Plantation shutters question

[Tailgate]

DW wants them for our 'new to us' home we move to next week. Sounds good to me too, but we know nothing about them.

Before we visit a salesperson at the showroom, do you have any advice about the type, style, durability, energy efficiency, materials, pricing, things to watch for?

Many thanks in advance...

[rodi]

The come in wood and plastic. You can get them from specialty stores and from big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot.

We opted for shutter style wood blinds because we wanted more light coming through. Shutters have the frame that blocks light - allowing less light through unless they are opened out of the way of the window.

[ElizabethT]

We have white 3 1/2"Atwood wood shutters in every window, excepting the kitchen windows, and the family room slider, and we purchased them from Home Depot over 25 years ago.

I love them, still, and can't imagine every having anything else. Ever. They still look as nice as the day they were installed, let in as much or little light as we wish, are easy to dust, and, IMO, are a truly timeless look.

If you go with smaller 2" slats you get a bit of a country look. If you go larger, at @ 4 1/2" you get a bit of a Florida/Hawaii/S Pacific plantation type of look. 3 1/2" gives you a more traditional look.

[Ronstar]

We have them in our Arizona condo. Had them built and installed by a local company in 2002. All wood, painted to match trim color. They are holding up well, and we really like them. The 2 that face west have a slight warp to them. The afternoon Arizona sun has taken its toll on those.

[ElizabethT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar We have them in our Arizona condo. Had them built and installed by a local company in 2002. All wood, painted to match trim color. They are holding up well, and we really like them. The 2 that face west have a slight warp to them. The afternoon Arizona sun has taken its toll on those.

We have quite a few that are west facing, but have not noticed any weathering since having our windows changed out at to double paned, with the west facing windows all having some level of built-in tint to protect both them and our furnishings. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have experienced some of the weathering you've described.

[rbmrtn]

I have a couple of windows with them. I ordered them online using their measuring guide. They shipped to the house and I installed them. Been about 12yrs, they are still good.

[athena53]

We just moved into a house that has them. What a difference from the flimsy metal strips. SO much easier to clean.

[Bestwifeever]

I think they are really nice. Our old house windows' millwork wouldn't allow this window treatment (the millwork is sacred to me) but friends have used them in a brand new very high-end home and have been very happy with them, BUT they found the shutters prevented their tilt-in-to-clean windows from tilting in. So if that matters in your case, perhaps there is a way to install them to accommodate the tilting in.

[Tailgate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElizabethT We have white 3 1/2"Atwood wood shutters in every window, excepting the kitchen windows, and the family room slider, and we purchased them from Home Depot over 25 years ago. I love them, still, and can't imagine every having anything else. Ever. They still look as nice as the day they were installed, let in as much or little light as we wish, are easy to dust, and, IMO, are a truly timeless look. If you go with smaller 2" slats you get a bit of a country look. If you go larger, at @ 4 1/2" you get a bit of a Florida/Hawaii/S Pacific plantation type of look. 3 1/2" gives you a more traditional look.

thanks...good advice...

[eytonxav]

One thing to look out for, they might make it difficult for you to clean your windows if the windows tilt in for cleaning the exterior glass, just something to keep in mind. We put them on the front facing windows for aesthetics and some extra insulation against north winds. The rest of our window treatments are pull down shades which have turned out to be very good choice, although we had no prior experience with them.

[Slow But Steady]

We bought the "simulated wood" (plastic) ones because we understand that they are less prone to problems like warping or splitting.

They look just like wood. I don't think you would know the difference from more than a foot away. The cost was about the same as far as I recall from 15 years or so ago, so our decision was not for cost reasons.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever I think they are really nice. Our old house windows' millwork wouldn't allow this window treatment (the millwork is sacred to me) but friends have used them in a brand new very high-end home and have been very happy with them, BUT they found the shutters prevented their tilt-in-to-clean windows from tilting in. So if that matters in your case, perhaps there is a way to install them to accommodate the tilting in.

I have double hung windows, but tilt-in-to-clean windows would work with my kind of shutters. Mine are hinged to the shutter frame that mounts on the wall (I have no window millwork), making the shutter slightly larger than the window. So when I swing the shutter assembly open via the hinges, I have total access to the windows. If I had tilt in windows, they would clear the shutter frame when tilted.


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