Homeowners always find the idea of a beautiful environment in their apartment appealing. People go the extra mile to invest in amazing outdoor designs. However, once in a while, we prefer to enjoy the beauty of our outdoor environment in perfect serenity and privacy. This is where an outdoor privacy screen comes in. Outdoor privacy screens are modern, sophisticated ways to stay outdoors without the intruding eyes of the next-house neighbors or those passing by. The good thing about outdoor privacy screens is that you don’t have to spend so much money on getting a factory-made privacy screen setup. You could as well take your time to plan and DIY one to suit your taste, style and preferences.
Not sure how to go about it? No worries! In this article, you will discover how to DIY or build a cheap outdoor privacy screen as well as top DIY outdoor privacy screen ideas, including DIY patio privacy screen ideas, DIY balcony privacy screen ideas, patio room dividers, and so on. Let’s get started!
[toc]1. Planter with a Privacy Screen
This is a perfect way of combining a balcony privacy screen with your planter. The planter box is built to provide a shade area on your balcony that gives you comfort and a little privacy. This affords you the privilege of lounging on your balcony receiving fresh air while reading a book and at the same time enjoy the beautiful scenery of the environment. The planters add a special touch of nature to the privacy screen. To make the planter box for this design, you could use a slatted wood or cedar wood. The cedar wood is a great choice because it can sustain weather, lasts long, and looks beautiful.
First off, measure the size of the space available on your balcony or porch. Then cut boards of wood and make a planter box. Drill holes in its bottom. Cut two slats of wood, and attach them to the two sides of the box, a little away from the corners. Measure the width of the planter box. Cut wood slates according to the width and height dimensions of the box. Make sure to cover the two supporting slats completely. Start fixing the horizontal slats on the vertical supporting slats. Keep all the slats about an inch apart from each other. After this, apply stain to the planter box privacy screen. Plant the flowers in the planter box. You can also hang small flower pots from the slats using hooks or wire.
Here is a tutorial to build a privacy screen for your deck
2. Recycled Door Privacy Screen
Got a couple of old doors you want to replace in your apartment? Don’t toss them away or burn them! You could recycle them to make an outdoor privacy screen for yourself. About five or more doors will do, depending on the size of the outdoor privacy screen you wish to build. You don’t have to choose identical doors but make sure the doors are of a similar size. Sand the doors to remove any deposits of dust. Strip off the paint. Repaint the doors. Choose a distinct paint color for each recycled door. This way, the privacy screen will look fun. Fix door handles on all the doors and use hinges to hold the doors together. Your privacy screen is ready! Make sure to cover the screen in some plastic sheet when it rains. The recycled door privacy screen will always also work as a backdrop for your patio or garden couch.
3. DIY PVC Pipe Privacy Screen
PVC pipe is a low-cost material. So, if you have to work on an extensive screen project, PVC is an ideal choice. First, build a frame from PVC pipe for the screen. Then, start slicing PVC pipes in two to three sizes. The slices should match the thickness of the frame. Once you have cut enough slices, put the frame on an insulation foam. Start arranging the pieces like a puzzle. But this is the puzzle with no picture and a ton of creativity. So keep arranging the slices. If, at some point, you find a gap that is too large, fill it with a smaller slice. This process can be a little tedious but the result is worth the meticulous work involved. Start gluing the PVC rings one by one. You have to use a construction adhesive for this purpose. Make sure no glue goes to the insulation foam on which you have put all the pieces. Once the glue is dry and firm, your screen is ready. You can make as many screens as you need. Join the smaller screens together. It is advisable to support the PVC pipes screen with panels, so they don’t wobble or get blown off by wind or heavy rain.
4. Chevron Outdoor Privacy Wall
If you’d like to be a little creative, the V-shaped chevron outdoor privacy wall is an excellent idea. It is easy to build and very inexpensive. All you need are your wood, stain and nails!
Select the wood type of your choice but ensure to get a weather-resistant wood. Make a frame and cut more wood slats according to the frame width. Start fixing the slats on the frame in V shapes. Keep making the screen by using nails. Once you have finished the screen, stain it. This screen will add privacy as well as pattern to your patio. You can paint the chevron pattern in different colors too. You can also use a blend of different varnishes. There are now many colors of wood sealers available.
