How to Put Up Plywood Hurricane Shutters (Florida Code)

A step-by-step guide to making and hanging plywood hurricane shutters, based on the Florida Building Code (Residential, R301.2.1.2) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management's Hurricane Retrofit Guide: what thickness, how far past the opening, where the anchors go, how to install them once, and how to store and hang the panels.

By Patrick & Dylan · Florida Certified General Contractor, Lic. #CGC1541672

Plywood shutters only work if they're attached the right way. The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Hurricane Retrofit Guide recommends "permanent installation of fasteners for attaching shutters," because "Repeatedly installing shutters with nails or screws can damage your walls and weaken the connection when you really need it to work." The Florida Building Code allows plywood shutters on many homes, with specific rules for thickness, overlap and anchors. This guide follows both, and marks our own advice as ours. It's general information: check with your building department before you install anchors.

Stop and call a pro before you start if:

Your city requires a permit for the anchors or shutters. The state guide says "Most cities and counties in Florida will require permits for shutter or impact window and door installation." Treasure Island, for example, lists shutters among projects that need a permit; ask your building department first.
The home's mean roof height is over 33 feet, or you're in Miami-Dade or Broward County. The code's plywood exception covers mean roof heights of 33 feet or less where design wind speed is 180 mph or less, and the state guide notes different rules in Miami-Dade and Broward.
You'd be working on a ladder above the first floor. Our advice: call a pro.
You can't find solid framing or masonry to anchor into, or the only surface is the window frame or brick veneer. FEMA says to "Avoid attaching shutters to the window frame or brick veneer face."
There's structural damage: rotted framing around the opening, cracked block, a sagging header. Our advice: get it repaired first.
The home was built before 1978 and you'd be drilling through painted trim. The EPA says a home built before 1978 "may have lead-based paint."
The wall has old textured finishes or patching you'd drill through. The EPA lists textured paint and patching compounds among materials that may contain asbestos, and says "Taking samples yourself is not recommended."
There's mold around the opening covering more than about 10 square feet. That's the EPA's do-it-yourself limit.
The walls were soaked by floodwater or sewage. The EPA says to call in a professional experienced in cleaning buildings damaged by contaminated water; see our floodwater cleanup guide.
There's wiring, a meter or a panel near where you'd drill. Our advice: move the anchor or call a licensed electrician.
The window is a bedroom's only way out. The state guide warns not to leave any externally mounted shutter "that you can't open quickly from the inside" on egress windows and doors "unless you have two exits from the rooms."
A storm is already close. The state guide says stores "generally sell out of shutter materials quickly during a hurricane warning." This is an off-season job.

What you'll need

Item	Why	Where to buy
Plywood, at least 7/16 inch (the state guide recommends 1/2-inch nominal, actually 15/32)	The code minimum for wood structural panels; the guide recommends plywood over OSB	Home Depot · Lowe's
Permanent anchors rated for your wall (wood: 1/4-inch lag-screw-based; masonry: anchors rated for the loads below)	The code requires permanently installed, corrosion-resistant attachment hardware	Home Depot · Lowe's
Washered wing nuts or bolts, at least 1/4 inch, with 1-inch washers	The code's minimum hardware for masonry anchors	Home Depot · Lowe's
Drill with masonry bits (3/16 inch for hollow block, 7/32 inch for concrete, per the state guide, or as the anchor maker says)	Drilling anchor holes once, to size	Home Depot · Lowe's
Stud finder	The state guide says to to find wood framing, "use a stud finder from the inside"	Home Depot · Lowe's
One-part urethane or structural silicone sealant	The state guide's choice for sealing anchor holes in stucco	Home Depot · Lowe's
Circular saw, tape measure, marker	Cutting and labeling panels	Home Depot · Lowe's

Step by step

Step 1: Check the rules and your walls

Ask your building department whether the anchors or shutters need a permit. Then check each opening: is the wall wood frame, concrete or hollow block, and can you reach it safely from the ground? The code's rules differ for wood frame and masonry walls (Steps 4 and 5).

Step 2: Measure each opening

The code says panels must be precut "to overlap the wall such that they extend a minimum of 2 inches (50.8 mm) beyond the lines of fasteners," with "a span between lines of fasteners of 44 inches." The state guide says "Unless windows are small, you should figure that each window will require one 4 by 8 sheet of panel material." Our advice: write each window's measurements on a floor plan.

