INFORMATION about our range of Shutters

• About Our Products

  Normally, panels of interior plantation shutters fixed inside windows have to endure extreme variations in heat and humidity. There can be radiators underneath too. An interior shutter panel may look like a door or kitchen unit panel but it lives in totally different environments. During our UK summer, inside glass temperature reaches 55c. These interior plantation shutters are tested in Arizona to (69c). Apart from our oiled wooden Vancouver range, all other finishes of these interior plantation shutters are carefully developed to be UV resistant with long lasting properties.

• The Vancouver Range of wooden shutters

  Vancouver is our range of interior wooden plantation shutters made of Western Red Cedar, a wood that can be left outside untreated due to its resin content. We don't have to laminate these wooden plantation shutters to prevent warping as cedar has a relatively straight grain, giving stability. All but our wooden Vancouver plantation shutters are laminated in some way during construction making them dearer to make than solid timbers. We do so, however, to create a better product. We can only sell cedar interior plantation shutters for these prices because, despite the wood being relatively expensive, it's also our cheapest to make in labour/machinery terms. Cedar finishes on interior wooden plantation shutters may darken slightly. We don't use regular domestic paint as that would necessitate you having to repaint/varnish your interior wooden plantation shutters every couple of years, at extra cost. See colour ranges for these wooden interior plantation shutters.

• The Phoenix Range plantation shutters

  Our Phoenix range of wooden interior plantation shutters is made from very light Phoenix hardwood (sometimes called Parasol) with a laminated core. This timber requires many processes before becoming one of our interior wooden plantation shutters.

  
  
  
• Shutters in the Seattle Range

  Seattle is a range of interior plantation shutters which are ideal if you have young, destructive children! If interior louvers or panels are damaged/broken, we can usually remake or replace them The quality of our lowest price Seattle range of shutters is as good as our top range Vancouver interior wooden plantation shutters.

  
  
  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What Are Interior Plantation Shutters?

  Interior plantation shutters are louvered panels fixed either inside or outside interior windows and doors. They originated in America and the West Indies and date back 200 years.

• What Are Solid Shutters?

  These are panels that have no louvers. These shutters were originally installed in reveal boxes in pre-Edwardian houses and were used as security when the owners de-camped for the season. These wooden interior shutters were not designed to be opened and shut daily like our present designs and that is why so few remain today.

• How Do I Measure My Windows or Doors?

  For a quick quote, just measure the width and height of any opening at its smallest point.

• What If My Windows Are Not Square?

  Internal plantation shutters can be installed on virtually any window, French door or patio sliding doors. These shutters can also be used effectively as room dividers fitted on tracks. If windows/doors opens inwards they can always be mounted outside of the reveal. Bi Pass tracking allows for plantation shutters to slide past each other and is used where there are overhangs preventing the panels from swinging out.

• Installation

  There is no such thing as a perfectly square window. Side battens are 25mm thick and can be scribed to square off the window. If windows slant, interior plantation shutters will emphasise this as they are square. We do not advise trimming them lengthwise as these interior shutters can look odd when opened.

  Frames are used a lot now and are a good option for reveal edge/outside fixes. Inside reveal fixes are possible if the window is reasonably square. The new L frames we use are great and can be scribed if necessary.

  You will, however, always find an optimum position that looks right for these wooden interior plantation shutters. If they look right, they are right!

• How Many Shutter Panels Do I Need In My Window Or Divider?

  You need to consider where the panels of your interior plantation shutters are going to fold back to and if there is enough room for this to happen. This is also true whenever you are fitting inside a reveal next to the window for you may not want plantation shutters, when open, to protrude much into your room. There are exceptions however, eg: a long window with 3 panes of glass would have 6 panels of plantation shutters, three folding either way. Alternatively, if you are only going to open these interior shutters to clean the windows, you could easily have just 3 panels. The Americans never open their interior shutters (just the louvers) so they design with large panels.

  Generally a window looks best with interior plantation shutters comprising 4 panels, two opening as pairs either way. A 3 window bay, however, will usually have 2 panels of plantation shutters on the smaller side windows and 4 in the centre. All panels of your wooden interior shutters, will open away from the middle. Your window size will normally dictate the number of panels in your interior plantation shutters. If your window is split into two halves you would either have 2 or 4 panels and if it is three panes, then three or six panels suffice. The vertical dividers of your windows are where the vertical stiles of your wooden interior plantation shutters should be ideally.

