If your new to shutters, then this video will be a good overview for you, I am going to run through the two types of shutters we supply, I’ll show you some of the differences between them, run through the limitations, louvre sizes, types of frames and show you the quickest easiest and neatest way to install shutters.
We offer two types of shutters in our DIY range, a low-cost Standard MDF and our recommended and most popular Elite Wood shutter.
MDF has a more traditional look with this rounded bead running down the side stile, whereas the wood has a nice modern simple stile.
The Elite wood shutter has the popular 76mm louvre and hidden control rods, which looks really smart, they let plenty of light in, you still get as much privacy as you want by just tilting the louvre blades and this one also has the split tilt option, so you can adjust the louvres independently either side of the hidden split, which is a great feature in bedrooms.
The standard MDF shutter is made from MDF, which is sawdust and glue and then it's plastic coated. They are suitable for small to medium size windows only as they don’t have the same strength as a wooden shutter and they are about 20% heavier as they are very dense.
The Elite wooden shutter is lightweight and strong which makes them suitable for tall or wide windows. They have proper mortise and tenon joints and engineered stiles to stop warping in the heat, and means the shutters can be made much larger. Louvres blades are quarter sawn so they don’t twist or sag and then everything is finished with 6 coats of spray paint which includes a UV resistant finish so they don’t fade in sun.
I’ll give you a quick run through of the limitations, so the maximum panel width for MDF is only 750mm wide, though I wouldn’t recommend going this wide if you can help it as the louvres will sag. In wood you can go up to 890mm in the 64mm or 76mm louvres and a massive 1047mm in the large 89mm louvre.
The maximum panel height on both is 3m, but you will need a horizontal dividing rail for strength when panels are about 1900mm high, so to be precise 1880mm in MDF and 1980mm in Wood, so anything higher would need a rail.
With both shutters there are 3 main louvres sizes, 64, 76 and 89, that size relates to the width of the louvre across here. Now trends have changed over the years, and shutters used to have really small 31mm and 47mm louvres and be split into lots of bi-folding panels but that was quite messy and blocked out a lot of light. So as the shutters get left closed across your windows, customers like to have larger louvres and wider panels as they create more space in your room and let so much more light in, so I would certainly recommend going for either the 76 or 89mm size louvres and with the hidden tilt rods, you get the perfect look which is why we’ve included the hidden tilt as free upgrade in our Easy fit shutter kit
White shutters match most windows, they let the most light in and allow you to paint the room or change the flooring without worrying about the shutter colour. Now it might sound boring, and you might have been thinking about off white, or a grey or oak shutter to match your furniture, but a few things to remember, as most customers keep their shutters closed and just tilt the louvres, having a large block of colour or dark stain across the window will really affect the light in your room, whereas a white shutter will match key features like skirting board, ceilings and radiators, they reflect a lot of light off the louvres when they are angled just of horizontal like this.
If you have not seen shutters before, they come pre-fitted in a neat 4 sided frame, so all the hinges magnets and spacing is all done for you. There are 3 main frames and 3 fitting positions, a front fix L frame, a side fix L frame and the Z frame that fits at the front of the recess, half in and half out so it frames the window. Thats not my favourite look as you lose the definition of the window recess, which in turn reduces the space in your room, so really I would only use the Z frame if you have a shallow recess.
The front fix L frame has a removable insert around the front edge, allowing you to fit the shutters and the frame as one unit, straight into a wooden window, ideal if you have wooden casement or sash window for example.
The side fix L frame has a plain front edge and the insert in side so you can fix sideways into the wall and fill the gap to hide your screws and packers, again not my favourite look, a bit of pain to fit and you have to mess around with filler.
The Z frame is fixed in the same way, the main difference is this bullnose section at the front that fits around the edge of the recess, just be aware when drilling holes close to the front of the recess, angle the drill a bit and don’t rush to use the hammer action.
A Tpost will add strength to your frame and ensures the shutters match your window layout.
28 июл 2024