A person cutting a wooden board on a cluttered workbench with power tools — Cut every panel to its own opening, with room for the 2-inch overlap past the fasteners. Stock photo.

Step 3: Cut and label every panel

Cut each panel to its opening. The state guide says to "Make sure your shutters are labeled for each window and door." Our advice: mark the top edge and which side faces out, too.

Step 4: Mark the anchor locations

The code's alternative fastening is "at 16 inches (406.4 mm) o.c. along the edges of the opposing long sides of the panel." Where the anchors go depends on the wall:

Wood frame: fasteners must be "embedded into the wall framing members, nominally a minimum of 1 inch (25.4 mm) from the edge of the opening and 2 inches (50.8 mm) inward from the panel edge."
Concrete or masonry: fasteners must be "a minimum of 1.5 inches (37.9 mm) from the edge of the opening and 2 inches (50.8 mm) inward of the panel edge." For hollow block, the state guide says to keep anchors "at least a minimum of two inches away from the window or door edges."

Step 5: Install the permanent anchors, once

Under the code's 16-inch alternative, permanent anchors need an allowable minimum design withdrawal capacity of 300 pounds; in concrete or masonry, also a minimum design shear capacity of 525 pounds with a 1.5-inch edge distance. Check the anchor's packaging or maker's data. The state guide's rules for installing them:

"Drill the hole once," and "only install the anchor once." It says fastening masonry screws "into the same hole more than twice reduces the capacity of the connections by more than 50 percent."
"clean out the hole" before setting the anchor.
"Snug up the anchor but don't over tighten it."
In wood frame walls, it recommends "2-inches embedment into the wood frame."
It strongly recommends do-it-yourselfers "NOT use" lead anchors.
In stucco, seal each hole with "a one part urethane or structural silicone sealant."

Close-up of hands using a cordless drill to drill a hole in a wooden strip — Drill each hole once, to the size the anchor maker calls for. Stock photo.

Step 6: Predrill the panels to match

The code says panels "shall be predrilled as required for the attachment method." Our advice: hold each panel in place, mark through to the anchors, and drill the panel, not the wall again.

Step 7: Store the panels and hardware

The state guide says shutters should be "stored and ready to use before a storm threatens," and "Wingnuts should be stored, even if they are stainless steel, and not left in the weather where they can corrode or seize up."

Step 8: Hang them before the storm

The National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane watch 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected. Our advice: hang the panels at the watch, not the warning. Hang each labeled panel on its anchors and tighten the hardware. For masonry, the code calls for hardware of at least 1/4 inch "with or have integral washers with a minimum 1-inch outside diameter." The state guide warns: "Using spring clips, Velcro, barrel bolts, or wedging techniques will not provide a tested and reliable attachment system."

A man sitting on stacked lumber outdoors, driving a screw into a board with a cordless drill — Hang the panels on the permanent anchors; don't nail or screw new holes each time. Stock photo.

How long it takes

None of our sources give a time for making or hanging plywood shutters. Do the measuring, cutting and anchors in the off-season, so hanging the panels is the only job left when a storm comes.

Stop and call a pro if you find:

Rotted wood or cracked block around the opening.
An anchor that spins, pulls out or won't hold.
A window that's a room's only exit.
An opening you can't reach safely from the ground.

Frequently asked questions

How thick should plywood hurricane shutters be?

The Florida Building Code allows wood structural panels at least 7/16 inch thick on homes with a mean roof height of 33 feet or less where the design wind speed is 180 mph or less. The state's retrofit guide recommends 1/2-inch (15/32) plywood over OSB.

Can I just nail plywood over my windows?

The state guide recommends permanent anchors instead, because nailing panels into the same holes in the framing again and again can reduce the attachment's strength "by 50 percent or more." The code requires permanently installed, corrosion-resistant hardware for plywood shutters.

How far apart should the anchors be?

The code's alternative is fasteners at 16 inches on center along the opposing long sides of the panel, 2 inches in from the panel edge. They sit at least 1 inch from the opening in wood frame walls and 1.5 inches in masonry.

Will plywood shutters lower my insurance?

Probably not. The state guide says insurers "probably will not give insurance premium discounts for plywood or OSB shutters even when permanently installed fasteners are in place."

Sources

General information, not legal, insurance or engineering advice. Rules change and vary by city; confirm with your building department, DBPR, your insurer, an attorney or an engineer as fits.

How to put up plywood storm shutters on permanent anchors