Boarding up your windows is a great way of keeping them intact during a storm or a hurricane especially if they aren’t impact-resistant. However, for those who have never done this before, such a task may seem pretty daunting. But, it really isn’t that hard and is actually quite straightforward.
So, if you’re one such person who’s never had to board their windows before, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we will go over everything you’ll need to know about boarding your windows, from how to when and why to do it.
Whether it’s for your residential or commercial property, boarding up your windows can help prevent some unfortunate incidents, be they security or safety-oriented.
Windows are the most popular points of entry for burglars, so it should come as no surprise that if a broken or tampered with window is left unattended, chances are the person who did the tampering will use it as their access point. Acts of burglary are more common than you think, in London alone, there are more than six thousand cases or burglary a month.
Criminals often tend to target properties they’ve previously, easily broken into in the past. This is especially true if their old point of entry is still somewhat available to them. So, forgetting to secure a window that has already been tampered with in the past, can make things easy for burglars planning to rob you.
Even if a break-in has already occurred, boarding up a broken window right after it, isn’t meaningless as it prevents things from getting worse. Leaving the window unattended is just asking for vandals, burglars and even squatters to enter your property.
Each year sees dozens of storms throughout the UK, some light ones, of course, while others are a bit more frightening. And it’s these stronger storms that you should be on the lookout for. Extreme weather can be particularly destructive on more vulnerable properties such as:
By boarding up your windows, you can secure your property from weather damage and even flooding. So, if you hear of very extreme winds coming your way on the weather forecast, go and buy some solid steel barriers. These are particularly effective against strong wind and can be used to even secure garage doors.
You’re now probably wondering which type of boarding material will be most suitable for your particular property. While timber and steel screens are both very helpful in most situations, it’s still good to know which materials work to use when boarding for a given occasion.
When planning to board up your windows, in order to protect your property from bad weather, it’s good to always start as early as you hear about the storm. Since it’s possible that if you go to buy supplies at the last minute, they might prove a bit tougher to find.
For boarding up windows you’ll need the following tools and materials:
If by any chance you’re missing something from the list, remember that all of these can be bought at your local convenience store.
The boarding up guide below covers the simplest way to board up one’s windows. So, be sure to follow it down to a T.
The recommended thickness of plywood, used for boarding up windows, is 5/8 of an inch. When it comes to the plywood’s size, start by measuring the size of your windows. Then, when it’s time to cut the plywood, make it so that it’s 4 inches bigger than the window on all sides. This is especially important if you have vinyl siding and want to protect your windows from being blown out from the storm. When cutting the plywood to the desired size, be sure to do it outside and use a circular saw.
Make holes in your plywood using a drill, make sure they’re the same size as the screws that you’ll be using. The drilled holes should be 2 inches away from the edge of each corner of the plywood and in 12-inch intervals around each panel.
Hold up the plywood against the window you want to board up and mark the spots where the mounting screws will go in. On every plywood panel, write down for which window or door it is for.
Board up your property by using the marked panels on each designated window. Screw-in each panel carefully while making sure that each board is secured tightly.
Boarding up your windows only on the inside with plywood is an alternative boarding method, but not a great one.
If your windows are boarded up only on the inside and there’s a raging storm outside, there’s a chance that it will shatter the windows and loosen up the plywood to the point that it falls inside along with all the glass.
So, strive away from this method of boarding.
If boarding up windows isn’t really up your alley, you can always have a professional to take care of the job. Contact Fantastic Services to easily book a specialist who will come over and board your windows for you.
Note: Currently, we provide this service within London only, however, we’re constantly expanding our coverage so, double check the service availability via our online booking feature.
Call Fantastic Services and have a professional take care of that for you!
***
Did you find this post helpful? Have you ever boarded up your windows yourself? Do share with us how you did it in the comments below!
The only home improvement newsletter you will ever need!
We will never spam you. Pinky promise!
For more information, check out our privacy policy.
