You don’t have to compromise quality to afford premium plantation shutters.
Indoor plantation shutters are a popular window furnishing product in Australia and NZ. However, some find the price beyond reach. DIYShutters has changed all that without compromising on the quality.
Best material to use for plantation shutters
Superior material
Only the
best in wood type is used – see
Comparison Table. Note that poplar is a
laminated hardwood extensively used in the industry world wide.
Unlike raw un-laminated wood it is stiffer, stable and therefore less likely to warp.Shutter materials comparison
Warning – PVC is not a good choice for shutters as the surface is low quality. PVC shutters are not treated with premium urethane 2-pack supplied by DIYShutters. Usually there is no coating. PVC breaks down rapidly with UV light and loses it’s lustre and can even yellow quite quickly. No on line supplier offers a warranty against the surface appearance, only the mechanical aspect of the shutters. Do not be misled.
Material Name
|
Overall score of 7
|
Comment
|
Wood Class
|
Density
|
Resistance
to Warp/Bow
|
Cost
|
Strength/
Resistance to Splitting
|
Decay/ Resistance
to
Moisture ingress
|
Fading
& Resistance to UV (indoor)
|
Insulation strength
|
Likely Warranty
|
Links
|
| Poplar |
7 |
Perfect for painted wood plantation shutters. The preferred timber world wide. It also makes an excellent kit form timber as it comes primed/ undercoated
|
Hard
wood
|
Light
Specific Gravity
:0.42
|
High
|
Mid
|
High
|
Good
|
Good
10 years*
|
High
|
3-5 years
|
|
| Basswood |
6.5 |
Best wood for lower cost ‘natural’ wood look (when you want to see the wood grain) shutters (stained or lacquered). No advantage over poplar as a painted shutter. Slightly more likely to split than poplar
|
Hard Wood
|
Light
SG:0.41
|
High
|
Mid+
|
Med to High
|
Good
|
Good
10 years*
|
High
|
3-5 years
|
|
Western Red Cedar
|
5
|
The ultimate in natural wood look but this high quality material is expensive and unnecessary for painted shutters since you cannot see the attractive grain.
|
Soft Wood
|
V Light
SG:0.36
|
V High
|
High
|
High
|
Excellent
|
Good
10 years *painted
5 years – *lacquered
|
V High
|
4 years
|
|
Composite
Mikronwood
|
5
|
Superb product for durability, does not need painting & can be used outdoors. Doesn’t look so much like plastic as PVC does. It’s price reflects it’s quality. Invented in the USA
|
High quality plastics
extruded with wood powder
|
Light to Med
|
High
|
High
|
V High
|
Excellent
|
Excellent
|
High
|
5 years
|
|
Aluminium
|
4.5
|
Included here for interest. Powder coated it has a very long life. Indoors it is used but does not have the look of a natural wood product and is a poor insulator – makes a room hotter in summer, colder in winter
|
N/A
(Metal)
|
Med to Heavy
SG:2.6
|
V High
|
V High
|
V High
|
Excellent
|
Excellent
10 years outdoor
|
Low
|
5 years
|
|
Composite
Low Grade
|
4
|
It can look similar to Mikronwood but unless it comes with a long warranty or specification and not from a ‘back-yarder’ – avoid it. Can be recycled plastic.
|
Low grade plastic & Wood Powder
|
Medium
|
Med
|
Low to Mid
|
Med
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
Mid to High
|
1-2
|
|
PVC or All Plastic
|
3.5
|
Just doesn’t look like real wood. Wide variety of quality in market. Ask what its composition is. High grade PVC has excellent properties but is no cheaper & may be more expensive than real wood. Some extrusions are hollow!
|
N/A
(Plastic)
|
Medium
|
Low to Med
|
Low
|
High
|
Good
|
Fair
|
Mid to High
|
2-3
|
|
MDF
|
2
|
This low cost product is often supplied with easily broken cheap plastic fittings on the ends of louvre’s. Only need one small moisture entry point and it will disintegrate
|
Wood Chip Base
|
Medium
|
Fair
|
V Low
|
Low
|
Fair until paint damaged – then poor
|
Fair
|
Mid to High
|
1-2
|
|
|
* This Overall Score is based on overall beneficial characteristics that make the material most suitable for PAINTED INDOOR PLANTATION SHUTTERS when also considering the material c ost |
|
* Assumes a high quality acrylic paint is used |
|
Primed for smoothness
DIYSHutters material is primed with a thick smooth undercoat. It requires far less work to achieve an excellent smooth painted finish on DIYSHutters plantation shutters than for example a pre-sanded raw wood. First coat of paint can go straight over the top. No sanding is required. Then go straight to second coat.
Superior coating for plantation shutters
Superior Coating - no yellowing
Pre-painted plantation shutter kits are coated with a premium 2-pack urethane paint, not just any old acrylic as supplied by nearly all other on line suppliers. It is more colourfast, more durable, holds it’s lustre longer and does not yellow prematurely if at all.
Superior components for plantation shutters
Superior components
Other material features are; Solid Structure and stainless steel screws are used for the side control (not just zinc plated nails which are not satisfactory where there is movement), deep large dowels creating a solid support frame for the louvres, and quality hinges and track systems. Who wants rust on their expensive plantation shutters?
Minimal robust mount system
Robust simple installation for plantation shutters
DIYShutters offers a simple robust type of installation system for windows – the reveal fit pivot hinge.
Disadvantages of Frames
Disadvantages of frames. Most other plantation shutter suppliers will supply assembled Chinese made product to be mounted in a frame. This frame adds a somewhat bulky appearance to the window, especially on smaller windows. A frame covers part or all of the architrave, and forces the shutters out more into the room. Furthermore, if there are three of more panels there has to be a vertical timber strip between the panels for the hinges to attach to. This further adds bulkiness and reduces uniformity. This frame will also be the colour of the shutters and it is unlikely to be a match to the architrave paint colour. This is not an elegant way to install plantation shutters
The DIY Shutters system of a neat fit within the reveal is simple and elegant and blends naturally. The pivot hinges are top and bottom only and much less obtrusive than the standard hinges that come with a frame type mount.
Plantation shutters made accurately for best fit and operation
Process accuracy
Accuracy of the end product is guaranteed, since DIY Shutters uses proprietary automation, designed in Australia, to closely control the feed and cut process to produce plantation shutter kits.
By concentrating on the most popular range of shutters in Australia, and producing them efficiently, DIY Shutters is able to offer you a price and service second to none for the supply of genuine high quality plantation shutters.
Whether you choose a full fit service or a full DIY you will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars. With the assurance of a genuine and experienced Australian manufacturer, employees with more than 20 years experience in the industry and backed by a growing network of service professionals, how can you lose?
We invite you to try us for plantation shutters.
Notes:
- At a future date DIY Shutters may offer Western Red Cedar for those wanting natural wood grain and colour, stain or lacquered finish.