• When Would I Need Sliding Tracks?

  With your interior plantation shutters, we would not recommend hanging more than 3 panels from a single frame together unless they were not going to be opened (apart from window cleaning). As our maximum recommended width of these panels is 750mm you may say that this equates to 4500mm maximum width but it is asking a lot of battens to hold panels of this width/weight without sagging at later dates. Common sense is needed to achieve a good installation of your interior plantation shutters. Openings over 2200mm generally need a top track or consider using light panels eg Vancouver or Phoenix. Ideally interior wooden
  plantation shutters comprising 8 panels or 12 panels for very large openings are best although consider hanging even 6 panels from tracking if they are quite large.

• How Long From Ordering To Fitting?

  These wooden interior plantation shutters are custom manufactured to fit individual openings and ready for installation 6 to 8 weeks from date of order with received deposit.

  Air freight is offered at extra charge.

• Does Wood Warp, Shrink, Change Colour Or Age In Any Way?

  Of course it does and so it should on your shutters. If it doesn't then it isn't natural.

  CEDAR can warp on rare occasions like any wood but is less prone to do so than virtually any other timber. We give you a guarantee though against significant warping in your interior wooden plantation shutters; there is less than 1 in 2000 chance of this happening.

  PHOENIX interior shutters can shrink but also very little so we advise tight fitting in a first instance. Wooden interior plantation shutters can be adjusted should minor changes occur but it may be better to leave them, as shutters can swell again if humidity levels increase.

  Wood is a natural material. We do make perfect interior plantation shutters because today's market expects perfect manufacture. These wooden shutters are not rustic. Rustic products are made in rustic environments with basic tools and are specifically finished to look that way. If you want an aged look for your interior wooden plantation shutters, then add it later. In fact

• How Do I Maintain My Shutters?

  Interior plantation shutters are easily cleaned using a feather duster, damp sponge/soft cloth. Wooden finishes shouldn't need repainting for many years, indeed our Seattle plantation shutters are totally maintenance free and cannot be re painted anyway.

• Where Are They Made?

  We have been amongst the first in sourcing custom products in China but have used very modern methods to do so. Interior plantation shutters are made in less than a day from order, using sophisticated, expensive computers and machinery. These products are made to excellent standards as we want to avoid altering/maintaining interior wooden plantation shutters here. Owners of this facility have invested tens of millions of US dollars making our products and interior plantation shutters as good as they are. Workers creating our shutters work reasonable hours for above average pay. They have careers, housing and children at schools. China make some of the highest quality products on offer here, including our interior wooden plantation shutters.

• Is Wood for our Shutters Eco Friendly?

  Cedar for our interior wooden plantation shutters comes from the Western Red Cedar Association in Canada. It is either replanted cedar or taken from designated managed forest areas. Cedar is amongst the world's most used timber because although a softwood, it is amazingly long lasting with resistance to wet/rot. As a result it is farmed on very well managed forests.

  "Phoenix" wooden interior plantation shutters are made from laminated constructed Phoenix wood, sometimes called Parasol. It is a lightweight hardwood, growing in sub tropical areas of southern USA states, China and Japan. Being very fast growing (reaching full height in about 15 years) it is ideal for farming. It is our planet's slowest burning wood, needing a secondary heat source to burn. In Japan it is believed it has mystical properties.

  Our "Seattle Range" of interior plantation shutters represent our most eco friendly product because no trees have been cut down to make this range of plantation shutters. They comprise a laminated veneered lumber core (made from Basswood or other strong frame materials' off-cut strips), laminated together with epoxy making a light, strong core, LDF laid bulk plus polymer sealed outer coating.

  When making our interior wooden plantation shutters, we use the most material efficient methods known. We also re-use whatever wood is leftover from any process (even our sawdust is used to power our plant generators and provide hot water). The 3 large turbines that do this cost more than an average plantation shutter company's entire production equipment. We really do consider our planet when creating these interior plantation wooden shutters. We avoid bubblewrap when dispatching our interior shutters. Even packaging/inserts for our wooden plantation interior shutters are made from biodegradable cardboard acceptable at all UK recycling waste facilities.

• Warranty

  All products and interior wooden plantation shutters are protected against warping or defects of workmanship for a minimum of 12 months from fitting date. See full terms and conditions re our interior plantation shutters.