Your guide to buying shutters

Sam Tamlyn, operations manager of The California Company, shares some top tips on how to buy the perfect shutters.

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Video guides

• What to look out for when opting for white shutters
• How to select stains for wood shutters
• Choosing different slat sizes for your shutters
• Stiles, rods and blinds - what are the options?
• Hidden or visible tilt rods - what's the difference?
• How much light will be cut out by shutters?

What are the benefits of shutters over blinds?

Shutters provide a chic and stylish alternative to blinds and curtains, and are a cost-effective way to completely update the look and feel of a room. They are more hygienic too as they simply wipe clean and don't absorb the dust, unlike curtains or blinds.

Shutters offer you a great deal of flexibility, for instance you can have different slat sizes, different colours and different panel designs. You also have more control over how much light enters the room. With blinds, there's relatively little light control flexibility.

Shutters can also save you valuable pennies as they provide further insulation, which is particularly appealing in these cash strapped times.

And finally, shutters last longer and are more durable.

What are the different styles of shutters?

There are three types of shutters: plantation, solid and café style.

Most people go for the plantation style, which have slats (also known as louvers) that rotate open and closed to control light levels.

Solid shutters are ideal for those wanting to create a more traditional look, and are designed to be folded back during the day and closed at night.

Café style shutters are popular in restaurants and cafes, hence the name. With this style, the shutters normally cover just the bottom half of the window.

With tier-on-tier shutters, there are two sets of shutters, one above the other. You can open each set individually, which gives you more flexibility and more light control. These are ideal if you have larger bay windows.

Which styles would suit which types of windows?

Solid shutters are mainly used in Victorian and older style properties. They keep out more light and offer the ultimate privacy. This type of shutter is perfect in a room with a simple and minimal décor, and works particularly well in country cottages where they look quaint folded back during the day.

Solid shutters with a solid lower half but with movable slats on top work fabulously on French doors, giving a lovely Continental feel that will certainly remind you of your summer holiday.

With the plantation shutters, you can really get creative with the design, the colour and the rods, and as such these types of shutters suit most spaces.

Can shutters still be fitted in awkward spaces?

Shutters are perfect for awkward places!

There are very few spaces that can't accommodate shutters. You can get round and triangular shutters; shutters on doors; shutters on roofs; there are many possibilities. At The California Company we can manufacture all of these unusual shapes and designs to suit your specific tastes and needs.

Are there any instances in which shutters will not be suitable?

You have to be careful with inward opening windows and doors, as you need to make sure that they will still open when the shutters have been fitted over them. If you're in any doubt over suitability, take a look at The California Company's Shutter Design section. Here you'll find plenty of information and advice on shutter design and what works best for different kinds of windows and living spaces.

What materials are shutters made from? Why choose MDF/wood?

Over the last couple of years, more and more people are realising the benefits of shutters, which in turn has led to the development of a greater number of manufacturing materials used.

. Wood remains the most popular material, but you can now choose from other options such as MDF and plastic.

Although MDF is cheaper, solid wood has greater durability, strength and flexibility. And as such, at The California Company, we wouldn't recommend choosing an MDF shutter.

Our shutters are made out of Yellow Poplar and Elm. These woods are amongst the most durable on the market, and tests have proven these to be highly effective against warping and shrinking.

Another option is the polyvinyl shutter, which is ideal for the bathroom and other wetrooms. This waterproof material is suitable for harsher and wetter environments. This option is also available to buy through The California Company.

Can you explain the different shutter parts?

Shutter panel: describes the whole piece of wood that is mounted inside the shutter frame.

Shutter frame: as the name suggests, the frame surrounds and supports the shutter structure. Frames work best in a three or four sided design.

Shutter slats: also known as the shutter louvers, the slats are the pieces of wood that run horizontally and can be tilted at an angle and rotated to close and open.

Bottom rail/top rail: these are the solid parts at the top and the bottom of the shutter.

Mid-rail: also known as a shutter divide rail, this sort of rail is needed for panels over a certain height to retain the strength of the panels. The mid-rail also gives you separate control of the top and bottom slats, again giving you more light flexibility.

