Plantation shutters are fixed blinds, usually made of wooden slats attached to a solid frame. These shutters originate in the Middle Age, when they were used instead of glass, in hot climates. This mounting is still visible in some areas of the words today, but they are doubled with normal windows, with glass.

The Role And Structure Of Plantation Shutters

Plantation shutters have a double role: to keep shadow and to let the air flow freely between inside and outside, therefore contributing to a cool environment. In order to be able to shut them in colder days, plantation shutters feature a rod in the middle, which can be used to rotate the slats from open to closed position. The traditional material of plantation shutters is wood, be it hardwood or basswood. Most manufacturers carefully select the hardwood they use, in order to make sure there is no resin in the wood that may attack the finish. However, there are also cheaper alternatives such as composite materials, vinyl, faux wood or plastic, which have the advantage of being easier to clean than wood. Besides, such materials help saving the forests, and such plantation shutters can be used even in bathrooms or in areas with intense sunlight, as they aren’t as prone to get warped or cracked like wooden shutters do. I’ve seen somewhere on the internet a company from Texas, Sewell Shutters, that offered solid poly shutters which they were calling ThermoWood Shutters, claiming them to be recyclable, non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. They were also very proud of their extrusion technology which enabled them to produce consistent profiles.

Most modern plantation shutters can be made of MDF, which stands for Medium density fiberboard, and which features an extremely durable finish that can resist to high humidity, hot sun rays, yellowing, denting, staining or scratching. This is the material which is used for manufacturing bathroom furniture, as it’s very resistant to those conditions.

Although plantation shutters allow air to circulate, sometimes it may be necessary that they can be wide open, therefore they are usually hinged.

Roller blinds are amongst the most popular window treatments, not only in the US but also in Europe or Australia. It’s easy to understand why: they are so easy to manipulate and very easy to automate by adding a tubular motor and turning them into electric, remote control operated blinds. One of our readers asked us if she could obtain total darkness in a room by using solely roller blinds. Here’s our take on that.

First of all, let’s define total darkness: are we talking about a complete blackout or only a very dark room for taking a comfortable afternoon nap? Complete blackout window treatments may be required in case you want to use a projector for home cinema purposes, or in offices where you project presentations on screen or directly on a white wall. Cheaper projectors lose their efficiency in case the darkness is not complete, so the screen becomes less visible. Stronger projectors can cope with a little bit of light, but you’d have to pay a lot more to buy such a projector, so you’d better change the window coverings instead.

Back to our roller blinds and to the question we try to give an answer to: roller blinds can be customized in such a way as to ensure enough darkness for sleeping, or even for home cinema, but if they aren’t an exact fit, they’d let some light pass through the edges. In my view, the best solution to go really dark are exterior shutters made of wood, faux wood or metal. The vinyl ones could be good, too.

Maybe the best idea would be to discuss this issue with a specialist in window coverings. Each big manufacturer of blinds, shades and shutters give free consultancy services to their potential customers. Besides, these manufacturers may have their own materials and technologies for manufacturing their products, therefore I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that I’m wrong and that a roller blind can be perfect for darkening a room.

All people who live in hurricane areas can testify that storm shutters can significantly reduce the damage caused by all that debris flying around at huge speeds, therefore gaining the force of impact of a missile.  Windows, especially big ones, are very exposed during hurricanes and storms, because they can easily break, thus being a real menace to people inside the respective house.

When windows break, another phenomenon happens: wind gets inside the rooms, it accumulated pressure, then it has to get out, thus putting a lot of pressure on the doors and on the roof itself. This is a simple explanation of how roofs can be taken by the wind during powerful storms. If you want, you could say that your roof was torn from the house because you didn’t think to install storm shutters at your windows.

Storm Shutters Types

Bahama hurricane shutters: they are fixed permanently to the windows and they prop open. When preparing for the storm, the home owner only needs to lower the shutters and secure them to the wall. They have the great advantage of being easily made storm-ready, but they block light to enter your rooms even when they are open. Some people may like that, some others may not.

Roll-down storm shutters: as the name says, these shutters are rolling in a case placed above the window, when not in use. These shutters have two possibilities of getting lowered, either with a manual crank or automatically, by pushing a button which operates a small motor. They are very convenient because they are permanently attached to the windows, thus not needing storage space when not in use. They offer very good protection to both storms and burglars, but they are more expensive than other types of storm shutters, therefore not all people can afford them.

Colonial hurricane shutters: made of two separate parts, they attach on the house wall, on both sides of the windows. They fold together for storm protection. They are easy to use and very decorative. Some models require a center storm rod to lock them in place, therefore increasing the storm preparation time.

Storm panel shutters: these are the simplest and the cheapest storm protection means for windows and doors. Made of steel or aluminum, these panels attach to the walls on bolts or on tracks, thus covering the windows and doors. They offer solid protection, but you need to allocate some storage space for them when not in use. Another drawback is that a single person cannot handle them, so hanging them requires two people and longer storm preparation time.

Homeowners who can’t buy storm shutters, but are exposed to hurricanes use plywood hurricane shutters, despite the fact that these systems are not meeting most building regulations. Plywood shutters need a very long installation time, so one has to be prepared to work a lot when a storm is announced. However, they are many times cheaper than regular storm shutters and there are people who live on tight budgets.