Plantation shutters were used to protect homes from the elements before the invention of glazed windows.

And they were used on isolated plantations to provide security from bandits.

Their functionality has certainly been proven, and they’re also an attractive window treatment.

Plantation shutters can be used on most sizes of interior windows, sliding glass doors, oddly-shaped windows, and french doors.

Plantation shutters are excellent for blocking light from your room and for ultimate privacy.

Choosing the Right Plantation Shutter

With plantation style shutters, you select the slat or louver size from choices just under two inches up to 5½ inches. Larger louvers will let more light and air into the room than smaller louvers. They’ll also offer the best view if you plan to leave the shutters closed and adjust the louvers. Note that when the louvers are closed, the room will not be completely dark. Some light will still trickle in between the slats.

Slat shape is your next choice. Elliptical slats are thicker in the front than in the back, providing a sturdier slat in comparison to the flat version. Most plantation shutters today are available with the elliptical slat, although you can find flat slats if you look hard enough, or you can special order them.

Your slats may be fixed or adjustable. Adjustable slats open and close by operating the tilt rod, letting in a little air and light when the interior shutters are closed. You can also leave them partially open to direct the light. Fixed slats remain stationary, so you’ll have to open and close the shutters themselves.

Divider rails can be installed on your interior window shutters to allow the top and bottom sections to operate independently with adjustable slats. Or, if you’ve selected fixed slats, you may still like the look of two sets of slats per shutter.

Be sure to get properly treated wood shutters if you plan to install them in a bathroom or else consider vinyl interior shutters as an alternative.

You can choose one large shutter, two shutters (installed one on each side to cover the entire window or to cover only the lower half of the window), or four shutters (covering each of the four quadrants of the window).

Each of these window shutter options offers a different look and varying light control. In general, the fewer shutters you use, the more light you’ll have in the room.

Style-wise, you can select painted or stained wood shutters, unfinished wood shutters, or vinyl shutters. Be aware that vinyl versions can be heavy, and make sure to choose high quality versions that don’t look and feel cheap.

Unfinished wood offers you the opportunity to match colors exactly, but be aware that with all of the slats, painting shutters is not the easiest of projects.

Your installation options will vary depending on the type of window you are covering and how you plan to hang the shutters. You may want to select window shutters with frames if you plan to mount them outside of the window.

You can also hinge the shutters differently depending on their use. For example, with two shutters you might want to hang one on each side of the window, or you may want to attach the shutters to each other with a hinge in the middle of the window and then attach the set to one side of the casing. This will allow the shutters to fold together and to one side.

Whatever style options you choose, it’s certain that your plantation shutters will give you an attractive look for your home.

Today’s vinyl shutters are available in many colors and natural wood finishes that make them tough to tell apart from real wood shutters.

Budget considerations aside, you may want to consider vinyl shutters over wood as an easy-maintenance alternative, since they are not painted and the finish won’t peel or crack.

Most quality manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on vinyl shutters, which are also more durable than wood.

Interior Vinyl Shutters offer the look and style of real wood plantation shutters, but offer greater durability at a signficantly lower price.

If you have pets or children, vinyl is easier to keep clean. And if you live in a humid location, wood shutters can warp, making them difficult to open and close, whereas vinyl shutters have greater dimensional stability.

Vinyl won’t show dings and dents the way wood does; especially painted wood finishes. Since the color pigment is continuous, even scratches will show less than with painted wood shutters. Other than cleaning with a damp cloth, vinyl interior shutters are virtually maintenance free.

Vinyl’s ability to withstand moisture makes these interior shutters a great choice in your kitchen, bathrooms or kids’ rooms, or if you live in a locale subject to high humidity. With vinyl, you won’t have to worry about warping, mildew or mold as you will with real wood products.

And did we mention budget? If price is a consideration, you will pay as much as forty percent less for vinyl than for wood shutters! So, you can use that extra money on other home decoration projects.

There are several disadvantages to consider with interior vinyl shutters:

• Vinyl shutters are hollow, providing good insulating qualities
• However, this means that end caps are required and the caps also change the look of the shutters and some people may prefer the cleaner look of real wood slats
• Hollow rails and louvers result in an opaque slat, which does limit the vinyl shutters’ ability to keep light out
• The vinyl texturing process does simulate the look of real wood, but feels like plastic, so this is another consideration

Either vinyl or real wood shutters will increase the resale value of your home and are considered an upgrade from most window blinds and other types of window coverings.

Plantation style shutters are the most popular, with rotating slats that can be opened and closed to control the natural window light. A range of slat sizes is available to match your preference and decor.

