Plywood shutters can be punctured by airborne objects but the florida building commission believes the puncture will be too small to do catastrophic damage in our anticipated wind speeds.
Plywood for wind mitigation for windows and doors.
Covering your windows and doors with plywood should only be used as a temporary emergency board up option not a permanent solution.
Cut the plywood to the measurements for each opening.
However putting up plywood or storm shutters is time consuming and may require more than one person to lift heavy panels into place.
An effective and inexpensive option for covering windows figure you ll spend 1 2 sq.
Set aside a weekend to measure cut and pre install all the plywood for a typical house.
A contractor might charge between 3 5 sq.
If you do the work yourself.
Make sure you overlap window frames by a good 8 inches all around.
Drill four holes in the center area of the plywood to relieve pressure during a strong wind storm.
Use heavy duty screws and anchors in wood or expansion bolts in masonry to attach the plywood to your home s walls not the window frames.
To minimize damage to your home during a hurricane windows and doors should be boarded up with 5 8 plywood or covered with approved storm shutters.
Cut sheets of 1 2 or 5 8 inch thick plywood.
Drill holes 2 1 2 inches from the outside edge of the plywood at each corner and at 12 inch intervals.
Plywood that is not properly attached to your house can rip off during high winds and become a projectile that can cause serious harm to properties.