Handy Tips 3. (of 3)-Installing decorative exterior shutters.

Handy Tips 3. (of 3)

Installing decorative exterior shutters.

Putting your new shutters up on the wall.

Having gone through all the trials and tribulations to get to this point, the moment is at hand where you (and everyone else for that matter) can see the fruits of your labour. It is time to install your decorative shutters!

Simply Shutters products are made from Duraprene, a polypropylene composition that gives the shutters a weather resistant finish that will keep them looking good for years. Polypropylene is what some garden furniture, plastic buckets and car bumpers is made from. As a consequence they are quite flexible in your hands but become very rigid and stable when positioned on a solid surface.

The wall does not need to be completely flat as the shutters will find their own level. As a consequence fixing shutters to walls that are: rough stone, stucco finished, pebble dashed, roughcast, ship lapped or use siding presents no problem at all.

You will need to insert the Shutter Spikes into the pre-drilled holes in the shutter first as this is much easier done on the ground than up a ladder. If you are using screws then insert the wall anchors (Rawlplugs (TM)) into the holes in the wall and tighten the screws. If using Shutter Spikes then locate the tips into the holes into the wall and gently (remember that you are not driving in a railway spike) tap the spike in.

Do not over tighten the spike or screw as the shutters will expand on a warm day. If the fixings are too tight you will end up with dimples or saucer shaped dents around the heads that will look horrible. As the shutter cools the dimples will go away but will come back again when expansion next occurs. You should look to leave about a 1mm expansion gap between the face of the shutter and the underneath of the plug head or screw head to avoid this happening.

Clean the shutters with warm soapy water and a brush (it’s easier than with a cloth) and never, ever use solvents, bleach or cleaning fluids on them.

So, to summarise the points discussed so far are:

1.    Make small marks on the wall to enable you to accurately re-align the shutters.

2.    Align the shutters with the window and do not use a spirit level.

3.    Mark out the fixing positions on the shutter.

4.    Drill the holes in the shutter.

5.     Position the ladder to support the shutter or use a nail to support one corner of the shutter

6.    Mark out the positions for the holes in the wall.

7.    Use the correct drill bit for the material you are drilling into.

8.    Check for correct size of the finished hole.

9.    Either enlarge or pack out the hole if required.

10.    Install the shutters remembering to leave a small 1mm expansion gap.

I hope that you find this information useful. If you will care to leave any comments about any particular problems you came across and any new tips that you can suggest so that I can pass them on to others I should be most grateful.