# "boarding up" home when SHTF



## trips-man

Was looking at plywood and wondering if it would be worth "boarding up" my home when SHTF. Sounds like a dumb question, but I have a tone of windows in my house and it doesn't look like it would be that cheap.


----------



## dsdmmat

I have a theory on that one; never barricade yourself in something that can be burned down around you. 

I would only board up the entry points that are not needed for escape or observation. If you only have one window that looks north it would be foolish to board it up. If you have 7 then it would make sense to board up a few of them.


----------



## Alpha-17

Boarding up a majority of windows makes sense, just remember that both plywood and modern dry walls offer little in the form of protection. They might not be able to see in, but chances are, they could still get you.


----------



## Prepared One

I will board only those points I want to control and can't keep a ready eye on. I want observation points, escape, and firing positions. Boarding windows won't stop bullets but can control entry points. I want to limit and direct their possible point of entry.


----------



## paraquack

Boarding up the house could be a big sign to say, "I've got something in here I am 
protecting." Just a thought, what if you paint the plywood dark gray and put on 
the inside of the house. In theory, you could remove the panel from inside the 
house if needed and the right color (maybe dark gray) wouldn't make the panel 
so visible due to reflections on the window.


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

trips-man said:


> Was looking at plywood and wondering if it would be worth "boarding up" my home when SHTF. Sounds like a dumb question, but I have a tone of windows in my house and it doesn't look like it would be that cheap.


One thing to seriously consider is "where do you live?"

If you live anywhere that gets hot in the summer, a boarded up house will be entirely unlivable. Just something to consider.


----------



## Disturbed12404

Is your home a multi floor? 

If so I would say its safe to board up the bottom floor with 3/4" plywood If you want to spend the money. 

You might want to consider an exit point from the second floor. something inconspicuous that you know your family and you can climb down but cant be scaled upwards. Or worst case they could climb but you'd have a man made killzone.


----------



## Illini Warrior

absolutely .... especially the lower ones .... it's not only to stop entry but keep the more likely zippo job from happening .... you stand a chance with fighting a fire isolated to the outside walls - it's a real battle when the interior room or two goes .... cut in some firing loopholes with locking covers ..... best design is using across braces on the inside and threaded rod bolting to hold the boardup material - no chance of anyone prying the boardup off .... second story can be screened over to stop anything flaming from being tossed up - allows observation and firing ....

unless you're battling determined raiders - and not the more likely looter/arsonist/thug .... he'll be more likely to pass by a hard nut vs 1000's of open door specials waiting for the plucking .... remember - you're dealing with the super lazy, cowards and stupid as sin - raised that way and lived their entire life on the gooberment dole - don't make it eazy for him ....


----------



## Slippy

Boarding up your windows is smart prior to a hurricane or a storm that might send debris flying through your windows.

Boarding up your windows may keep the unarmed, desperate, malnutritioned zombie out of your windows but it ain't stopping a determined group of people or a person with tools or weapons. But it may delay them long enough for you to send some well placed rounds through their eyeballs.

Trips-Man,

I don't know how familiar you are with firearms/firepower but here is a picture of the BACKSIDE of the backstop of my range built out of 7"x9" RailRoad Crossties that are HEAVY! (Behind the backstop I have a large pile of dirt, safety first you know)

View attachment 11316

View attachment 11317


The common residential wall system of Siding or brick, Sheathing, Insulation, Studs, Wallboard will not stop a .22 round (unless you hit the stud) let alone a more powerful round, which will shatter the stud and keep going. So slapping some plywood up on your windows and thinking that a well armed bad guy won't get in is not realistic.


----------



## CWOLDOJAX

Reading the OP, it really depends on the type of SHTF. 
In FL, boarded windows/doors are common when hurricanes approach. Additionally, boarded windows are like a padlock, they simply keep an honest man honest. After the storm passes and the bad guys swarm like skeeters they will want the low-hanging fruit - easier homes to break into, the boards are cumbersome. As time passes, they can get more aggressive... thinking of Baltimore-style SHTF now.