5. Pergola-Like Privacy Screen
This is a little more sophisticated outdoor privacy screen than the ones previously discussed. You would require PVC pipes, wooden or metal posts, optional curtain rods, etc. After determining the width of the privacy screen you need, use wooden posts and PVC pipes to build a frame. Here three posts are used. You can also use curtain rods. Both will work great. The benefit of using a curtain rod is it will have the necessary hardware. You can take off the curtains easily this way. In the case of a PVC pipe, you will have to make grooves for the PVC pipe rods. Top the wooden posts with toppers. Apply stain. Make curtains with a drop cloth. Your screen is ready. All the materials used are budget-friendly. This curtain privacy screen will give indoor feels to your patio. Roll out a rug and put furniture. Sit for as long as you want.
Here is a tutorial to make patio drop cloth curtains
6. Bamboo Privacy Screen
Most homeowners love bamboos because they give a natural aura to the home environment. The bamboo privacy screen is easy to build and cheap because bamboos are quite easy to procure. To make this, you will need large plant pots. Any type of planter pots will work. Fill each with soil with a PVC pipe in the center. Make a screen with bamboos, shower curtains, and zip ties. Put the bamboos in the PVC pipe holes in each planter. Snip the extra part of the zip ties. Plant flowers in the planters.
You can make changes to the plants according to the changing seasons. These pots can also become a kitchen garden. In place of shower curtains, you can also use a drop cloth. Landscape greenhouse fabric will work great as well. But, if you plan to stick to the shower curtains, be creative and choose a fun print. For example, here, curtains with a coral print and tassels add cheer to this patio.
7. Stand-Alone Wall Vertical Garden Privacy Screen
If you’d love to take your outdoor privacy screen a notch higher than the regular patterns, this is the screen for you. The standalone wall vertical garden is literally a standing garden. It allows you the privilege of designing the wall to by you taste yet it doesn’t require much efforts or resources to do. All you need are your cedar posts, spikes, wire netting and of course nails.
Hammer the cedar posts to the ground but be careful not to damage any pipes or wiring running underground. Put two cedar posts inside the spikes frames. Install a pergola frame on top of the cedar posts. This will create an arbor. Cut hexagonal metal wire netting according to the size of the arbor frame. Fix the wire mesh on the arbor with nails. Take small terracotta pots of herbs. Loop metal wire around each herb planter. Fasten the herb planters to the screen with the free ends of metal wire. This screen will add life to your patio. And the view will be a sight to behold on a sunny morning. Get a small watering can to water these planter pots. Since the screen is a mesh, your herbs will receive ample sunlight to grow.
8. Decorative Outdoor Privacy Screen
The decorative outdoor privacy screen is essentially for lovers of decoration. You can infuse your decorative styles into this DIY privacy screen. Install two wood posts in the ground. Keep them apart according to the width of the screen you want. Then build a wooden frame according to the width required. Build a second frame which will hold the decorative panels. Measure the combined size of the decorative panels and build the second frame accordingly. Fix the panels on the frame. Mount the first bigger frame on the two wooden posts. Fix the frame with the decorative screen on the first frame. Voila! A privacy screen like this will look as if you have bought it from a store. It will cost you far less than those fancy laser cut panels.
9. Green Privacy Wall
You are not so good with tools? You could go all natural with your DIY green privacy screen. An easy way to make a privacy wall without the involvement of power tools is by using large plants. Instead of getting a lot of small plant pots, go big. Get some plants that grow into oversized giants. They will not only look beautiful but will create a perfect shade from neighbors peeking. This idea sounds interesting, but there are some points you have to keep in mind. Firstly, educate yourself about the kind of plant you are buying. Make sure to choose pet-friendly and kid-friendly plants. Secondly, get proper knowledge on how to keep the plants alive. Do they need fertilizer more frequent? How much sunlight will be too little or too much for them? Which insecticide will keep the bugs away from feasting on the leaves? Make a list of all the questions. And get them answered by the nursery.
