Don’t Use Lattice – Build this DIY Privacy Screen Instead

For some reason, I absolutely hate the look of lattice. So when I neeeded to conceal the area underneath my deck, I decided to build a DIY Privacy Screen using wood instead. Overall, this privacy panel screen is super easy to build and I think it looks 10X better than lattice. The best part? It’s also affordable! I have a detailed cost breakdown at the end of this article that compares the cost of this privacy screen to the cost of lattice:

Tool and Materials Needed:

• 1″x6″ pressure treated lumber (or 1″x4″)
• 2″x4″ Pressure treated lumber
• Drill
• 1.5″ Exterior Rated Screws

Step 1: Get the Dimensions of the Privacy Screen

The first step in building the privacy screen is to establish the dimensions. For my application, the height of the screen needed to be approx. 33″ and the length was just over 14′. Therfore, my privacy screen was going to be 33″ tall by 14′ long.

Step 2: Purchase the Lumber for the Privacy Screen

For these horizontal privacy screens, I recommend that you use 1″x6″ or 1″x4″ pressure treated lumber. You can also use 1″x2″ lumber (like I did for the privacy screen beneth my steps here) but it tends to warp quite a bit.

You will need to purcahse enough boards to that the total width of all the boards “sandwhiched” together is around “5-15” less than the total height of your screen.

For my privacy screen, I used a combination of 1″x6″ and 1″x4″ lumber and the total width of all of them sandwhiched together was 27″. Since 27″ is less than the 33″ total height of my screen, we are all set.

You will also need vertical support braces to give your privacy screen durability and so that you have a place to mount the horizontal privacy slats to. A pressure treated 2″x4″ is perfect for these vertical support braces.

Once you have all of your lumber purchased, you can begin cutting the lumber to size and assembling the screen.

Step 3: Cut the Lumber to Size and Layout the Screen

If the total length of your privacy screen is 8′ or less, you will be able to use one peice of lumber to make up the total length. If you screen is larger that 8′, however, you will need an intermediate vertical brace and two horizontal slats to make up the total length.

For my privacy screen, I cut the 1″x6″ and 1″x4″ lumber to a 7′ length. When I place them side by side, that will give me the 14′ length I need.

For the Vertical support braces, I cut them to 33″ to match the total heigth of my privacy screen. Once all of the lumber is cut to length, place all of the boards in thier appoximate location so that you can get an idea of the layout.

Step 4: Determine the Spacing Between Each Slat Board

For this privacy screen design, there will be a small space between each horiztonal board. To determine this spacing, first count the total number of “spaces” you will have in your privacy screen. In my case, we will have 5 spaces based on the number of boards used.

Next, take the total height of the screen (33.25″ in my case) and subtract the total width of all the baords sandwhiched together (27″). Divide that number by the total number of spaces (5) and you will get the spacing between each board.

After doing the math, I determined that I would need a 1.25″ space between each board. To make this easy, I cut a 1.25″ “spacer” that I could just place between each board so that I didn’t need to measure each one individually.

Step 5: Assemble the Screen

At this point, all you need to do is asemble the Privacy Screen. Start by securing the top and bottom slats to the top and bottom of the vertical brace. Next, use the spacer to position all of the remaining boards and screw them to the vertical support brace using 1.5″ exterior rated screws (or similar).

If your screen is longer than 8′, you will want to “split the difference” on the center vertical support brace so that you can secure both ends of the horizontal panels to the brace.

After assembling the screen, you can use a piece of 1″x4″ lumber to conceal the butt joint in the center of the privacy screen.

Now, simply lift the privacy panel into place and secure it using a few screws.

Cost Breakdown

Lattic is used primarily because it is preceived as convenient and cheap. However, a 4’x8′ sheet of wooden lattice can cost upwards of $42 and a vinvyl sheet of 4’x8′ is still nearly $30.

For the privacy screen built in this article, the total cost was:

Therefore, the total cost of materials to build the 33″ x 14′ privacy screen shown below was $93.29. However, keepp in mind that I would have needed TWO 4’x8′ sheets of lattice to conceal the same area. For that reason, I would say that this style of Privacy Screen is 1.6X more expensive than PVC Lattice and 1.2X more expensive than wooden lattice.

Conclusion

Overall, I really like the look of this style of privacy panel and I will continue to install them on all of my future privacy screen projects. Although this style of screen is anywhere from 1.2 to 1.6 times more expensive than lattice, I think the look is well worth it.

Thanks for reading and good luck Building!

DISCLAIMER: This is a reference guide only. Consult local code requirements. Links included in this article might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting ATimprovements so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!