Plantation shutters - any tips?

[WobblyLondoner]

We've got a company coming round to quote for a set of shutters for our bay living room window (3 windows). Is there anything I should be particularly looking out for or asking about wrt to the shutters or the fitting? I've seen versions which allow you to open the slats on the top and bottom sections differently which look handy - anything else?

For what it's worth, I've delayed doing this as I wasn't that keen on them (so for eg was looking at roman blinds etc). But they do seem perfect as the windows look out into a street and so the screening at the lower window level is really helpful. We've currently got slatted blinds but they are getting to the end of their natural life.

Following with interest, was contemplating the exact same thing!

@AmandaHugenkiss Oh well, might just be the two of us posting then! We have someone coming round to quote later this week, will let you know how we get on. These blinds are very common around here (I guess for the reasons they appeal to us) but they can seem a bit plasticky if you know what I mean. We've also got very dodgy old walls around those windows which is another thing I'm conceived about.

If your windows are particularly long think about having a separate top and bottom shutter. I have floor-to-ceiling windows with shutters and once they were fitted I was told they weren't meant to be left open for any length of time as the weight of them was too heavy for the frame!
Luckily this window is not one that we have any reason to open other than to clean them.

But if you were planning on having them drawn all the way back in the day then it's worth considering.

Other than that I love them. Window looks best it ever has and not as bad for dust as I thought.

We’ve had them for a few years and they’re great. I think it was all pretty straight forward sn so much easier than curtains on a curved bay. Ours are great in the summer as we can tilt top or bottom to keep the sun out , but on a panel by panel basis as the sun moves round. I like the central bar down the middle of the shutters as it makes it easier to close the top section especially. Finally think about how you want them to open (usually hinges on the same side as the window) but also ensure that enough gap is left between the window and the shutter frame so that you can have the window open and the shutter closed - there has to be enough room for the window stay.

There are two types of shutter company - a bit like double glazing. Local firms where the price is the price and they rely on word of mouth recommendations. And national firms which always have a deal on but still seem expensive. Both sell products made in the same factories in China.

There are also two types of shutter - mdf and real wood. Mdf is cheaper and the look is very similar if you want white/painted.

Check on lead times as manufacture is in China and shipping may be disrupted at the moment.

No advice really but just to say I had slated blinds which I replaced with shutters and I love them. They really have transformed the room and are much more versatile than the blinds were. The salesman talked about different timber options and I had to choose between different depths of the individual slats and just went for the mid size which I think most people seem to go for. Mine are split as well which is useful as my bay has small opening windows at the top. You will also have to think about which way you want them to open but tbh hopefully the company rep will have lots of experience about what is best. They left me with different colour samples to make a final decision after I had had the chance to see them in different lighting conditions.

@WobblyLondoner let me know how you get on! We won’t be doing it for a couple of months yet but I think it’s definitely the way to go for bay windows in the older style houses.

Had a quote yesterday. Lead time is 12 weeks for most companies at the mo.

@Othering crikey. I won’t get too excited about getting them in before Christmas! 😂

There are ours. We love them. They look smart and allow for privacy.

Does it make the room feel dark?

Do you have the quote yet?

If so, would you mind sharing it?

2.3m x 1.2m approx window £550 ish for me with one company, bit more with another.

We have them on a square bay, they don't make the room feel dark, if anything I would say the room is lighter. Previously we've had curtains, then we had brown wooden blinds. I think the shutters, being white, are reflecting the light more, wish we'd bought them years ago.

We had white wooden shutters installed on all of our windows about 6 weeks ago. We love them. They are adjustable top and bottom so we can have the top open but bottom shut for added privacy. Love that you can angle the slats so you can see our but people can't see in. We actually got ones with black out blinds integrated for the bedrooms (was an extra £150 per room) but would not recommend these, the material for the black out blind is very flimsy (almost like fabricy cardboard) and they don't feel like the will last well. They do however block out all light so the room is pitch black.

Can anyone share the companies you’ve used that you had a good experience with? Definitely wanting these for our new front room.

Would anyone be able to recommend any online companies?

I have friends who have had their shutters fitted this week by John Lewis but it has taken 7 months from initial visit to fitting !!

We used Hillary's to fit the shutters in our previous place. Three choices of weight and lots of options for the shape of the frame, so the shutters would blend in better with the architrave of the window. Nice subtle colours. We had shutters all the way to the top of the window in the bedroom (two layers, as it were) and in the other rooms where we used them, just one layer, to show off the nice arch which was a feature. So we got privacy without losing too much light or obscuring the architecture of the house.

We've moved here and there are cheaper, boxier shutters in one of the bathrooms, practical but not as nice. Until that point I wasnt' really aware that there could be a big difference in shutters.

One thing - I think they've been very overused now. I get that they are practical and I think they did suit our purposes in the previous house, but when I look at house after house with them now I think they've become a bit of today's net curtains. I wouldn't do them again unless I won the lottery and was buying a beach house - that's where they belong really.

@BorsetshireBlueBalls I know exactly what you mean - where I live they are such a common sight and I spent a long time thinking about other options for that reason. But I've changed my mind - they are so common because, for windows looking out onto a busy street, they are pretty hard to beat.

Agreed Wobbly. Narrower slats look better in town houses I think - the wider slats are very beachy. And if you can manage privacy with just the lower layer, maybe think of that? They are a good solution if you really need day long privacy in a particular room.

I only want them in our front room, I think, yes for privacy. Upstairs front bedrooms will have double curtains voile next to the window & thicker/proper curtains towards the room, so can have light in but privacy if needed, but I think that’s more of a bedroom look and prefer shutters downstairs.

I had ours recently done and absolutely love them. I used a company called shutterlab which I can't recommend enough. They also had the best quote by far and I shopped around a lot!
www.facebook.com/101162771803238/posts/101301528456029/

We used Hillaries for both the lounge and playroom, and absolutely love them. Went for solid wood in the lounge (was recommended as it’s a large bay window) and mdf in the playroom.

Neighbors commented they want the same.

Couldn’t fault the service at all. They were delayed due to Covid, so certainly not the companies fault.

Our lounge is usually unbearable hot in the early evening during summer, but they have made a real difference in keeping the room cool. We tend to shut off the lower part of
The shutters in the evening to get a bit of privacy

Our shutters were installed 13 years ago and still look good as new, great investment, we used a company called Just Shutters, can thoroughly recommend, excellent after sales services, we developed an issue with ours a few years after installation, they were completely replaced, no quibble.

HI, can you help, am deciding whether to go with mdf or wood shutters there is a huge difference in price though. Are mdf still as good?
thanks,