Farm-style shutters, sometimes called blinds, are interior shutters with wide louvers. They’re the most popular type of shutter across the country, but particularly in the warmer provinces. Typically, the larger louvers give the shutters an elegant look, which works flawlessly in dining rooms and bedrooms. These versatile window treatments also translate to casual rooms like dens and kitchen, with the most popular colour being white, but stained shutters have their lovers, too.
These shutters generally come in three types of material, wood, vinyl and composite. Below we have a breakdown of each, to help you determine which is best suited for your home.
Wood Shutters
The ultimate shutter is a genuine wooden shutter, and the gold standard of shutters is basswood. It has the highest strength-to-weight ratio, making it very light and robust, and of course, beauty to have in your home.
Wood can be made into custom shapes and sizes, and it can be painted or stained, unlike vinyl and composite, which are prefabricated into styles and colours.
Vinyl Shutters
Vinyl shutters are the least expensive of the style blinds, and because of their price point, they tend to have structural issues when built for large windows.
Vinyl shutters contain no wood; they can be infused with PVC or aluminium for more stability. Their primary advantage is cost, added to that is weather resistance and good in high-moisture areas.
Vinyl shutters four types:
Hollow vinyl
These shutters are what they sound like: hollow vinyl frames. They have the benefits of vinyl with size limitations because of the hollow structure that can’t support the weight of larger frames. While these are the least expensive of the options, they can sag over time. Making them lose favour amongst many homeowners.
Structured hollow vinyl
This next step up includes a vinyl skeleton within the shutters to support the shutter’s weight, reducing the amount of sag in the vinyl. Still considered hollow, these do have better structural integrity.
Solid vinyl
Up next is the solid vinyl, which is a vinyl frame that has been filled with blown PVC. These are more stable than hollow shutters, and still, cost-effective.
Vinyl-clad wood
Last on the types of Vinyl Shutters we have Vinyl-clad wood, a hardwood frame wrapped in vinyl. These offer the strength and durability of wood with the benefits of a vinyl coating, which of course increases their moisture resistance.
Composite Shutters
Composite shutters – referred to as engineered wood, fake wood or faux wood – are made of engineered wood, which is MDF wrapped in a vinyl or PVC coating. They are very sturdy, while also being weather and humidity resistant. They are an affordable alternative to wood shutters.
Farm-style shutters are a beautiful, affordable window treatment; whether you choose vinyl, composite or wood, these classic coverings will add style to your home for years to come.