Project Zomboid How to Barricade Windows in Build 42
The Building menu, one nail per plank, and why sealing every door is how you die upstairs.
Barricades are the first thing people search after they survive night one and realize glass is a suggestion. In Project Zomboid Build 42 the old “right-click, Barricade” reflex still works on some tiles, but a lot of survivors cannot find the action at all because the recipe now lives in the Building menu. This page is the hardware chapter: where the option sits, what a layer actually costs, how metal differs from wood, and how you take the boards off without trapping yourself. Layout and exit planning stay on Safehouse. Wood XP stays on Carpentry. Metal layers belong next to Welding. Second-floor escapes belong on Sheet Ropes.
Build 42.20.3 did not invent a new HP number that you should memorize from a 2022 screenshot. Treat layers as delay, not immunity.
Where the action lives now
Open the Building panel (construction / carpentry), not Crafting. Barricade sits at the top of the category list in current Build 42 clients. You do not need the materials in hand to see the category. You do need them to finish a layer.
Then stand at a closed window or door and place the layer. Right-click on the frame may still offer Barricade / Unbarricade depending on your hotfix. If neither path appears:
- You are in Crafting, not Building.
- The window is open. Close it.
- You are targeting the wall tile, not the window or door.
- You are holding a boxed nail carton. Open the box into loose nails.
- You are exhausted. Fatigue greys a lot of build actions—sleep first, see Sleep and Rest.
Watch the embedded Build 42 placement video once so the menu path sticks. Then ignore any guide that tells you to search “barricade” in the crafting list.
Wood: the day-two default
Wooden layers need a hammer-type tool you keep (claw hammer, club hammer, and similar), 1 plank, and 1 nail per layer. That nail count is the one old posts get wrong. You do not spend two nails per plank in current 42.20.x.
Each finished wood layer grants a chunk of Woodwork / Carpentry XP (about ten in current notes). Inside and outside are separate stacks. Windows and doors share the same wood cap: up to four layers per side. Doors are not limited to two planks. A barricaded door will not open until you unbarricade it.
The game looks through carried bags and nearby open containers. A nail box on the floor you never opened does not count. A hammer in the crate behind you does, if that crate is accessible.
Hammering is noise. Clear the yard first. Do not board the front window during a helicopter pass.
Metal sheet and metal bars
When you have Welding 3, a blow torch, and welding rods, you can install metal:
- Metal sheet — opaque. Best for bedrooms and quiet hide rooms. Blocks light and line of sight.
- Metal bars — three iron / metal / steel bars plus more torch fuel. You can still see, and often shoot, through the gaps. Fighting windows like these.
Both metal options consume welding rods in current Build 42. “Torch only” advice is leftover. Bars drink more propane than a single sheet. Carry spare fuel before you retrofit a whole farmhouse. Metal holds longer under thumping than planks. It does not make you fireproof, and it will not save a house you welded shut with no torch on your belt.
How to take it off
Right-click the boarded opening and Unbarricade, or use the matching Building action.
- Wood: hammer or crowbar. A crowbar changes the animation and sound. It does not make the job faster. You get the plank back. Nails stay spent.
- Metal: equip a blow torch. Each metal removal spends a torch use. You get the sheet or bars back.
If every ground-floor exit is maxed and your torch is in a crate two rooms away, you built a tomb. Keep the matching removal tool on your person. Keep a second-story sheet rope tested on a landing that is not a shrub full of walkers.
There is no “repair this plank’s HP” button. When a layer is gone, add a new one with fresh materials if the side is not already full.
What barricades actually do
They delay entry. Zombies must chew layers, then the window or door, before they path inside. Thick wood and metal sheets also cut vision. That is good for sleep rooms and bad for a fighting window you wanted to watch.
Barricades do not replace:
- An airlock (outer door, small porch, inner door).
- A second exit.
- Quiet play. See Stealth and Noise.
- A plan for the helicopter day.
Prioritize ground-floor glass facing the road. Upstairs windows can wait. Leave one controlled rear door or fully seal the ground floor and live on ropes. Do not max every pane on day two and then wonder why you cannot leave when the kitchen catches fire.
Wood burns. If you cook on a sloppy campfire against a boarded living room, you will learn that the hard way. Metal will not turn to ash the same way. Smoke still kills you.
Safehouse order that does not waste nails
- Clear, then close, then board the approach windows.
- Board the front door last, or not at all, until a rear exit exists.
- Double-stack (inside and outside) only on the tiles that actually get thumped.
- Upgrade fighting windows to bars when Welding 3 is real, not when you found one torch with 4% fuel.
- Test the rope landing in daylight.
Planks come from disassembled furniture and loot routes through hardware stores. Nails come from the same aisles and, later, from blacksmithing when town boxes dry up. Do not burn carpentry skill books for a night of heat.
Multiplayer boarding rules
One carpenter, one guard. Four players hammering the same facade is how you advertise the base. Label which door is the airlock. Public servers will unbarricade your front door for a laugh—inner doors and a claimed lot matter more than pretty planks. Call out before you torch a metal layer off; the hiss is loud.
Common myths
- “Each plank costs two nails.” One nail in current 42.20.x.
- “Doors only take two planks.” Four per side, same as windows.
- “It is gone because they moved it to Crafting.” It is in Building, category Barricade, usually at the top.
- “Metal bars need Welding 4 and no rods.” Welding 3 and rods.
- “Unbarricade refunds nails.” It refunds the plank or the metal. Nails are gone.
A boarded window is a timer, not a wall. Learn Safehouse layout, keep a rope, and stop sealing the only door because the street looked empty at dusk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
How do I barricade a window in Build 42?
Open the Building menu, not Crafting. Barricade is at the top of the category list. Stand at a closed window with a hammer, one plank, and one loose nail per layer.
Why can't I find the barricade option?
You are in Crafting, the window is open, you targeted the wall, or your nails are still in an unopened box. Fatigue can also grey the action.
How many planks can I put on a door?
Up to four wooden layers per side, same as windows. Inside and outside are separate stacks.
How do I remove a barricade?
Unbarricade with a hammer or crowbar for wood, or a blow torch for metal. You get the plank or metal back. Nails are not refunded.
When should I use metal instead of wood?
After Welding 3, with a torch and rods. Sheets for opaque sleep rooms. Bars for fighting windows you still want to see through.