Beige because that’s what you said was used in the original post for this makeover. Pllleeeaaassseee tell me it’s balanced beige and not dove white 😭😭😭😭😭😭

    1. No! You are right! I am so sorry. We built the same board and batten shutters for our own house that we painted in DOVE WHITE. When I replied to your comment in my blog dashboard, it just shows the title and not the actual post, so I thought you were asking about the paint on my house. If I said Balanced Beige in the other exterior makeover, then that is what is was. But the homeowner did have it lightened a little. I need to go look up that older post. :)

  8. So the three vertical long boards are not attached to one another before attaching the short horizontal boards to them? Or did they do that part before the video? Just was confused as to if the three boards stay together soley because the batten boards get nailed across them. Any info would be appreciated!

  9. The shutters are gorgeous and look so easy to make. How do you attach them to wood siding? Wouldn’t screws let water into the walls?

  10. Do the shutters have to be sealed after they are stained so they don’t lose color in the weather?

  11. My husband and I loved the remodel and are trying to replicate the shutters on our house. We’ve got them made but trying to figure out how to attach them.
    Once you predrilled the holes in the mortar how did you line them up with the shutter? Also, what type of screws were used to attach them to the house and how did you mask them from being seen, as I assume they were screwed into the horizontal board?

  12. This is my next project for my house. But I am not exactly sure about attaching the shutters to the exterior brick. Is there a more simple way than drilling holes into the mortar

    1. It has held up fine. I just visited their home a few weeks ago (3 years later) and they still look great. You could add a coat of polyurethane on the shutters if you wanted to help the stain last longer.

  13. I’m interested in the window/flower boxes that seem to match the shutters as well. Is there a tutorial for that somewhere?

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