What are Marbella shutters, and can you buy them anymore?

The disruption caused by recent storms has caused a few phone calls from customers who’ve unfortunately experienced damaged or ‘fly away’ shutters. The most common victim being the ‘Marbella shutter’.

We have been asked if we sell this style shutter. Well actually, most customers we’ve spoken to don’t use the term ‘Marbella shutter’ and instead refer to them as shutters that ‘look like louvres but with no gaps’. So, we thought there’s no better time to explain exactly what a Marbella shutter is and if you can still purchase this type of shutter today.

What is a Marbella Shutter?

Marbella shutters are a type of external, decorative window shutters made from material called ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) that is a type of thermoplastic polymer. The shutter was created by using a single sheet of ABS which was shaped by heating and vacuuming forming over a mould into a louvre design. Because there is only one sheet of material being used the louvre ‘blades’ are not actually open but moulded giving a closed louvre appearance. The Marbella shutter was more prominent on homes around 40- 50 years ago as ABS was a widely used plastic and because the plastic industry was not as advanced as it is today.

Why a Marbella Shutter cannot weather the storm.

ABS is a material that becomes brittle over time. That and the fact that these shutters are made from a single piece of material mean they are more susceptible to damage during high winds or extreme weather. Because there are no gaps between the louvre blades wind is able to get behind the shutter and push it off the wall. For older shutters, as the material is already weakened you may find that the shutter/s does not come off in one piece and breaks off along the crack lines resulting in one section remaining on the wall and the other on your lawn.   

Can I still buy Marbella Shutters?

Unfortunately, the Marbella shutter is no longer produced in the UK. Some years ago, Simply Shutters did sell the Marbella shutter having purchased the remaining stock from a manufacturer that had ceased trading. Once these units were sold the product was discontinued.  

I need to replace a broken Marbella shutter, what do I do now?

Whilst we cannot match your existing Marbella shutter arrangement, Simply Shutters can still help. We are specialists in the manufacture and distribution of external, decorative shutters and have a wide variety of styles to choose from.

Our most popular range is our Polypropylene Traditional Louvre range. Traditional Louvre shutters can be built in almost any height from a selection of fixed widths.

To see our range of Traditional Louvre Shutters see here.

Alternatively give our friendly team a call on 01842 814 260 and we will be happy to help.