For protection against an attacking gang or marauders I like stacking sand bags a few feet back from the door or at the tops of stairs.

If you can, walk around your house from 25-50 yards and think about its strengths/weaknesses before you lock yourself down in your own coffin. Think about this - if someone can take your property from you, you can also take it from them. It may be wise to evade - let them take it - and attack your own home to reclaim it.


----------



## paraquack

Can't argue with you Slippy. For me, I look at it as a way to help my house looks 
unoccupied. That's why I wonder about the idea of the dark paint and plywood on 
the inside. If it looks like looting starts, I'd take a bunch of stuff and scatter it 
across the front yard to make it look as if I'd already been looted. If my neighbors 
are still around, I'd ask them to do the same or "help" them out by doing it for them. 
Secondary would be the idea of the false signs at major intersections near me,
directing people away from my neighborhood to a fictitious place a few miles away
where food, etc. is available. I also hope that being "uphill" may dissuade people 
from coming up here.


----------



## sideKahr

I keep plywood and screws in the garage in case I need it for the windows. I haven't decided whether or not I'll put it up. It will depend on the situation.


----------



## trips-man

I always agreed that anything thicker than plywood is better (especially for human entry and bullets). I just have to consider cost.


----------



## Prepared One

My plan is to put them up at strategic locations on the inside. Never thought about painting them but it's a good idea. I don't want to give the appearance I am trying to hide something but I want to be able to control entry points. Will it stop a determined foe. No. but it will slow them and possably direct them to an I entrance I am covering and give me some time to react. I have no allusions that it will stop bullets that's for sure.


----------



## CWOLDOJAX

paraquack said:


> Can't argue with you Slippy. For me, I look at it as a way to help my house looks
> unoccupied. That's why I wonder about the idea of the dark paint and plywood on
> the inside. If it looks like looting starts, I'd take a bunch of stuff and scatter it
> across the front yard to make it look as if I'd already been looted. If my neighbors
> are still around, I'd ask them to do the same or "help" them out by doing it for them.
> Secondary would be the idea of the false signs at major intersections near me,
> directing people away from my neighborhood to a fictitious place a few miles away
> where food, etc. is available. I also hope that being "uphill" may dissuade people
> from coming up here.


I like the idea.
Caveat here. A former Coast Guard Radioman taught me programming and used to say "Obscurity is not security" to which I replied then I get you while you're distracted.


----------



## Hemi45

One of the benefits of living in hurricane alley is having impact glass and accordion shutters already in place.


----------



## shooter

I am always debating with myself if I would want to board up my house. I have a fair number of large windows so that's easy access. However most of them can't be seen from the street. What I have set up and ready to go; are some 4x8 flooring that I can screw or nail up to cover the bottom 1/2 or 2/3rds of the windows to make it hard to see in and discourage the random person from trying to enter. This way I still get some light in the house. Will it stop a bullet no, but then again the armed people might move on looking for an easier house to enter. after all if you are looking for resources are you going to go for the ones that might put up a fight which could wound or kill you or would you prefer the easy to get stuff, if you are having to find the stuff you need to survive. 

Would I put them up, I am not 100% sure, it would depend on what is going on and what type of event it is.


----------



## mcangus

I say No. It would draw far too much attention. Imagine you are walking down your street post SHTF. Every house is about the same except one house that has its windows boarded up. What would you think of that?

For sure having some plywood and screws ready is not a bad idea. Could come in handy I suppose, but I wouldn't default to the board up windows strategy. If it makes sense do it, but I just don't see when that would be worth it, Please not I am considering only the real bad SHTF situations. I am not talking about hurricanes.


----------



## Spice

Being ready to close up some windows is a great idea. We had part of a tree try and sit in our living room last summer, for example; if the angle had been a little sharper we'd have needed to board up until the contractor could arrive.

I can't see (sic) doing large-scale boarding up though ... sitting in a dark, airless hole is not would erode my soul pretty quickly. (Of course, this may be an easier position living in a place that's not much of a looting risk.)


----------



## Kauboy

I would fall on the side that disagrees with this approach.

