# Shutter Maintenance & Purchasing Shutters

- Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/shutter-maintenance-purchasing-shutters/
- Published: 2017-05-08T11:31:00-04:00
- Author: Ken Roginski

### Wood Window Shutters Maintenance – Keeping your Shutters Out of the Landfill.

If you have your original shutters, treat them as if they were gold. Just because
they’re rotted does NOT mean they cannot be repaired. Use a high quality exterior
wood filler for rotted wood (not bondo).

Keep them painted. If the louvers are operable, be cautions of paint buildup. When
you have your house painted, the painters will probably offer to replace your real
shutters free of charge with fake vinyl shutters. This is easier for them than scraping,
repairing, and painting the original ones. Don’t depend on painters or contractors
to mount them properly – almost 100% are ignorant when it comes to this. The result
is more harm than good. You are now the expert and must instruct them.

There are not many places that make shutters today and they’re very expensive; so,
maintain your shutters, protect your investment, preserve history, and let your 
house shine with character.

I also suggest attaching copper flashing or a metal shutter cap that can be painted
to the top of the shutters for water protection. Water sits on top of the shutters
and over the years may be able to get into the wood. **Use a shutter cap on new 
and old shutters to extend their life.**

[⌊shutter caps⌉⌊shutter caps⌉[

I recommend Shutter Caps to protect your old or new shutters since water will be
sitting on top. There are various metals you can use but keep in mind that nails
rust. Use quality nails thr metal of the cap or use a plastic washer to avoid galvanic
corrosion.

 

### Going Green – Back to Basics to Protect the Environment

“R” value for a glass window is about an R-1 rating. A piece of solid wood 1 1/8
inch thick is R-1.755. A closed wood shutter will therefore provide approximately
R-2.78 of insulation. Add an interior storm window for additional insulation.

### Non-Wooden Shutters

After all you learned so far, a vinyl or aluminum shutter doesn’t even qualify as
a shutter. However, we all need to be more conscious of our planet and our forests
and the depletion of our natural resources. **Remember (wood shutter owners), it
is better to maintain and repair than replace.** There are many new man-made products
being invented to replace the use of wood. However, they **must be indistinguishable
from the product they replace at an arm’s distance**.

### Painting Shutter Colors.

By far the most popular color for shutters throughout history is dark green – Benjamin
Moore, Essex Green, Gloss to be exact. Secondary colors were black or a red color.
Darker shades were favored to continue the visual concept of the window void when
shutters are closed.

Another bit of information about why shutters were painted green comes from our 
reader Dick L.

> The color was also thought very helpful to the eyesight. The mid-19th century 
> pattern books (Downing, especially) talked a lot about how NY was at the same 
> latitude as Rome, and Americans, who naturally hailed from the British Isles, 
> would be injured by such strong sun, in particular their vision. The filtering
> effect of louvered blinds (as the shutters were called which had movable louvers)
> painted in a dark green would help protect the eyesight, especially that of ladies,
> who are, of course, very delicate.

All shutters during the early 19th century and before were painted green. This was
because the pigment used to mix green paint protected iron hinges from rusting. 
Shutters that appeared black during this time were really just a very dark green.

Brown shutters didn’t appear until the 1860’s.

Black shutters were used on Colonial Revival houses as a miss-reading of dark green.

### Purchasing Exterior Window Shutters.

Ok, you now know how a shutter should look on a house. You also know how important
this is. With what you know, **it is up to you to articulate what you want to the
shutter salesperson.**

Remember, **LET THE BUYER BEWARE**. DO NOT assume that since you’re paying a lot
of money, and buying from a recommended shutter manufacturer that specializes in
Historic Buildings, you can be assured you will get Shutters and Hardware that will
make your home look as it did 100 years ago. There are some good manufacturers out
there that produce historically accurate shutters and hardware. You still need to
order the right products to get the look you want. Use the wrong hardware to hang
them and you just wasted your money. Your house does NOT have to be historic. If
your house was just built, the same rules above apply – it’s all about making your
house look the best it can.

Remember, mounting shutters to the side of the window frame is wrong. For buildings
constructed prior to the Civil War when Strap Hinges were used, some of the casing
may be visible due to the Pintle being mounted more centered on the face of the 
casing.

People are accustomed to seeing improperly hung shutters. They are accustomed to
seeing the trim around the window not being covered up by a shutter. Manufacturers
are catering to this demand of the public and are offering them what they want. 
Don’t worry! You CAN still get the look you want by being an educated customer.

Shop around for shutters. Check their websites and get their brochures. Look at 
their sample photos. Do they look like original shutters or fake? Your eyes are 
educated now. Sadly, many of the sample photos in brochures I have seen look fake
due to the type of hinges used. Don’t let this stop you, they should still carry
the hinges you need.

Next, read every page of the sites I list below. Compare the dimensions, rail height,
type of wood, and all the types of hardware available on each site.

Next, print out one of the shutter measurement guides and hardware worksheets available
on the manufacturer’s websites. Physically examine your window frame on the exterior
and plot the dimensions.

Congratulations, you are now ready to call a few manufacturers and explain:

 * What shutter style you want.
 * If it will be a working shutter, additional specifications and options such as
   rabbeted edge, and working louvers, faux or working tilt rods, etc.
 * The appearance you want – how you want the shutter hung. They will then advise
   you on hardware to get that look. You will need a diagram/worksheet while discussing
   this.

Once you receive your new shutters, install one as a test. If you are not happy 
with how it looks or operates, you will need to exchange the hardware.

I hope this information has helped you. The purpose of this site is to educate you
and guide you in making a purchase that will make your home look as authentic as
possible. Please let me know if you think anything should be added or may need a
better explanation.

### Old House Guy Shutter Recommendation

 * **[Shuttercraft Custom Wood Shutters ](http://shuttercraft.com/index.html?source=OldHouseGuy)**