What are Plantation Shutters?
Plantation Shutters are louvered panels fixed either inside or outside windows and doors. They originated in America and the West Indies.
What are solid wood shutters?
These are panels that have no louvres. They were originally installed in reveal boxes in pre-Edwardian houses.
More information about our Custom Shutter Range and Wood Styles
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What louvre size should I choose?
When making your Louvre Shutters choice, consider the size of the window and the desired effect. Generally larger windows command a larger louvre size. The larger the louvre, the more light you have but less privacy.
In Europe we tend to generally choose smaller louvres such as 47mm or 64mm. 32mm (available in cedar Verona Shutters only) is used a lot in bathrooms but also looks very good when painted white and used on café style installations in living room windows where the street maybe close by.
If you have Georgian style windows with small window panes then we would definitely advise using the largest louvre possible or the windows can look very busy.
There are various Wood Frame Shutters options and different Louvre Sizes
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How many shutter panels do I need in my window opening?
Our smallest panel width is 200mm and widest is 750mm, although with larger louvre panels we do sometimes go wider but void warp warranty with your permission. Generally a window looks best with 4 panels, two opening as pairs either way. A 3 window bay, however, will usually have 2 panels on the smaller side windows and 4 in the centre. All panels will open away from the middle.
There are as many exceptions as there are norms. For instance, a long window with 3 panes of glass, i.e.; 1800mm wide and 1000mm high, would have 6 panels; three folding either way or if you are only going to open them to clean the windows you could easily have just three panels. The Americans never open the shutters only the louvres so design with large panels. A lot of the time you will have to consider where the panels are going to fold back to and if there is enough room for this to happen. This is also true where you are fitting inside the reveal next to the window and you will not want the shutters, when open, to protrude into the room too much.
We would not recommend hanging more than 3 panels from a single batten hinged together unless they were not going to be opened apart from window cleaning and were resting on the sill or doorstep. As the maximum recommended width of our panels is 750mm you may say that this equates to 4500mm maximum width but it would be asking a lot of the batten to hold panels of this width and weight without sagging at a later date. So quite a lot of common sense is needed to achieve a good installation.
Openings over 2200mm generally need a top track, even if not using a top track at this width try to use a light panel such as Verona Shutters or Rimini Shutters.
For partitioning or for large windows where tracking is needed at the top to suspend the panels you will really need an even number of panels or they will look odd and not hang from the track properly. Ideally 8 panels or 12 panels for very large openings is best although quite often it is wise to hang even 6 panels from tracking if they are quite large. With the heavier Tosca shutter this is clearly an option to be considered. We do not charge for tracking, it comes in the square metre price for the opening.
In summary, the window will normally dictate the number of panels. If the window is split into two halves you would either have two or four panels and it follows that if it is three panes then three or six panels will suffice. The vertical dividers of the windows are where the vertical stiles of the shutters should be ideally.
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What wood do you use and is it Eco friendly?
The “Verona Shutter Range” is made from Western Red Cedar. The timber is very durable and has a most interesting grain. It is expensive timber but does not need to be laminated to retain stability.
We buy our cedar from the Western Red Cedar Association in Canada. It is either replanted cedar or taken from designated managed forest areas. Cedar is one of the most used timbers in the world, in the USA a lot of houses are built entirely of cedar and it is used extensively for roofing shingles and decking because although a softwood, it is amazingly long lasting and resistant to wet and rot. As a result it is farmed in very well managed forests.
The “Rimini Shutters Range” is made from a laminated constructed Rimini Wood, sometimes called Parasol. It grows in sub tropical areas of the southern states of the USA, China and Japan. It is a very fast growing tree reaching full height in about 15 years. Ideal for farming.