I don't want people on my property, right?
I don't want to draw any attention, right?
I will do to my property what I see being done to others.
If people are boarding up windows and doors, I don't want to stand out, and I'll do the same.
If people are being raided, and their belongings looted, I'll provide all non-essential items in a scattered mess on the front lawn.(already looted camouflage)
I want to appear as any normal house, whatever normal will be at that time.
From the outside, I don't want anything at all to trigger human curiosity.


----------



## Illini Warrior

mcangus said:


> I say No. It would draw far too much attention. Imagine you are walking down your street post SHTF. Every house is about the same except one house that has its windows boarded up. What would you think of that?
> 
> For sure having some plywood and screws ready is not a bad idea. Could come in handy I suppose, but I wouldn't default to the board up windows strategy. If it makes sense do it, but I just don't see when that would be worth it, Please not I am considering only the real bad SHTF situations. I am not talking about hurricanes.


yeh, it would be much better to stay living in an wide open house .... much eazier for someone to shoot you in the back thru a window ...


----------



## kevincali

I think it depends on the surroundings/weather conditions. If weather conditions permit it, and others are boarded up, I would board up too. 

If not, I would maintain OpSec. No bright lights on at night, not a lot of movement during the day, avoid windows as much as possible. Make the place look ransacked already. Hell, it's not even SHTF and my house looks ransacked. I'm good to go!

Most important, is be the "gray house". Just like the gray man. Blend in. Don't stick out. Appear to be distressed just like everyone else. 

But if it comes down to personal/family safety, all bets are off!


----------



## 1skrewsloose

I live in a town of 1500. If I/We don't have our town secure, its our bad. Don't plan on letting folks willy nilly walk our hood unless I know them. Have enough of those street people now.


----------



## Camel923

Having plywood on hand is a great prep. It has uses beyond potentially closing windows.


----------



## Prepadoodle

I don't think painted plywood, applied to the inside, would be that noticeable, especially if you leave your curtains and/or mini blinds in place. If I was gonna do this, I would just put the wood up over everything that's already there.

Boarded up windows aren't an insurmountable obstacle, but might slow entry, giving those inside time to respond.

You might also consider the safety films by 3M and others. These aren't cheap, but they can be hard to get through (if your frames are strong) and have the additional benefit of being virtually invisible. 3M Safety Films

Finally, you wouldn't have to completely board up the whole window. Covering the bottom half or 2/3 of the window would probably be enough to slow someone down, and do so while still allowing some light and air flow through the opening.


----------



## Tennessee

I think boarding up your windows is not a good ideal. Most outside walls will not stop bullets and adding plywood will not help. Modern homes are not built with protected shooting spots. And if you try protecting your home by shooting out the window. Then I think your dead. I would spend the money on sand bags. You can build a shooting spot under the window using sandbags and sandbags will stop bullets. If you keep the bags below the window no one on the outside will be able to tell the difference between your home and your neighbors and might pass you buy. Unless your neighbor has their windows boarded up.


----------



## paraquack

Wonder if I have time to plant a bunch of cacti outside all the windows to act as a deterrent.


----------



## PaulS

paraquack said:


> Wonder if I have time to plant a bunch of cacti outside all the windows to act as a deterrent.


Roses grow faster and add to your property value.


----------



## Slippy

I've got some 5/4 decking with nails driven through the decking and placed at strategic places under mulch where criminals might want to gain entrance in order to commit nefarious acts. So far no takers.


----------



## PaulS

Slippy! We ARE on the same team! With some good work gloves brush those nails with stinging nettles... that will help them remember the house to avoid.


----------



## James m

Partially disguised roofing nails in a driveway, or even thrown. Put the nail through the tar so its set up for a tire. Make sure roofing nail is long enough to puncture the tire. Roofing seems better because of the wide head.


----------



## PaulS

I'd forget they were there and drive my car right through them - all four tires flat... Then I would cuss myself the whole time I was fixing the flats and I would put the tires back on, still cussing myself and drive it back into the garage... yep! four flat tires... again! 

