Have you ever taken a drive into the more prominent neighborhoods, just to admire the beautiful architecture of the homes and their landscaping detail? Maybe you noticed the window treatments in the long windows, and archways, that had you thinking to yourself those blinds look awesome, but they could not be blinds as they were more beautiful than ordinary blinds. What you were looking at was most likely the plantation shutters the homeowner had installed into their home. More and more people are discovering the beauty that these shutters will add to the exterior and interior of their homes.
Plantation Window Shutter
When it comes to window treatments, plantation shutters are the best choice when it comes down to wanting versatility and durability without sacrificing the beauty a window treatment can provide in your home. The shutters are so versatile that they will compliment any home’s decor like country, traditional, and contemporary. Plantation window shutters can be used to cover any type of indoor window like French doors, closets, curved arches, elongated arches, circles, and bay windows to name a few. For those windows in your home that have an odd shape and size to them, you can have these interior plantation shutters custom-built to fit the windows you want to cover.
Plantation Shutter Choices
Plantation shutters at one time were only manufactured using wood, but today with the use of modern materials we now have the choice of faux wood and vinyl. If you are the type of person who loves the look and feel of real wood, in the plantation shutters you have a few different options to choose from.
Wood Plantation Shutters
First, there are designer wood plantation shutters that are manufactured using Western Red Alder. Manufacturers choose the Red Alder for the fact that the wood is easy to work with and will provide the manufacturer with a great heirloom-type finish. For plantation shutter manufacturers is it the end result of their finished product that makes the Red Alder more appealing for their designer shutters? Depending on what type of finish is used, the end result will produce either light gold or an early cherry look. This shutter is considered top-of-the-line and will cost the consumer more to purchase.
Premium or Discount Plantation Shutter
The next choice is the premium wood plantation shutter; this shutter is primarily manufactured using basswood and other hardwoods that will provide a furniture-quality finish. Then you have your value wood shutters or discount plantation shutters which are manufactured using the same materials of basswood and hardwood, with this shutter you will receive your basic shutter with no furniture quality finish, and the cost is much less to the consumer. Therefore, it is a great choice for those looking for cheap plantation shutters.
Faux Plantation Shutter
Faux plantation shutters or Faux wood plantation shutters are preferred by many people for ease of care. These shutters are manufactured with man-made materials that display the real look of wood, but being they are textured vinyl you will not have the cracking, splitting, or warping that you would get from regular wood shutters when they are exposed to extreme heat from the sun. In general, they come in two colors white and golden oak, both of which are paint-able to compliment your room’s decor.
Vinyl Plantation Shutter
The vinyl plantation shutters are appealing in the fact that they offer consumer savings of 20 to 40 percent over the cost of the wood shutters. Some vinyl shutters are made using the material polyresin3 which is fire retardant, washable, and impossible to destroy. The advantage of vinyl shutters is they will not warp, shrink, chip, peel or fade, meaning virtually no maintenance and a lifetime of beauty.
Hunter Douglas Plantation Shutter
The Hunter Douglas Company manufactures several types of plantation shutters. Hunter Douglas plantation shutters are very unique. For their shutter that is manufactured using man-made materials, they offer to the consumer the choice of their Newstyle Hybrid plantation shutter and their Palm Beach poly satin shutter. Both of these shutters are durable and will last a lifetime while adding that extra beauty to your windows and rooms that you desire.
Custom Plantation Shutters
It is no wonder why people often choose plantation window shutters over traditional window coverings as they offer so much more. With all the options the consumer has when looking to purchase these window coverings, one can not help but fall in love with them. There is no other window covering that will provide us with our privacy without sacrificing beauty like the plantation shutter.
Plantation Shutters are Energy Efficient & Allergy Approved
Besides great looks, they are often purchased for their energy efficiency. Unless you have a thermal-lined curtain when you close a drape it mainly regulates lighting and privacy in a room. Closing wood plantation shutters in the summer keeps the room cool and in winter provides dead air space between the shutter and the window, insulating your home.
People with allergies often find shutters are the answer to their problems. Drapes have to be washed often or dry-cleaned to remove dust for allergy sufferers. You can easily remove dander, dust, and pollen without the hassle of washing and hanging drapes or the expense of a dry cleaner.
Plantation shutters make it easy to control lighting by adjusting the slats or opening one side or both; allowing as little or as much light as you want. They can be tailored to unique dimensions, including specialty windows with curves and angles that fit tight and snug.
With such exact customization, all openings and gaps are eliminated, providing excellent light control and privacy in bathrooms and bedrooms. They can also act as a buffer between exterior noise and your home providing peace and quiet.
Are there any disadvantages to owning interior plantation shutters? They last for years and you might want to redecorate; you can easily paint them for a whole new look. You will have to clean off the dust with a vacuum or cloth. They are more expensive than other types of window treatments; if you watch the sales you might get cheap plantation shutters for a great price.