10. Canopy Style Privacy Screen
If you want a getaway in your garden away from the eyes of neighbors, then here is an idea. Instead of building a flat privacy screen, you can make a cabana. Build a lumber framework for the canopy. The top part of the wood frame will have extra slats of wood. Attach decorative metal brackets to the corners of the canopy frame. Apply stain to the wood. Layer outdoor fabric over the canopy frame. Fasten the outdoor fabric at the base of the posts with fabric ties. You can choose cotton fabric for this privacy screen area but outdoor fabric resistant to damage is an ideal choice. You will need to invest just once. The regular cotton fabric might get damaged. So, this will cause repeated expenses. However, if you don’t mind the expenditure, you have for yourself a comfy place to relax right outside your house.
11. DIY Bamboo Privacy Screens
If you’re in love with the bamboo plant, you could use the leaves made from it to design a perfect DIY outdoor privacy screen for your home. This design is different from the bamboo idea discussed above.
The DIY bamboo railing idea is ideal for those porches who already have a railing. The balustrade is supported usually on a wood frame. This will give you a place to install bamboo screens. Measure the height between the rail and upper wood frame. Cut strips of wood according to that. Fix the bamboo screens on the wood strips. Make as many screens as you need. Then install the framed bamboo screens on the railing with L metal brackets.
Just in case you don’t have a balustrade, you can fix the bamboo screens on wooden posts hammered in the ground. You can also hang the bamboo privacy screens with metal chains. You don’t have to cover the whole patio with the bamboo screens. Give some gaps between the bamboo panels. And put your furniture right in front of the privacy screens.
12. Wine Bottle Privacy Screens
The DIY wine bottle outdoor privacy screen idea is a perfect way to reuse your old wine bottles. There are two ways to do this: the first method is to stack the wine bottles in a wooden frame. Use a construction adhesive to keep all the bottles in their place. As an alternative, you can drill holes in the bottom of the wine bottles and pass them through rebars to make posts. Fix these bars in a wooden frame. Both ways, you will get a beautiful screen. If you use different colors of wine bottles, they will become beautiful artworks and will reflect light both night and day. At night, you can add fairy lights to spice things up. The wine bottle outdoor privacy screen will cost you very little money but will give you a stunning result. So, start collecting and storing wine bottles from now onwards.
13. Rain Gutter Vertical Garden Screen
In our opinion, a privacy screen with a garden is perfect for outdoor privacy. So, here is another idea. Get the required hardware, and hang rain gutter planters. As the herbs will grow, they will add privacy to your porch. You can put as many rain gutters as you like. Even with a lot of rain gutter planters, you will still have enough sunlight reaching your patio. Keep in mind, to drill holes in the rain gutters. Any logged water will ruin your plants. So, take your time for this effort. You can also plant flowers in this privacy screen. Keep changing things a bit for a fresh look every season.
14. Small Lattice Outdoor Privacy Screens
Small lattices are beautiful for any garden atmosphere. Some of the materials you would need for this DIY privacy screen project include lattice panels, paint, screws, wooden frame posts, chains and hooks.
First off, install your frame posts a few feet apart. Drill holes on the frames and attach the chains and hooks to suspend the lattice panels to the posts on both ends. It is recommendable to drill as many holes as possible so you could alter the height of the lattice panels or increase the number of panels later on. You could use the lattice privacy idea both on your patio and your deck.
15. Awning for Your Patio
Awnings are age-long exterior design items but you could take it a notch higher and make it your home outside your house. You would need a canopy or any other material of your choice. However, ensure that the selected material is strong enough to withstand odd weather conditions. Other materials include flower pots, metal or wooden posts, etc.
16. DIY Aluminum Outdoor Privacy Screen
For lovers of aluminum and metal, nothing beats the aluminum screen in the home exterior. A thin aluminum screen does a good job of providing privacy for your home environs and it also gives off fair heat during a cold weather. Beyond these, the aluminum screen is a beauty especially when designed and erected with stained wood. All you need are the wood and your aluminum as well as nails. Mount the wooden posts at opposite ends and create vertical beams across them. The vertical beams will serve as support for the aluminum.
