Posts Tagged ‘shutters’

Know Your Hardwood Window Shutters

February 8th, 2010

Prior to synthetically made shutters were introduced to the market, window shutters were originally made of wood. There is elegance and expensive looking style in using wood shutters. These wooden shutters are good investment due to its durability. It has the capability to surpass severe natural conditions.

Wood shutters are made from various types of wood. Know how they differ from each other and which kind will work for you.

Alder

Alder makes good material for window shutters. Because the wood comes from relatively small trees, finger joints are used to make the alder window shutters.

Basswood

Basswood is perhaps the sturdiest kind of hardwood made into shutters. Basswood shutters are characterized by their fine and uniform textures and indistinct wood grain. It is easy to work with basswood. It glues and screws well and can be sanded or stained into a perfectly smooth finish. Basswood dries fast and retains a good dimensional stability afterwards. It also has low resin and tannin content.

Cedar

Cedar wood is highly receptive of staining techniques. One disadvantage though is that it is soft and can be easily scratched and dented. Window shutters made of cedar make an ideal choice if you would like to install shutters on the outside. Cedar is durable and can withstand decay and moisture for much longer. It is mostly stable and holds paint well. Cedar also repels insects.

Maple

This wood is heavy. With its weight, the screws need to be pre-drilled. Creating tension in uniform manner may be difficult for this wood.

Oak

Like Maple wood this is also heavy. With such weight, screws also need to be pre-drilled. One thing to watch out for is that with its weight the window may be pulled down. This is prone to warping making painting the wood not a very suggested idea.

Poplar

Poplar is less costly compared to other hardwoods and it is widely available. Window shutters made of poplar are ideal for milling and painting. Staining, however, is not recommended as this type of wood is characterized by a certain green tinge and mineral streaks. The weight of poplar window shutters is moderately heavy.

These hardwoods lasts longer but if you want to be economical, you can go for lesser expensive and not of high quality woods. Make sure to check that the paint on the wood is of appropriate thickness and durable. The finishing should also be smooth. To do so check for the glued parts, the sanding and the joints. You can ask your manufacturer for some samples to help you decide which wood to pick. Additional information can also be provided to you by the company.

Hardwood shutters are home owner’s investment. Quality Hardwood Window Shutters lined up the best choices for you.

Window Treatment Shopping – Making Ends Meet

November 1st, 2009

In these financially troubling times, purchasing blinds can be a daunting task, but you can save a lot of money by shopping online. Online stores are always a lot cheaper than a normal retail shop, even when you add on the extra expense of shipping. I urge you to compare the prices of blinds in the shops against the prices online, and you will see that shopping online is a much more cost effective choice.

For some reason, even though the Internet has been around for a long time, many people don’t think about the option of shopping online. Because there are a lot less expenses involved with running a web based shop, these savings can be passed on to the customer. Plus, there is a lot more choices to be had on the Internet, and comparison shopping is a lot easier online.

Keep in mind that buying your blinds online is going to mean that you miss out on the personalized service of having someone come and install them for you. This shouldn’t cause you too much grief however. Blinds are really simple to put up, and you don’t need any fancy tools to get the job done, just a drill and screwdriver is about all that is required.

You’ll find that most online stores will supply all the screws and brackets that you need to get your blind installed. They should also provide easy to follow instructions, in case this is not something you have done before. Many websites will also provide instructions on how to measure your windows to ensure you get the right sized blind.

There are a few considerations that need to be made before deciding on a particular style of window covering. The main thing to remember is that it has to be something that you’ll be happy with. Settling for something for its price, without truly being satisfied with the style, will mean that your home ends up being less than perfect in your eyes. You also need to consider the style of your house, and ensure that the blinds you choose match.

On the practical side, it is imperative that your windows size is considered when looking at blinds. The bigger the window, the bigger the blind will need to be. If you have a very big window, or sliding door, then you may want to look at using vertical blinds, that have larger slats, and will look better on these types of openings.

If, however, your windows are small, a blind with thick slats is going to look out of place and crowded. In this case you would be better off looking at a mini blind, or venetian blind. Keep in mind that these styles of window treatments have various opening and closing mechanisms, and that’s another choice you will have to make before purchasing.

There are many different materials that blinds come in, and you will need to make a decision on which material best suits the look you are after. A lot of people love the natural style and warmth that wooden blinds can give a home, however you will need to ensure that your wooden blinds are of a good quality for them to stand the test of time. Wooden blinds that have not been treated properly will quite easily warp, buckle or crack under the wrong weather conditions.

If you are after cheap timber blinds and would like to be careful that you get a product that will stand the test of time, then will probably want to make sure you shop around. Purchasing a set of conservatory roof blinds that cost less because they are cheaply designed will only cause you troubles in the end.