Push rod: this is the vertical bar that runs down the centre of each shutter panel. Moving this rod moves the slats in that particular section of the panel.

Open sky concealed push rod: this rod system involves a concealed aluminium push rod, which runs down the rear side of the shutter panel. So when you look through the shutter slats, there is no visible bar running through the slats, unlike with your regular push rod as described above.

Shutter hinge: the shutter panel and the shutter frame and joined together by the shutter hinge.

Panel structure with visible rod

Panel structure with hidden rod

How stable are shutters?

Very. One of the benefits of having wooden shutters is added security. The wood is highly durable, which is an additional obstacle for any thief. It also means that prying eyes cannot look into your rooms to see any of your valuables.

Is there a maximum window size?

It completely depends on the style of your window. Shutters can be fitted to very tall windows and generally there are no rules as to a maximum width, as a track system can be put in place to open and close them. The California Company can make shutters up to a massive 8 metres.

However, it's not recommended that shutters are fitted to windows three metres or over in height. At this height the shutter panels are not strong enough.

What tools and materials do I need to install my shutters?

Shutters are really easy to install and good manufacturers, like us, will provide you with full, detailed instructions. Generally, all you will need is a drill and a screwdriver. To give a neat and polished look to your shutters, use a tube of decorators caulk.

Can you share any simple rules of shutter design?

Design: Keep it simple! Look at the window frame and try to get this to match the shutter. Less is definitely more in shutter design.

. At The California Company we also offer a bespoke design service: our customers can email over photographs of their windows and our expert design team will reply with best design for your shutters, and will also mark on your images where you should measure to get the get the best fit.

Colour: Choosing the right colour for your shutters is a personal thing, and depends on the décor and style of the room. Generally lighter coloured shutters pull in more light, while darker coloured ones absorb more. So, if your room is filled with heavy furniture or a dark wood floor, a lighter coloured shutter would be more suitable for your room. On the same note, the direction of the room is also important; a north facing room will naturally be darker, so again go for a lighter coloured shutter.

Be careful with custom colours too. If you go for a radical colour, it may seem great and very different at the time, but it will go out of fashion in a couple of years. It will be too brash and may clash if you redecorate. That's one of the reasons why white is such a popular colour for shutters; it'll never go out of fashion.

Opening your shutters: When you're considering the design, you also need to think about how often you will open and close your shutters, and how often you will tilt the slats. From this, you can decide which design would most suit your room, the décor, the window and your requirements. As a rule of thumb, fewer panels are more effective if you intend to leave your shutters closed with the slats tilted open during the day.

Mounting the shutters: To find out where you should mount your shutters, you need to establish what sort of window you have before measuring and ordering. If your windows are inline with the internal wall of the house, then you have no recess, so you need to measure for an outside mount. If you have a window sill and your windows are in line with the outside wall, then you need an inside mount.

Shutter rods: Choosing whether you should have an open sky concealed push rod or a simple push rod in the centre of the panel is a personal choice and depends on the look and feel of your room.

Generally, if you order shutters with smaller, narrower slats, then the concealed rod works best, as this means that you can have the slats tilted open with an unobstructed view. This system also works well with heavy or leaded windows. Push rods are perfect for those who are looking for a more traditional look.

When shutters "go wrong", what tends to be the most common issues?

Wooden shutters need looking after just like furniture. So clean them and dust them.

Cracked slats may occur if you have boisterous children, who perhaps play with footballs in the house. If this is the case, then make sure that you buy shutters where a slat can easily be replaced.

If shutters are purchased from quality manufacturers, then any problems incurred are usually human related!

The California Company is the UK's favourite web-based specialists in DIY bespoke shutters and blinds, all available at an affordable price. The team behind California has a reputation for great customer service and are known for selling products that look fantastic and are easy to install yourself.

The collection includes a wide range of affordable window treatments and solutions to suit all tastes, which will bring your living space to life.

For further details please see www.thecaliforniacompany.co.uk.