Whether you are searching for external shutters or internal shutters, there are a surprising number of shutter companies available, all claiming to be the best in their field so how should you select the company to use?

Here are a few pointers to check:

Experience.

How long has the shutter company been operating in the shutter market?  More importantly, how long has the owner or operatives been working in shutters?  It is a specialist subject and both experience and time is required to be able to not only make the shutters but also to be able to advise customers and know what will suit a home.  You should be able to rely on the shutter company to answer any and all questions that you might have. Being a member of a recognised Trade Organisation is a good indicator that any particular company works to a required standard.

Product Range.

There is a wide variety of shutters available in both size and material so ensure your shutter company has a sufficient range to satisfy your needs. If they do not have exactly what you after why not ask if they can recommend a company that stocks what you are looking for? You will find that companies will be only too happy to assist you if they cannot look after you directly.

Manufacturing & Guarantees.

Window shutters should be manufactured to size to meet your requirements.  You also want your shutters to last, so getting the right product for any particular application is of paramount importance. It would not be wise to install softwood shutters in an exterior exposed location as they will quickly rot. Similarly, positioning interior hardwood shutters right next to a shower head will ensure that they quickly deteriorate. The build quality of the finished product plays a vital part in overall longevity so ask what guarantees are in place and perhaps most importantly ask what the guarantee does not cover?

Satisfaction Guarantee.

Most good shutter companies will offer a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied for whatever reason. If they cannot remedy the cause of your complaint you should be able to return the shutters for a full refund within a specified time period. Try to choose from companies that have gone to great lengths (before receiving your order) to ensure that you are entirely comfortable with what you are ordering and that it will suit its particular application. Also ask for permission to speak to other clients that are local to you that may have had work carried out by your chosen company. Beware if the company is reluctant to provide this information or attempts to avoid the issue!

Communication.

Poor communication is generally accepted as being the single biggest issue behind poor levels of customer satisfaction. Good companies will keep a customer informed of progress (or lack of it) and even when things do go wrong, because the customer is aware of what is happening, it is generally not a stressful issue for either party. Ask any prospective supplier about the order/ delivery/ installation process and how they intend to keep you in the ‘picture’?

To buy your window shutters with confidence, be sure to check all the requirements above.

Shutter terminology can be confusing and the various terms and words are explained below.

Bracket : A mounting for decorative (non functional shutters) to keep the shutters onto the wall. These can take many forms.

Carcass : The body of the shutter.

Espagnolette : Espagnolette bars have a central handle that rotates to simultaneously send two long bolts into the top and bottom of the window reveal.

Frame : Not to be confused with the frame of the shutter even though the same word is used. This is the outer frame of a shutter assembly that sits within the reveal that shutters are hinged to. A frame is used to ‘square’ off a window reveal that is unlikely to be square where the shutters are to be installed within the reveal. Not all applications require a frame to house the shutters and are most commonly found on interior shutter installations.

Hinge : The bit that actually fastens onto the shutter to allow it to swing on the pintel.

Holdback : Also known as a tie back or shutter dog (USA). Holdbacks keep the shutters to the wall when the shutters are in the open position and stops the shutters from blowing about in the wind. These can take many forms but they all do the same job.

Lintel : The underside of the window reveal above your head.

Louvre : (Also known as louver/slat/blade). The louvre forms the internal structure of a horizontally slatted shutter. Contrary to common belief louvres can be mounted vertically or even diagonally for effect!.

Mouse-hole : The small slot with a curved edge that has been cut into the rail to accommodate the tilt rod when the louvres are in the closed position.

Panel : The name given to a solid style of shutter (not louvred).This can also be the name given to a single leaf or wing.

Piano Hinge : A long hinge running vertically up the stile that allows another shutter leaf to be connected to it to make a bi-folding shutter.

Pintel : An ‘L’ shaped fixing into the wall that accommodates the hinges that are mounted on the shutters. The long leg of the ‘L’ fixes into the wall with the short leg sticking vertically upright.

Pintel Plate : Does the same job as the pintel except that this is mounted onto a backing plate that is then fixed to the wall.

Profile : The shape of the material (when viewed end on) used to make any particular part of the shutter itself or shutter frame.

Rail : The horizontal part of the frame that makes the top and bottom of the shutter,

Rebate : (Rabbit-USA). A rebated edge can be given to shutter wings to allow them to lock together or close against each other when closed over the window. Rebated edges will need to be the reverse of each other to be effective i.e. left and right handed rebates.

Recess : The depth that the window is set back from the edge of the facing brickwork.

Reveal : This is the hole in the wall that accommodates the window frame.

S Hook : A type of holdback made in an ‘S’ shape. The S has uneven curves and rotates around a pintel so that it always settles in the upright position. To free the shutters from behind it, the S hook is rotated into a horizontal position that allows the shutter to pass.

Shutter stop : A small block that allows a shutter to stop in a given position usually mounted on the windowsill or under the lintel.

Slide bolt : A bolt that locks the two shutters together. Slide bolts differ from ordinary bolts as they are of a flat rather than circular design.

Stile : The upright or vertical part of the shutter frame.

Strap Hinge : A long hinge that fixes onto the rail as well as the stile for added strength.

Tilt rod : The bar that connects to the louvre blades to allow rapid positioning, opening or closing of all the louvres simultaneously

Track :    Where the reveal is very wide or the shutters are too heavy to be hinged, a track is used to support the weight of the shutters. This can be mounted above or below the shutters or both.

Wings :    Also known as leafs or panels. Shutters can be made from any number of wings that hinge together. Bi-fold shutters have 4 wings (2×2) whereas tri-fold have 6 wings (2×3).

External or exterior window shutters as they are more commonly known were thought to of have originated in ancient Greece. In those ancient times glass, as a window covering, had not been invented so shutters were used to keep out the elements during the winter months as much as keeping the property cool during summer and to provide a degree of privacy.

The Ancient Egyptians invented glass for use in windows during the Roman occupation and it was the Romans who were responsible for transporting this new technology around their Empire.

With the advent of glass windows the reliance on shutters receded and it was not until more modern times that shutters installed within a room became popular. Interior shutters were often chosen as a replacement for curtains in countries where the climate was moist and humid and where insects might decide to make a home in any curtain material or even lunch out of it!

The Georgians were responsible for designing homes with shutters as a standard feature so that we now accept shutters as traditional part of British architecture It was the British during the Georgian era who exported this feature to the New World and places such as Georgetown, Savannah and Charleston (North America -USA) are still dominated by English architecture of this bygone age that are testimony to this.

Shutters are extremely popular the world over. Shutters on the outside of properties are more popular in locations that are extremely hot or suffer from bad weather. Shutters for the inside are found in every location, in just about every country as these take the place of curtains. It is almost impossible to see into a room during the day that has interior shutters installed even though the louvre blades might be open. The open louvre blades allow light to pass into the room whilst retaining privacy.

Fully operational exterior shutters are best installed where there is a deep recess and the opening (reveal) is not too wide. Homes in Mediterranean countries such as Italy for example have tall, relatively narrow, deeply recessed windows that open into the room. This allows the shutters to be easily operated from inside the room without the windows taking up too much space within the room itself when opened.

Here in the UK, most shutter installations are either interior or exterior decorative (non functional) in nature. This is because our windows are wide and relatively short with little or no recess. To make matters more complicated, most of the windows found in the UK open away from the building so making manual shutter operation from within the room impossible. Motors and other devices are available to get around this issue but this adds considerably to the cost

Exterior shutters tend to have louvres that are fixed in position and do not move although it is also quite common to see exterior shutters with adjustable louvre mechanisms.