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.

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