Raised interior panel shutters based on the traditional Williamsburg style are also available from some manufacturers. Solid panels can be raised or lowered to control light and privacy. Panel-style shutters may have two primary panels, or multiple panels to match your design and style preferences.

Specialty design vinyl shutters are also available to fit palladium and sunburst-shaped windows.

People with beachfront property deal with hurricanes, country-dwellers face tornadoes, and the simple fact is that damage from high winds can happen anywhere.

Windows are the most vulnerable components of your home, and the problem is compounded by the fact that windows are growing increasingly larger.

The larger the window, the greater a target it presents for flying debris.

Broken windows and doors present a safety hazard, often leading to greater damage and increased costs. The installation of storm shutters can help to protect your home and your family.

While not as attractive as traditional wood exterior shutters, roll up storm shutters like these provide excellent protection for homes on the beachfront, where high winds pose a serious problem to large windows and glass doors.

Storm shutters, sometimes called hurricane shutters, attach to the outside of your home and can be closed over your windows in the event of inclement weather.

You may be imagining some ugly, industrial-looking window shutters, but the fact is that they come in a variety of styles and even in decorative color choices comparable to other types of exterior shutters.

There’s no need for you to sacrifice curb appeal for safety and peace of mind.

Exterior shutters are also practical for your vacation or summer home, providing added security for a home that is not occupied year round.

Whatever style you select, make certain that it is a certified storm shutter.

Hinged storm shutters like these can more attractive than the roll up type, but may be somewhat less practical.

You’ll need to select the storm shutters that best suit your windows and your specific needs. The most common types are:

• Colonial Shutters or Bahama Shutters - Colonial and Bahama shutters offer a very similar feel to traditional shutters with the added benefit of storm protection, and they come in many attractive colors. Some models can be closed from the inside, but only if you have a window that slides up and down. If your window opens outward, you’ll have to go outside to close the shutters. This can be particularly problematic when you have a two-story house. To close these shutters, you fold them over the windows and lock them into place.
• Roll Shutters - The roll shutter rolls up and down like a garage door. When opened, they are relatively unobtrusive in appearance, and they’re very easy to close. Some models are operated with a crank that can be installed either inside or outside, while others are motorized and work with the flip of a switch. The fanciest roll shutters can also be programmed to close when the wind reaches a certain speed, leaving nothing to chance.
• Accordion Shutters - Accordion shutters offer some of the best protection of all of the hurricane shutter types, but they come at a price. Accordion style is the least attractive and most obtrusive of all of the exterior shutter types. Proper installation can help to make the most of them, but they’ll still be quite obvious. As with Colonial and Bahama shutters, they will need to be secured from the outside if your windows open outward, but the actual process of closing them is very quick. You simply pull the shutter down on its track to cover the window and lock it into place.

But for a unique and stylish look that attracts attention, consider installing interior shutters.

Interior wood shutters offer ease of use, light control, and privacy.

And, if you buy quality wood shutters, they will provide many years of use and enjoyment in your home.

They’re easy to install, can be painted to match your room, and can even be custom made to fit windows of nearly any size or shape.

Types of Interior Window Shutters

When it comes to selecting interior window shutters, you have options as with any other window treatment. The most common types of wood shutters are traditional and plantation style.

Plantation style shutters come with louvers in a variety of sizes. They range from just under two inches to 5½ inches. They come with thicker, elliptical shaped or flat slats, although you’ll probably have to order the flat slats custom if you want them, since the elliptical versions are more durable. They have a more contemporary look than traditional versions.

Traditional shutters are ¾ inch thick and have 1¼ inch slats. They’re a little more difficult to find and probably will require custom work. Most have flat slats, although you can also find styles with a ridge down the center of each one. Generally, you would install two shutters per window, with two louvers on each shutter.

You can also purchase traditional shutters and install them café style, covering only the bottom half of the window. You can also install two separate panels on each side to cover the top and bottom.

Beautiful custom made plantation shutters provide lots of natural lighting as well as privacy when needed.

Installing Interior Window Shutters

Installing your wood shutters is very easy. As with many other window treatments, determine if you want an inside mount (inside the casing) or outside mount (outside the casing).

Outside mounts will require the installation of special hanging strips.

Measure your windows and purchase the correct size of shutter. If you are mounting the shutters inside the casing, make sure to measure the window at three places vertically and three places horizontally, and use the smallest of the three measurements to make sure that they’ll fit. If your shutters aren’t finished, stain or paint them.

Primer will help to insure even coverage (important since you are covering something with a lot of small sections).

When you install your shutters, use spacers to make sure that they’ll open and close easily. Mount the hinges on the window frame or hanging strip.