17. DIY Fabric Porch Outdoor Privacy Screen
The fabric porch outdoor privacy idea is suitable for all parts of the exterior, especially the deck area and the patio. It involves using fabric hung high on a screen. Materials needed include fabric, equipment for stitching, some wood as well as screws. The fabric porch could be a pretty awesome idea for comfort on a hot sunny day.
18. Artificial Hedge Outdoor Privacy Screen
If you can’t go natural, you can at least simulate it using the artificial hedge. Using the DIY artificial hedge outdoor privacy screen removes the stress and efforts of having to maintain the natural plants used in the rain gutter and green garden wall ideas. To set this idea, all you have to do is purchase the artificial hedge from nearby stores and spring them up. There are several hedge patterns available for your selection, but the wood box design is the most common. You can spice things up a bit by adding flowers to the hedge.
DIY Outdoor Privacy Screen FAQs
1. How do I build a cheap outdoor privacy screen?
Building a cheap outdoor privacy screen could be a good way to try your hands on DIY projects. Since there are different privacy screen designs out there, there are also diverse peculiar ways to build each of them. However, these are some of the general steps involved:
Determine the Plan of Your Privacy Screen
The decisions to make at this point includes the specific DIY outdoor privacy screen idea you want to adopt, the size, dimensions, choice of materials to use, etc.
Gather Your Materials and Tools
Again, the kinds of materials you need depend on the design you want to DIY. Notwithstanding, some of the general materials and tools are:
- Wooden or metal posts
- Screws
- Drills and nails
- Cement mix
- Sand
- Water
- Plants or flowers
- Planters
- Measurement Tape
- A string
- Hole digger
- Shovel
- Hand trowel
- Electric Drill
- Hammer
- Jigsaw, etc.
Measure the Dimensions
You should make sure to measure the areas where you want to insert your posts and how wide apart they will be.
Insert Your Posts where Necessary
After measurement, dig a hole at the measured points, and pour in mixed cement and gravel. Insert the poles into the mixture and leave to sediment. This will make the base of the poles firm.
Attach Privacy Screen Materials
Once the poles are set, the other privacy screen materials are ready to go on the setup. If you want to attach nettings, wire meshes or frames, this is the point to do so.
Add Finishing Touches
Go creative at this point. If you have any specific item of interest such as a family photo, decorative items and so on, this is the point to add them to your privacy screen. Personalize your outdoor environment to your taste.
2. How do you make an easy patio privacy screen?
Building a patio privacy screen could he extremely easy even if you’re a beginner. Although there are very many different patio privacy designs, the steps are pretty much the same as building every other outdoor privacy screen. Refer to the step-by-step guide provided above to build an easy patio privacy screen.
3. What plants make the best privacy screens?
You can never get it wrong with using plants as privacy screens. This is because they perform the multiple functions of keeping noises away, keeping the neighbors at bay, beautifying the environment and giving you a fresh home atmosphere, among other reasons. Here are some of the best plants to use in your next DIY outdoor privacy screen projects:
- Evergreen plant
- Hedge plant
- Bamboo tree
- Arborvitae plant
- Ornamental grasses
- Boxwood
- Euonymus
- Chocolate vine, etc.
Literally, there is no end to what beauty you can make of your home with outdoor privacy screens and the ideas are endless. More so, having an outdoor privacy screen setup in your home combines to give you a serene and beautiful landscape for you to enjoy without noises or stares from your neighbors.
These DIY backyard privacy screen ideas are good to build an arena where you can meditate, collect your thoughts, think through key decisions of your life, among many other benefits. Ensure to build one that connects to you personally connect with and agrees well with your personality and tastes. You will find some of the top 18 DIY outdoor privacy plans discussed here helpful.
In addition to these, you could choose to use old shutters to create a statement fence, hang some curtains around the porch or use some gorgeous hanging vines. You could also use some outdoor room dividers, make a movable wattle privacy screen, install thick mesh fabric on a wooden frame create a DIY balcony privacy screen or hang a magical ribbon right in your patio or your deck. The choice is all yours to make! The best part is that you can always spice things up as you like. Allow your creativity flow, and you will be amazed at what you can make of these DIY outdoor privacy screen ideas.
