Home » DIY » DIY Window Shutters

DIY Window Shutters

This post may contain affiliate links, please see our policy for details.

DIY window shutters with repurposed wood from an old fence gate for the ugly basement windows.

DIY window shutters on basement windows

Recently I shared the story of a window shutter that I built to cover our unsightly basement window.

We aren’t able to open this window so we wouldn’t lose anything by shuttering it in.

exterior view of small basement window on brick house

DIY Shutter Supplies

Tools

This is the first attempt. 

A great big fail!

old wood attached to a brick house to create a shutter

Here it is after our 2nd attempt.

untreated DIY wood shutter on brick house

Getting better, but there was room for improvement.

I wanted opinions so I posted and asked for your thoughts. Some were for and some were against but I still wasn’t sure. If you’ve been reading Chatfield Court for a while then you know that I don’t give up easily. So I worked on it a little bit more before taking it down and calling it quits.

The first thing I tried was a quick coat of walnut stain. Next, I tried some faux hinges to make it look more authentic, even though this window shutter doesn’t open and close.

drill and kneeling pad on sidewalk with homemade hinges

I bought real hinges at Home Depot but they didn’t fit.

I really wanted hinges though, so I ended up making my own out of sheet metal. After a quick check for fit, I sprayed them, and some wood screws, with black paint.

black spray painted screws in cardboard and drill on sidewalk

All that was left to do was to screw the faux hinges on. I also attached a latch to give it a real window shutter feel.

DIY window shutters on basement window
view of DIY window shutter on brick house basement window and a large planted fern next to it

What do you think of my DIY window shutters. Does it look like a shutter or am I fighting a losing battle?

Please excuse the mold on the fence and the bald grass, ripped up by neighborhood skunks, our yard is a huge work in progress. 😉 You can look at my beautifully large fern though. I can’t believe how much it’s grown this summer.

DIY window shutters on a basement window and large graphic

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I finally got to that dirty, moldy fence. Check out how easy it was and how it looks all shiny and new. 

view of moldy fence before and after cleaning, and a large graphic