It is a hardwood but very light. We treat it with a special secret process to make it that light but it still has a very hard skin. It weighs in at almost the same as cedar, making it ideal for Wood Shutters where the lighter the better generally applies. It is the slowest burning wood on the planet, it needs a secondary heat source to burn. In Japan it is believed that it has mystical properties. The “Tosca Shutters Range” is our most eco friendly shutters because no trees at all have been cut down to make this product. Made from a laminated veneered lumber core (Basswood or other strong frame material strips that are off cuts not usable elsewhere, laminated together with epoxy making a light, strong core), LDF laid bulk and polymer sealed outer coating.The “Riva Shutters Range” is made of ABS and stiffened with cedar strips left from our Verona Shutters program and then spray painted so it doesn't’t look like plastic, which is what it basically is.
Our supplier uses their most efficient methods to make the shutters, and know our future depends on responsible management of the earth’s natural resources. They even use the sawdust to power generators that power the plant and provide hot water. The 3 large turbines they use to do this cost more than the average Shutter Companies entire production equipment. This is what they call investing in conservation. Their packaging is made of biodegradable cardboard, they even make the packing inserts from cardboard.
All recycling waste facilities in the UK will accept our cardboard. They do not use bubble wrap or polystyrene and they spend extra money in our processes that they could turn in to more profits to avoid mucking up the planet.
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Does wood warp, shrink, change colour or age in any way?
Yes it does and so it should, if it doesn't’t it isn’t natural. Cedar can warp in very rare occurrences like any wood but is less prone to do so than virtually any other timber we know of. We do give you a guarantee though against significant warping. To date we have had less than one in 2000 panels do this. Similarly, Cedar can shrink and does but also very little and we always advise fitting tight in the first instance. Shutters can quite easily be adjusted should this occur as it is never that much and is probably better to leave them as they can just as easily swell again should the humidity increase.
Wood is a natural material and with its inconsistencies delivers pleasure.
We do make perfect shutters because the market today expects perfect manufacture.
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What colours and stains are available?
The colours section of this site for a full list of colours and stains that are available for each Wood Shutter Range.
View full range of Colours and Stains Available For Our Shutters
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Can shutters be installed on any window?
Shutters can be installed on virtually any window, French doors or patio sliding doors. They can also be used effectively as room dividers fitted on tracks. If the window/door opens inwards they can always be mounted outside of the reveal. Bypass tracking allows for the shutter to slide past each other and is used where there are overhangs preventing the panels from swinging out.
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How do I measure my windows and doors?
For a Quick Shutters Quote Calculator just measure the width and height of the opening.
For DIY self measure and install, we offer a 20% discount. Please Contact Us for further details.
 Download PDF: Wooden Blinds Fittings and Self Installation Guide
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What about maintenance?
Wood Shutters are easily cleaned using a feather duster, damp sponge/soft cloth or run a vacuum cleaner over them. The finished product should not need repainting for many years. Indeed, the Riva Shutters are totally maintenance free and cannot be re-painted in any event.
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How long from order will it take to get my shutters?
Custom Made Shutters to fit individual openings and are ready for installation in 6-8 weeks from the date of order and receipt of the deposit.
For more information visit: Made to Measure Custom Shape Shutters and Blinds
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Can I fit the shutters myself?
Yes you can if you know how to scribe, use a planer and possess a level plus a level of practical common sense then go for it, but remember that the product is only as good as the installation so if you have any doubts we would advise you to have them professionally fitted.
Made to Measure Wood Blinds: Wooden Blinds Fittings and Self Installation Guide
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Do you offer onsite measuring and installation services?
Yes, please contact us and we will arrange an appointment with a surveyor for you. Alternatively, forward your details on our “Survey Request” form on the web site and we will contact you.
Download PDF: Shutters and Blinds Fittings and Self Installation Guide
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What if my windows are not square?
There is virtually no such thing as a window that is perfectly square. If using battens the side battens are 25mm thick and can be scribed to square off the window. You have about 20mm of play with these.
Frames are used a lot now and for reveal edge fixes and outside fixes, this is really the way to go. Inside reveal fixes are possible as long as the window is reasonably square. The new L frames we use are great and are scribable should that be necessary.You will always find an optimum position however for the shutters that looks right. If they look right, then they are right!
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If you have any queries please don't hesitate to call us on: 0845 0944264
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