I'd be better off burying a five pound tin of FFFH black powder with an "on demand" igniter in my den. Maybe a 55 gallon barrel of fertilizer and diesel would be better - no, it would be too close to my garage and total it and the cars parked in it.


----------



## jimb1972

I have seen on tv a piece of 3/4" plywood covered in kevlar impregnated bed liner material (roll on) stop a 12ga slug. Have not looked into it myself because of the expense. I have looked into the window film and will begin applying it shortly as I replace my windows, it is available on amazon and not prohibitively expensive.


----------



## Medic33

I think just a black out job would be enough borded up someone might just think abandoned.


----------



## Medic33

as for a vehicle a couple of OO buck loads through the front windshield should do it


----------



## GTGallop

I always used these when boarding up for a Hurricane.
https://www.plylox.com/

They go on easy and don't require you to mar up the surface of your house. Mine went through SEVERAL storms and made it just fine.

I would recommend painting the wood with a good penetrating oil based paint. I found that in storms the wind blew so hard that it really pushed the water into the plywood. The only one that ever failed me was because the wood got wet and warped. That's when I started painting mine and then covering them with a crystal clear sealer too.

I started with just pure white but then I measured the window frames that held all of the glass in and painted the wood to be a faux finish or replica of what my windows looked like with the blinds closed, window panes and all. If you walked up to the house and stared at the window it looked obvious, but if you were driving down the street, you wouldn't notice from the car - especially if it was moving. Smartest thing I ever did.

If you want, you could cut a "window pane" out near the bottom. That way you could still see out if you needed to and you could open the interior window and get some flow through.

Another thing I've done.
Rmax R-Matte Plus-3 - 3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. R-5 Polyiso Rigid Foam Insulation Board-W-N5075X - The Home Depot

This is a sheet of 1" thick insulation that is sheathed on each side by aluminum foil. You can cut it to fit (snugly) inside your windows to block out sun and heat. In Phoenix we have building codes that mandate a certain amount of windows per room size to allow for energy efficient natural lighting. Problem was - those codes were written in the 70's when light bulbs were incandescant. Now with LED's the light is cheap but the air conditioning is expensive. So windows that we don't use get this put up and it seals the heat and light out.

Just use a utility knife to score and snap the material like dry wall.

I've never used plywood on the outside AND the R-Max on the inside at the same time. But I would imagine that you could pretty much do both and convert a window into almost as good as a solid wall with out any permanent modifications.


----------



## alterego

At work we buy osb to temporarily protect the roof of buildings we are working on. When we are done with it I sometimes get it. I have about 30 full 4 x 8 sheets in my pole barn. It will be good for conseilment if need be.


----------



## Disturbed12404

Aye, The plywood would stick out big time. 

But imagine that its early in a WROL, a few weeks perhaps

The lazy looters bypassed your house after their first man caught a round to the abdomen trying to get through your plywood barrier. They moved on to the houses that look abandoned. Rather then your small fortress. 

8 months later....

The lazy looters are all mostly dead, what is left are the locusts. Town-to-town, door-to-door bandito's. Plywood or not they'll end up at your door and windows, and they're coming through. 

They can't see where you are in the house, so sure they might send a few rounds through the walls. But you know their exact point of entries. send a few roads through the plywood at a time, switch positions, repeat. Or GTFO of the house as soon as you see them coming down the road. JM2C, I like the idea


----------



## Karate Kid

Nobody said anything about barbed-wire on the other side of the miniblinds and I say that half jokingly and as a secondary defense a nice overhead guillotine blade attached to a trip wire for those who might get through. Hmm, not sure I'm joking about that one. :friendly_wink:

I second the 3m safety film idea for two reasons, obviously the safety and then if someone did take a shot or two or even a brick the window, and then if still living to tell about it, just a bit of tape to cover some holes to help protect from the cold outside.

I also plan to as soon as I get to the hardware store, to pick up some door braces for a 2x4's to put on the inside of the external doors. I figure two of those would slow someone down.


----------



## alterego

Make sure to cut a cross in the windows so your rifle barrel can aim up and down and right and left. Like in the movie the outlaw Josie Wales


----------

