Window shutters are essential additions when it comes to shielding your home interiors and family from outside elements like direct sunlight, rain and dust-laden wind. Though window shutters were traditionally designed to be installed within a home, they have a great history of shielding windows on the outside.
If you're looking to install exterior window shutters in your home, the materials from which the products are made should be one of the main considerations. Here's a look at some of the top materials commonly used for making exterior shutters.
1. Real wood shutters
Wood is one of the oldest construction materials available today, and its use for the production of window shutters comes as little surprise. Real wood shutters are remarkably hardwearing; hence they are resilient and used to protect your windows from inclement weather.
When it comes to aesthetics, the natural wood grain patterns, colours and textures of your shutters will reveal the unique story of the tree from which the wood came from. If you live in an older house, you'll love how wood shutters blend nicely with your traditional style home. Real wood is also an excellent choice of material for people who want to use external shutters to insulate their homes from excess solar heat coming in through the windows.
2. Vinyl shutters
If you live in an area that experiences high humidity for the most part of the year, vinyl shutters may be a safer option than real wood alternatives. Unlike real wood, vinyl is a completely impermeable material that won't let moisture or water infiltrate it. This helps avoid moisture or water damage common with real wood shutters. It also keeps destructive wood-boring insects at bay.
Vinyl shutters also maintain their original colours for their entire lifespan, thus eliminating the need to occasionally repaint or refinish the surface of the shutters. However, as vinyl shutters can't be refinished, they tend to have a shorter lifespan than wood shutters.
3. Composite shutters
They are also known as engineered wood shutters because they are partially made of wood and have a vinyl coating to help increase their longevity. In other words, these shutters combine the qualities of both real wood and vinyl shutters. These exteriors shutters resist moisture, extreme temperatures and attacks by wood-loving insects like termites. However, they can't match the durability, look and feel of real wood.
When it comes to choosing which shutters are best for your home, let your budget and specific needs guide you.
Share19 September 2018
If you want to find a way to care for your windows and to ensure that they remain in the best possible condition, then you are in the right place. My name is Peter and I would like to introduce you to a few simple concepts which can really help you to get the most out of the windows in your home. I am not a professional window contractor but over the past few months, I have been given some great advice by my brother-in-law who works for a large window supplier as an installation and maintenance worker. I hope you like my blog.
