Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

2 - 10-in x 10-ft Aluminum Roll Flashing
4 bags 50-lb Fast-Setting Concrete Mix
10 - 3/8-in x 4-in Galvanized Lag Screws
10 - 3/8-in Galvanized Flat Washers
3 6-pack 3/4-in Zinc-Plated Pan-Head Sheet-Metal Screws
2 - 1/2-in Deck Screws
2 - .5 cu. ft. Pea Gravel
5 - 2-in x 2-in x 8-ft S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) Cedar (Actual: 2-in x 1.5-in x 8-ft)
3 - 2-in x 4-in x 8-ft S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) Cedar (Actual: 1.5-in x 3.5-in x 8-ft)
4 - 2-in x 6-in x 8-ft S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) Cedar (Actual: 1.5-in x 5.5-in x 8-ft)
Cleaning Cloths

Note

Items may be Special Order in some stores. Product costs, availability, and item numbers may vary online or by market. Paint colors may vary slightly from those shown. Availability varies by market for lumber species and sizes.

Instructions

Privacy screens can be built in two heights. The example illustrated here stands 61 inches tall (plus depth below frost line). Add 11 inches to the overall length of the post components (D and R) and the vertical dividers (A) for the taller version.

Shop Lumber & Composites Shop Decking & Porches Shop Fencing & Gates

Getting Started

After determining how deep the holes will be, add that depth to the length of the post sticking out of the ground.

GoodToKnow

A 12-volt combo kit with a drill driver and impact driver helps you assemble projects like this. Use the drill driver to bore the pilot holes and counterbores; use the impact driver for driving the fasteners. You won't need to change bits, and with two batteries going at one time, there's plenty of power to do the whole project without switching batteries.

Assemble the Screens

To make a frame, screw the vertical dividers to the bottom rail and an upper rail with 3-inch screws, checking each joint with a framing square.

GoodToKnow

Drilling 3/8-inch counterbores requires a 90-degree drill bit angle. To make a simple bit guide, first cut a scrap 2 x 4 about 8 inches long and use your miter saw to remove 2 inches from one end. Glue the short scrap back on the end of the 6-inch scrap, only with a 2-inch offset that forms a notch. The corner of the notch gives you two 90-degree surfaces to hold your bit vertical while you start the hole. Then remove the guide and let the starter hole continue to guide the bit as you drill.

Install the Screens

Empty a bag of concrete mix into a wheelbarrow and add water until it reaches the consistency of creamy peanut butter. Shovel the concrete into the postholes and tap it down with a 2 x 2 scrap to force it into the gravel and eliminate any voids. As the concrete reaches the top of the holes, check that the posts are plum and the top remains level. To hold the screen in place while the concrete dries, first drive two scrap-wood stakes in the ground about 2 inches in front of the screen at both ends. Attach one end of a 2 x 4 stud to a stake with one nail and angle the other end until it touches the outside edge of the screen posts. Once the screen is plumb, clamp the 2 x 4 to the posts and repeat on the other end.

Find more outdoor privacy ideas with our 10 Takes on Outdoor Privacy.

Related Tags:

Outdoor Living

Patio Hideaway Screen