Let’s Install Vinyl Lattice Under the Deck!
For years, I have utilized the area under our lower deck as a wood storage space. At first, it was only a few pieces of scrap wood in the section closest to the house. Over time, as I stored sawhorses and more pieces of scrap wood, the area grew until almost all of the space was filled with wood; especially after we had the deck boards replaced and the old boards went there too. The space is not just to store the wood but to have easy access to it when I need some for a project. I’ve used many pieces on projects such as my pool deck and potting bench. I love having a spot that is so convenient!
Wood storage area
Here are pics to show you the area under the deck.
View from the pool
Since the space was convenient and useful, until I installed my little pool last year, I didn’t notice how unsightly it was. The area under the deck is visible from the pool. As I was floating with a friend one day, admiring the view of the yard, it struck me that the wood storage area was really ugly! I immediately planned to fix that!
Because the view of the wood storage isn’t pretty, I didn’t specifically take pics; but I did take one of hubby mowing while I was relaxing in the pool. You can see a bit of the storage area here.
- Wood storage area
- View from the pool
- How to hide the wood storage area
- Step 1 – prep area & measure
- Step 2 – buy supplies
- Step 3 – measure & cut lattice
- Step 4 – attach edging
- Step 5 – attach handles
- Step 6 – attach hinges
- Step 7- attach lattice to deck
- Supplied Used
- Instructions
- Interior pics
- View from the pool
- Old view
- New view
- Before, During, After
- For your convenience
- Want more project ideas?
How to hide the wood storage area
Even though I decided to immediately do something to hide the scrap wood, I didn’t immediately do it as summer was coming to a close and winter was on its way. What I did do was spend time researching options and reviewing installation videos.
By the time spring rolled around, I had decided to install vinyl lattice. At first, I thought I’d use white but when I saw the brown, I changed my mind. Brown would go well with the color of the deck railing and sorta hide any dirt that might get kicked up when the grass is being watered. I also decided to go with the vinyl option that has the smaller holes.
Step 1 – prep area & measure
Before the installation began, I cleaned up the area by removing the grass under the deck. I then organized the wood by size and type so I knew what I had and where it was.
I measured the space between the deck posts and the height from the bottom of the deck to the ground. Once I had my measurements, I knew how much material to buy.
Step 2 – buy supplies
As I mentioned, I decided to use vinyl lattice. I chose vinyl for its durability in the weather. If you’ve been around here for a hot minute, you know that I spend time every spring repairing and fixing the wood items we have outside. I didn’t want to add to that project list, so vinyl made the most sense.
When I have worked with vinyl lattice in the past, I’ve attached 1″ x 2″ boards along the edges so they weren’t so floppy. While researching vinyl lattice, I found that they make an edging to use on lattice. Wow! That would be so much easier and way faster than cutting, sanding, painting or staining, then attaching the wood pieces to the lattice! With the pre-made edging, it would just require cutting & attaching.
The pic shows both the edging and connector pieces. I’ll be talking about how I used the connector a bit later. I ordered both types trim online and was very pleased when they arrived to see how thick and sturdy they were.
Step 3 – measure & cut lattice
Now that I had my supplies, it was time to cut the lattice. I measured the space between the first set of posts again, just to make sure I had it right. *For the two sheets that I would use to access the wood, I allowed for clearing the grass when lifting the sheets.
I then used a measuring tape and pen to mark where I needed to make my cuts. The lattice is 4′ x 8′ so I needed to make two cuts, one for the height and the other for the width.
The last time I cut lattice, I used my jigsaw. While it worked, it was a bit messy. This time, I decided to use my skill saw. I found that using the skill saw was both faster and smoother.
Step 4 – attach edging
The next step is to cut and attach the edging to the sheet of lattice. It is personal preference whether you miter the edges or leave them squared. I chose to miter the edges. I started by measuring the length of the long sides then used my miter saw to cut the two pieces.
I attached the pieces to the lattice with staples using my brad gun. I repeated the process with the short sides. Three of the sheets were made this way.
After cutting the lattice for the first 3 sheets, I had enough pieces of lattice to make the 4th one. Remember the connector piece? I used it to connect three small pieces of lattice to create the size I needed for the last sheet of lattice.
After cutting the 3 pieces to equal the width needed for a full sheet, I cut two pieces of connector the length of the lattice and then slid the lattice pieces into place. I then stapled the connector to the lattice. Once the three pieces became one sheet of lattice, I cut and attached the edging using the same process as I did with the full sheets of lattice.
Step 5 – attach handles
To make it easy to lift the two sheets of lattice that will be hinged, I attached handles in the center of the sheet about a foot from the bottom. Before I attached the handle on the full sheet, I attached a piece of the edging on the back side of the sheet down the center. The attached piece runs the length of the sheet between the edges. I did that to provide some stability when using the handle. Since the 2nd sheet has the connector pieces, it is sturdier, so I just used a short piece of edging behind the handle.
To keep the two pieces of hinged lattice from flapping in the wind, I use small wooden stakes. These are easy to remove and replace when accessing the stored wood and sawhorses.
Step 6 – attach hinges
I attached hinges to the two lattice sheets that I planned to use to access the wood. The other two sheets are stationary. I decided to use 3 hinges per sheet and pre-drilled the holes before installing the screws.
* After hanging the first sheet, I decided to paint the hinges black. While I could have painted them in place by taping off the area, I found it easier to remove them, one at a time, to spray them.
Step 7- attach lattice to deck
As I mentioned, I only attached hinges to 2 of the lattice sheets. Those give me easy access to all the wood and the sawhorses. The second 2 sheets of lattice are stationary. To attach the stationary ones, I first attached a board to the underside of the deck. Then I predrilled holes in the top edge piece and attached the edging to the piece of wood using screws.
The hinged sheets were attached directly to the 2″ x 6″ beams under the deck. I set each sheet between the posts under the deck, on top of a piece of wood so the hinges were close to the beam. I then pre-drilled holes and attached the hinges using screws.
After hanging the last piece of lattice, I raised it to make sure the hinges worked. It was then that I noticed it was too close to another deck post and wouldn’t raise completely. I didn’t want to take the sheet down, so hubby held it at the bottom while I used my skill saw to trim the corner. Once it was trimmed enough to clear the post, I cut and attached an edging piece.
Supplied Used
- Three 4′ x 8′ sheets of lattice
- 1 lattice connector
- Small pieces of wood for stops
- 6 wood stakes
- 1″ x 4″ board
- Flat black spray paint
- 2 cabinet handles
- 6 hinges
- Brass screws
- Drill
- Skill saw
- Miter saw
- Nail/brad gun
- Air compressor
- Kneeling pad
Instructions
- Measure space for length and width
- Mark lattice for cutting
- Using a skill saw, cut along the marked lines
- Measure length of the long edges and cut edging with a miter saw
- Measure length of the short edges and cut edging with a miter saw
- Attach edging to the lattice using a brad gun
- Attach hinges to the edging along the top edge of the lattice sheet
- Attach a handle to the front of the lattice sheet
- Take sheet to deck area, set in place and attach hinges to the deck
- To make the ‘stops’, cut a piece of 1″ x 2″ wood approximately 4″ long
- Attach stops to the inside of the posts on either side of the lattice sheet
Interior pics
Adding the lattice has made it cooler under the deck, which is a nice bonus.
View from the pool
Old view
New view
Before, During, After
Boy does this look good! I cannot believe that I spent years looking at the mess under the deck when installing the lattice was so easy to do!
For your convenience
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2 Comments
Carol
I love this project! The finished project is amazing.
Jeanne
Thanks! It really cleans up the look of the area.