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Lattice panels, posts, rails and moulding for a privacy screen on a deck.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| 4 × 8 ft lattice panels | 4 |
| Bays | 2 × 6 ft |
| Panels per bay | 2 (8 ft side horizontal) |
| Posts | 3 |
| Top + bottom rails | 24 ft |
| Cap / U-moulding | 48 ft |
| Screen area | 72 sq ft |
| Bays | ceil(12 ÷ 6) = 2 |
| Panel layout | min(ceil(6 ÷ 8) × ceil(6 ÷ 4), ceil(6 ÷ 4) × ceil(6 ÷ 8)) = 2 |
| Moulding | 2 × (2 × 6 + 2 × 6) = 48 ft |
Panel size is Barrette Outdoor Living's 4' × 8' privacy lattice (2' × 8' is also sold); its matching screws, cap moulding and divider moulding are sold separately. A screen catches wind that an open railing doesn't — fix the posts to the frame or footings, not to railing posts that weren't built for it, and check height limits with your building department.
A lattice privacy screen is a run of framed panels between posts. Enter how long and how tall the screen is and how far apart the posts are (no more than 8 ft, the length of a lattice panel). The calculator works out the bays, picks the panel orientation that wastes least, and counts 4 × 8 ft panels, posts, top and bottom rails and the moulding that frames each panel.
Split the screen into bays between posts, then fit 4 × 8 ft panels into each bay. A 12 ft screen 6 ft high with posts 6 ft apart has two 6 × 6 ft bays; each takes two panels, so four panels in all.
The standard size is 4 × 8 ft, with 2 × 8 ft strips for skirting and toppers. Barrette Outdoor Living sells its vinyl privacy lattice in 4' × 8' panels in diamond and square patterns.
No more than 8 ft, so one length of lattice spans a bay without a joint. Closer posts — 6 ft is common for tall screens — make the screen stiffer in wind.
Only if the posts were built to take it. A solid or lattice screen catches far more wind than a railing, and railing posts are designed for a person leaning on them, not a sail. Through-bolt dedicated posts to the frame or set them in footings.
Vinyl doesn't need painting and won't rot, and privacy patterns with small openings block more view. Wood or pressure-treated lattice is cheaper and can be stained to match the deck but needs refinishing.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.