Tell me about Plantation Shutters!

[elizabethkott]

I love the look of them!!! We have 8 (!) windows in our living room, part of what what must have at one point been a porch that was enclosed. I would love to do plantation shutters that are split, so that the tops could be left open a bit but the bottom closed for privacy, as we’re pretty close to the street.
So, talk to me about plantation shutters! I know they are pricey; composite or real wood? Best place to buy? Worth it to have a professional measure and install?
Thanks for your help!!


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[sariana]

Either material is fine if it's a quality manufacturer. It likely depends on where you live--humidity levels, expected sun load, etc. A good salesperson should be able to advise you. And you can do online research. Hunter Douglas is a well-regarded national brand. [ETA: I'm not necessarily endorsing them, just thinking their website might be helpful.]

I think a professional measurement is crucial for shutters. They are not forgiving at all--they either fit or they don't, no fudging. And if your windows aren't square (most aren't), a professional will know what adjustments to make so that the final product looks good.

I like a 1/3--2/3 split. In DD's room we usually open only the top third so that she has plenty of light but still has her privacy. Some people prefer a 50/50 spilt. If possible, look at samples of different configurations so you can get a sense of what look you like.

You'll also want to look at samples of slat sizes. 2" used to be pretty standard, but several years ago the 3" size gained in popularity. I like the smaller size, but it does block more light even when open. The larger size allows more light. They have a very different look, so you will want to see examples. (I think there are other sizes, but 2" and 3" are the most common.)

[LBW]

I had plantation shutters installed about a year ago. I love them. On mine, the louvers on the top 1/3 are independent from the louvers on the bottom 2/3. That way I can have the bottom closed for privacy and top open. I have the larger width slats.

I forget the brand of mine, but I contacted them directly, and they sent a local installer out. We DIY most things, but I didn't want to mess with the measurements on these. He did all of the measurements, placed the order, and installed them. It was pricey, but I'm glad I went this route b/c one set of blinds was a bit off. (They were slightly too wide, so were hard to open/close.) Since he had taken care of all measurements, he ordered a replacement set and installed it w/no charge to me.

[NCGrandma]

My old condo had plantation shutters, which had probably been there for a long time. In general I liked them, but the ones in the bedroom were slightly too wide so it was really hard to close them. My guess is that they weren’t measured right to begin with and the person I bought the condo from never had them fixed. (Of course, I didn’t either...) So, another vote for having a pro do the measuring and installing.


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[bcafe]

I can go either way--take them or leave them. We have toured many homes that have them and while I do appreciate the privacy they provide, on the other hand, the amount of light restriction can be great. I would have to say it would depend on the direction of window/light and the amount of privacy you would need.

[pharmjenn]

We installed them on the front of our house. So living room, entry, stairs and DS10 bedroom. We went with split 50%, so I can open the top for light and keep some privacy in our downstairs. It is nice to be able to peak out the stairs to the front entry but not be seen. I think ours are 3in, because most all of the windows are pretty large and the sales person said a 2in would look too small for the space.
I love them, and if they were not so costly, I would have done the entire house.

[jgenie]

We had them installed throughout our house. 3” slats with 50 / 50 divide. We went through Budget Blinds. They go on sale every year but I can’t remember which month. We did them in stages. Bedrooms then living spaces then library then office. I love them!

[Kindra178]

We are about to put them in. We have three huge windows groupings, one front and two sides. We are doing Hunter Douglas (faux wood) from an independent dealer. He does measure and install. Our other quote was from Eddie Zs. The Eddie Zs house brand (faux wood) quote was actually more expensive than our Hunter Douglas quote, but I think that had to do with our specific dealer of Hunter Douglas. The Eddie Z house brand had an excellent double life time warranty - it included replacement for dog chewing and kid disasters as well as hardware.

As to the split, we are doing a 1/3 - 2/3, so the top 1/3 will remain open. Also, we will keep one fully open for the dog.

We chose the 3.5 width.



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[♥ms.pacman♥]

when we built our house almost 3 years ago, we put plantation shutters on all our windows. it was pretty pricey as our house is big and we had a lot of windows (i think it was $15k to do them all), but I LOVE THEM. I am in TX and they are extremely popular here in the South and definitely add to resale value. they also help keep the house cooler in the summers.

we got the 4" slats. i really like the bigger slats. that is what our model house had and we really liked that look

i would say the pros are:
-easy to clean (much easier than blinds!!)
-can leave top open and bottom closed for privacy
-don't need to spend $ or time cleaning drapes
-really keeps the light out

the downside i've heard is that they are really pricey to replace if they get broken and that they can be broken pretty easily by kids (or clueless adults) who like to fiddle with them. our realtor actually didn't recommend them to us initially for that reason (we had a 4 & 5 yo at the time). but we sprung for it and so glad we did. you can probably search here as i may have put a thread on it back then (2015). it has been 3 years and no one has broken any one of them so that is good :)

for us we had a professional install them and measure them..i don't think i would have tried it ourselves. they are pretty huge!