Boarding Up Your Windows for Hurricane (Quick and Easy Guide)

How to Board Up Windows for Hurricane Season

If you reside in the southern region of the United States, boarding up your windows for hurricanes and tropical storms coming through is always priority one if your home or building does not already have impact windows installed.

The United States is no stranger to extremely dangerous and catastrophic hurricanes. In 2017 alone, hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria caused enormous damage in the areas of landfall. Communities in the path of these super storms are still rebuilding even two years later. So, how do homes and businesses prepare before the next hurricane season?

Preparing Your Home or Commercial Building for the Storm

If you live and work in an area where storms are frequent, it is critical to prepare your home and office for the next storm season which starts around June each year. Aside from a storm plan, boarding up your windows will be top priority if the structure does not have secure windows installed. Therefore, Knowing how to cover your windows for a hurricane is essential to protecting your home or building, as well as family members’ and employees’ safety.

Boarding up windows isn’t simply placing wood across a window if you want to protect your home with strong security, it is critical to know how to board up windows for a hurricane properly. This article will give you a quick and easy guide to boarding up your windows for a hurricane so you are fully prepared this hurricane season.

What You Will Need to Board Your Windows

Any entryway for wind is susceptible to significant and catastrophic damage during a storm. Windows are a primary point of concern because of the relatively weak barrier most of them provide between the outside elements and the precious inside.

Our quick and easy method of boarding windows from the inside out will provide a safety barrier that will provide your family with peace of mind during a storm, and protect your home or business from costly damage that can occur at the peak of a storm.

Storm Supplies:

• Strong plywood with a suggested thickness of ⅝”
• Washers (size large)
• Circular saw
• Corrosion-resistant screws
• Tape measure
• Drill with associated bits
• Bolts
• Plylox clips made from carbon or stainless steel to secure the plywood

These basic supplies will work for any kind of siding your home or business has. Here are some quick tutorials with the most popular types of siding.

Boarding Up Windows with Vinyl Siding

One of the most popular types of siding in homes is vinyl. To secure this type of window you will need your tape measure to measure and record the area of a window that is required to cover. Consider plywood panels that will cover the window up to four inches in order to protect the glass.

Find a stud in the siding and drill holes into the siding, not the wood or metal trim of the window. We suggest a spacing measurement of 12 to 16” for drilling. Arrange the plywood and after drilling into the siding, give it a good tug to make sure the plywood is secure.

Boarding Up Your Windows with Stucco and Brick Siding

Despite the difference in building materials, the instructions to board your windows is primarily the same as a vinyl siding process. The difference is in the spacing of plywood panels, which is a suggested 15” apart. You will also want to utilize bolts because the material is thicker and can be harder to drill with even the strongest bit (especially with brick).

You will want to use the plywood arrangement within the window frame (inside) instead of on the siding of the home. Measure and record the distance from frame to frame and cut the plywood to the measurements needed.

How to Board Windows from the Inside

Boarding up your windows on the outside and inside of your home provides an extra layer of protection from torrential wind and downpour. Use glass window clips to secure the window and maintain the seal shut. Use the same method for boarding windows depending on the interior material used in your home.

If you are worried about the existing windows you have, especially if they aren’t stormproof, call Signature Impact to talk about the window and door solutions we provide for homes that need extra security from hurricanes. Give us a call at 305-912-7493 and schedule a consultation for your home or business. You may also request a quote for hurricane resistant windows and doors online.

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