Bifold indoor window shutters

I've been scouring the internet trying to come up with some window treatments for my kitchen. Should I do the white wooden 2" blinds like the rest of the house or go with curtains? The more I looked the more frustrated I became because I couldn't find anything that was perfect (hard to find that when you aren't exactly sure what you are looking for).

Then I stumbled on a post from Pinterest, and finally found something I would be happy with. This idea came from a blog called Homespot. So I'm using that as my inspiration for window treatments above my kitchen sink. After measuring the window and going off her deductions to account for the hinges, I'm feeling pretty confident that these will fit just so.

Plan is to stain these the same color as my hardwood floor. I was really considering painting them the same white color used on my window trim, but after the cabinets are painted....having them stained instead may break up the room a bit better. So here's the plan after making some careful calculations.

Supplies List:

1"x4"x8' Whiteboard at Lowe's @ $1.92/ea (Need 2 of these)
1"x6"x8' Whiteboard at Lowe's @ $3.92/ea (I will need 6 of these)
Hinges at Lowes's @ $1.97/ea (I will need 8 of these, came in packs of 2 so I ended up getting 4 packages)
2 knobs at Lowe's @ $2.77/ea
Copper Spraypaint at Lowe's @ $5.88
Minwax Early Americana Stain (already had on hand)
Polycrylic top coat (already had on hand)

The blog I was looking off of only spent $10. I wish I could say the same, even though my cost is higher it still is a relatively cheap project when you see the end result. So all in all I spent around $45.

So here's my doodle AKA the plans:

If I calculated correctly, which past experience tells me the odds are not in my favor, each board (there will be 12 all together) will need to be cut to 36 3/4" x 4 7/16" (LxW). I'm using the 1x6" boards for this.

I will need to make 3 of these for each panel. There were be 4 panels all together, 2 for the left window and 2 for the right. With me so far?

I will also need to cut braces to hold each panel together, for the braces I am using the 1x4" whitewood. I need to make 8 braces all at the length of 13 1/16".

How I came up with these figures:

Each of my windows measures 37"x27 1/8" (inner most point of the window). It was suggested to subtract 1/4" from the height and 1/2" from the width to account for the clearance room and hinges.

For the braces, it was suggested to subtract 1/4" from the width of each panel to allow the shutters to shut all the way.

Fractions and decimals are not my strong suit but I did as instructed and began with the height of each panel. My window is 37" tall, subtracted off the 1/4" and ended up with 36 3/4". For the width of each panel, I began with the width of the window 27 1/8" and subtracted 1/2" and arrived at 26 5/8. Then divided by 2 (because I want 2 panels on each side) and came up with 13 5/6". Now I want each panel to have 3 pieces of wood on it. So I took the 13 5/16" divided that by 3, and got 4 7/16".

Phew, that hurt my brain.

Here's to the beginning of a new project. This is what I'm working with, I've never ever really cared for the blinds that have been here since I bought the house.

Even though I can't stand to do this, I'll probably be better off staining all the boards before I assemble anything. I also know, from the pictures that I viewed, that the hinges will show, so I either need to find bronze hinges or use some spray paint so they aren't silver.

I think the part that I really love about shutters is it's an older style, and that's right up my alley. I also like the fact that since there are cabinets on either side of the window, even having the shutters folded open won't look weird since the cabinets are already sticking out from the wall.

So here are all of my pieces cut to size. Time for a light sanding and stain. I debated on routing the edges but I like the more rustic look so I'm going to leave them alone.

I even recruited a little help for the staining process...

Couldn't find the right hinge color so a quick coat of bronze spray paint to each side will do.

Now that they are stained, let's put a coat of sealer on. I recently read an article on the differences between polyurethane, varnish and shellac. I've only really ever used polyurethane, but I will be sticking with polycrylic from here on out, goodbye yellowing furniture! Ahhh, drying time....

So all the boards have been stained and sealed, time to put it all together beginning with the braces for each panel. Just some wood glue and nails from the nail gun will be enough to keep these together. I set them back 6" from either end.

Next adding the hinges to each panel.

I figured while I was at it, I should probably paint the trim and window. I also used wood filler to cover the holes from where the old blinds used to be.

And adding the knobs, any project with hardware...seems to be my favorite part! Final step attaching them to the window and voilà another home project complete.