Learn how to install wooden shutters using hinges and shutter dogs with this tutorial! Add curb appeal and make maintenance easy with this DIY project.
We showed you how to build and assemble these DIY shutters, and today is installation day! We’re going to use powder-coated exterior hinges to hang the shutters and shutter dogs to hold them open. These hinges make it SO much easier to install and remove shutters, so this will make maintenance hassle-free! This tutorial will help you make sure your shutters are installed securely and symmetrically.
*IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: I built board and batten shutters using sawmill cypress from a local mill to replace 30-year-old vinyl shutters. To make the project quicker, I built a jig and included those instructions in the tutorial as well. Check that post out for DIY shutter tips and tricks!
Materials Needed to install shutters, hinges, and shutter dogs
- Shutters – You can buy your own or build these DIY shutters.
- External lift-off barrel hinges
- External Shutter dogs
- Drill and bits
- Level
- Combination square
- Tape measure
Install the barrel section of the hinge to the shutter
You can install the hinges to be fully functional or just pretty — We decided to make ours fully functional. This requires the barrel portion of the hinge to be installed on the backside of the shutter.
*NOTE: If you choose to install them on the front side of the shutter, make sure the pintles have a large enough offset that allows for the shutter to lay against the house when fully open.
The hinges will be installed to allow the barrel of the hinge to be six inches from the top of the shutter and six inches from the bottom of the shutter. They will be in line with the battens across the front of the shutters.
How to decide on the placement of the hinges
I found that it worked best to measure from the top of the shutter to the bottom side of the barrel portion of the hanger to ensure that the shutters are positioned as you want when you are ready to hang. The last thing to look for before installing the barrel portion of the hinge is the alignment along the outside edge of the board they are being attached. Once they are positioned, you are ready to attach them and move to the window casing and the pintles.
Install the plate-mounted pintles to the window facing
First, measure and mark the placement of the pintles along the window casing. Using a combination square set to make the inside edge for the plate-mounted pintle, we moved along the edge of the window casing using a pencil to mark the distance the plate would be positioned from the inside edge of the casing.
Next, we measured from the top of the window casing down to the position that the pintle would need to be positioned, then determined the placement of the plate to accommodate the placement. Trace around the plate and mark for the holes. I prefer to install the top plate and place the shutter to double-check the marked placement for the bottom pintle before installing the plate-mounted pintle.
How to Install Shutter Dogs
Installing Shutter Dogs requires that you measure the distance between the bolt hole and the shutter when the Shutter Dog is placed horizontally at the bottom of the hanging shutter while the shutter is in the open position. Once you have this measurement you will want to mark the position on the side of the house and then predrill the hole for the Shutter Dog bolt.
If you are installing on vinyl you will want to predrill the vinyl a little larger than the bolt to allow for the vinyl to move as the weather dictates. I used two different bits for this process, the larger bit for the vinyl and one sized to match the bolt being used to mount the Shutter dog. I also injected a liberal amount of silicon into the hole to help prevent water from entering behind the vinyl.
Other Easy DIY Projects
Home ownership often means there’s a lot of maintenance and upkeep! Here are some handy tutorials and DIY home projects:
- How to Replace a Faucet Sink – This is the perfect way to give yourself a fun upgrade that doesn’t cost too much money or take too much time!
- How to Flush a Water Heater (+ how to test and replace elements) – Nobody dreams about taking care of their water heater, but keeping it in tip-top shape will save you money for more fun projects like the ones below!
- How to Paint Patterned Tile – We love a DIY that can change an entire room in a weekend! This tutorial will walk you through each step.
- DIY Brick Kitchen Nook – Another great weekend project! This immediately spruces up a special corner in your home.
- DIY Ladder Shelf – This pallet project uses a gorgeous herringbone pattern to build the shelves! It’s an ambitious project, but it will make a huge impression.