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How to Choose the Best Shutters for Your Florida Home

Shutters have been around since humans began building homes. Used to keep out the elements, animals, and intruders, these heavy wooden boards were essential to keeping homes clean and safe. When glass windows came along in the 1800s, they served the purpose of protecting the fragile glass in these windows. Although shutters may be an accessory that was born out of necessity, they still have a place in modern home design. 

 

In today’s market, there are tons of options for shutters available to homeowners. They come in many different sizes, shapes, and styles, each with their own benefits and look. If you’re trying to choose shutters for your home, you may be overwhelmed with the number of choices you have. If you’re looking for shutter services in Port St. Lucie, you need to know what to look for.

 

In this article, we’ll go over how to choose the best shutters for your home and the steps you should take to guarantee that you end up with a solid choice. 

 

Step #1: Decide on the Function and Placement of the Shutters

 

The first step in choosing shutters for your home is to decide what the function of the shutters is. While shutters are great at keeping the light out of homes, they can also be used to accent the look of your home. 

 

If you are buying shutters to keep the light out of your home, you should look into interior shutters. These shutters are placed on the inside of your window and allow you to block out the light, usually by opening and shutting the louvers on the shutters. 

 

If you are looking to add shutters to your home for decorative purposes, you should look into adding shutters to the outside of your home. Even if you do not plan on using these shutters, you should still get hardware that allows you to move them. Do not purchase shutters that are inoperable because they are difficult to clean and paint around. 

 

If you’re looking to add shutters for both decorations and to block out the light, you can go with either inside shutters or outside shutters. If you plan on using them to block out the light, then interior shutters are a better choice because they can still decorate your house, but they will be easier to use and operate when they are inside. 

 

Step #2: Pick Your Shutter Material

 

Although the style and location of the shutters are very important, the material that makes up your shutters is equally important. 

 

Typically, shutters are made out of wood. This is because wood shutters offer the most classic look for a home, and are very popular based on that reason. Wood shutters do offer a unique look for homes, however, they are also one of the more expensive options. Wood shutters will also require more upkeep than shutters made from other materials. This is because they will need to be sanded and painted to repair any spots where the paint is chipping or peeling. 

 

However, you can also get aluminum shutters. Aluminum shutters are extremely durable and won’t require any upkeep because of the occasional cleaning. This is because the metal is very durable and doesn’t chip or scratch, which makes it great for homes that experience hail or other wind-blown debris. The only downside with aluminum shutters is that they hold a lot of heat, which means they will get very hot after sitting in the sun for a while. This may make the inside of your home hotter or may make them painful to the touch. 

 

If you’re looking for a balance of durability and looks, vinyl shutters are probably your best bet. Vinyl shutters won’t require any maintenance besides cleaning, and will not show any signs of chipping or scratching. They also do not hold heat as much as other materials, which means they will stay cool. Vinyl shutters may warp after a long time, but their relatively cheap cost makes them easy to replace. 

 

Step #3: Pick Your Shutter Style

The final step you should take is to pick the style of your shutter. While most styles of shutters will look good on a home, matching the style of your home to the right style of shutter will improve the entire look of your home. 

 

If you have a New England or colonial-style home, you should look into solid shutters or paneled shutters. Solid shutters are usually one piece of wood with inlays to give them texture. Paneled shutters are the classic looking shutters, with one piece of wood with panels in the center. Typically, these shutters are used for decoration rather than keeping the light out. 

 

If you have a Southern-style home or “plantation” style home, you should go with shutters that have louvers or plantation-style shutters. These shutters have large slats that move up and down, allowing you to block out the light. These usually rest on the inside of the home and are a great choice for people looking to keep their homes cool. 

 

If you have an informal style home, such as a French Country-style home, consider using board shutters. Although these shutters are just one solid piece of wood, their simplistic style gives modern homes plenty of elegance. Although these don’t typically function, they are great at protecting windows during storms for those who wish to use them. 

 

Get the Right Shutters for Your Home

Now that you know more about choosing the right shutters for your home, you can take the initiative and start browsing for shutters on your own. 


If you are looking to buy shutters or have questions about shutters for your home, please contact the professionals at Indian River Shutter at (888)-354-2342.

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