by Mary Snyder

Created on: June 07, 2008   Last Updated: June 14, 2008

There are many styles of shutters,including those for interior and exterior. It can be very confusing to find the one that is right for your home and your personal taste.
Interior shutters usually hinge on either side of the window opening and swing inwards. While exterior shutters can be multi functional louvers, this allows for more control of lighting and the elements.Non functional are those used to enhance the appearance of the home.

The RAISED PANEL STYLES : Similar to a raised panel steel door.
LOUVERED STYLES: Louver door look, slats, running horizontally
BOARD and BATTON STYLES: Solid boards,Planks, about four across and three running horizontally.
BAHAMA STYLES: Louvered and tilt outward.

They are all generally made out of pine, cedar or redwood. There are three ways in which to order them.

The first of which would be Standard (ready for prime and paint)

Second would be Primed (if you plan to paint them)

Third is Stain Grade.

You want to keep your shutters looking pristine, so you will have to keep up on them with a good paint and sealer. This will give a much longer life to your shutters and keep your house in good appearance for years to come.

You can custom order your shutters as well, for example you want cypress and not the available woods, some companies take the special orders.

If you are not really looking for wood, there are also Composite Shutters, These come in a variety of colors, styles and sizes.

Wood shutters give more flexibility to work with and you can be finished in many ways.It is also competitively priced. Cedar is considered one of the highest quality of woods for shutters because it is durable and resistant to decay. The tannin in the cedar wood produces a kind of oil that can help to prevent moisture penetration and bugs do not care for it much.

Cypress wood is extremely resistant to insects and decay. This is because of a natural perservative that is called cypressine.
Pine is a softer wood but also weathers very well. The woods mentioned here all take well to prime and paint and are easy working materials.

Redwood is light weight but very durable and is a popular choice by many contractors.

Teak is another wood that is extremely resistant to rot, decay and insects.

Composite shutters are not as easily manageable as far as trimming to fit and the like. They can be painted with a vinyl safe paint but require additional hardware. And you just can't replace the look of a natural wood with plastic. But this is all you and your personal tastes.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>