The top and bottom are the 6 foot 6 inch 2″ x 4″ boards, and the sides are the 6 foot 2″ x 4″ boards. So the finished decorative DIY outdoor privacy screen will look like this. Step 3 | Build The Privacy Screen Outer Frameīefore I start building anything, I like to lay out my boards to make sure everything fits. It should be about 6 feet 6 inches wide.ĭon’t worry that your posts aren’t straight at this point…we’ll fix that later. Then put your posts into the holes and measure the distance between them to make sure your screen will fit. To allow water to drain, adding a couple of inches of gravel to the bottom of the hole is a good idea.Ĥ. I would use whatever the recommendations are for fence posts in your area.ģ. (As an example, when I lived in Toronto, we used to bury posts 4 feet deep). However, if you live farther north, your holes will likely need to be deeper to make sure they don’t shift in the winter. Since I live in South Carolina where we don’t really have a frost line in the winter, 2 feet is far enough. (You definitely don’t need to go to the gym on the day you do this!) To make sure that the posts are sturdy and won’t fall over, I dug holes that are about 2 feet deep using my post hole digger*. Since I was putting mine behind the gazebo, I wanted to make sure that the screen would be centered across the back of the deck. The screen will be about 6 feet 6 inches wide when it is done, so your holes will need to be that far apart.ġ. The next step in building your decorative DIY outdoor privacy screen is to put up the posts that will hold up your panel. Just make sure that the ends line up properly to get the right measurement. Then use that board as the measuring stick for all of the others. Measure the first one carefully and cut it. When I have to cut multiple boards the same length, I usually take the easy way out. Cut two of the 2″ x 4″ boards to 6 feet 6 inches long.ģ. I used a miter saw for this but any saw that will cut through 2″ x 4″ boards will work.Ģ. Cut four of the 2″ x 4″ boards to 6 feet long. However, you can use cedar, redwood or any other type of wood that does well outdoors.ġ.

It’s the least expensive option and that’s what my deck is made from. I will show you the way that I did it, and then tell you how I would have done it if I had help 🙂 Step 1 | Cut The Woodįor my DIY garden privacy screen, I used pressure treated wood. This would be much easier to install with 2 people, so I suggest finding someone to help you if you can (at least for the part where you are putting it up). Now, before we start, let me say that I was doing this by myself.

Saw for cutting the boards (I used a miter saw but you can use any kind of saw that will cut through the boards).

If you live in an area with very cold winters, you may need to get 12′ posts so you can bury the ends far enough down to go below the frost line. With a few boards to make a frame, this decorative DIY outdoor privacy screen was really easy to make and looks great on my deck. Then I discovered the perfect combination of deck privacy lattice and art…these decorative privacy screen panels. Not quite as interesting, but I could hang some garden art on it to add some extra flair. But trying to find one that I liked and was big enough for the space was hard to do. Originally, I was looking for some kind of large wrought iron art piece that I could hang there. And I also wanted it to prevent people from accidentally falling off the side of the deck if they backed a chair up too far.

Since you can see it easily from the windows in the house, the screen definitely needed to be decorative. (However, if they ever build something on the land behind my house, I’ll be happy to have my deck privacy screen). In my case, it’s not so much for privacy, but to create more of the feeling of a secret garden room. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.Īs part of my deck makeover, I wanted to add a screen to the back of my deck. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you).

Lattice privacy screen on deck