How to Fix Wooden Plantation Shutters

Dents and Scratches

• Use wood putty to fill any minor dents

• Gently sand to buff out small dings or scratches

• Touch-up paint is provided with every order in the matching paint color to your shutters, in case any such repairs are necessary

Dislodged Slats

If an excited game of catch or an enthusiastic pup trying to get to the window causes a slat to become dislodged, our shutters are designed to easily pop a spring-loaded pin back into place to reattach the slat.

Loose Slat Tension

Should the tension on the slats become loose, there is a hole on each side of your shutter panel containing a screw that allows you to tighten the slat tension.

Damaged Slats

If the slat itself becomes damaged, slats can be individually remade and easily reinserted:

• For shutters with a central tilt rod: there is a staple that connects the slats to the tilt rod, and a dab of glue on the end of a new staple will allow you to quickly reconnect a replacement slat

• For shutters with a hidden tilt rod: there will be a small nail or screw connecting a thin metal rod to the slats on the rear-facing side of the panel

How to Avoid Damage During Installation

To avoid any damage when installing, it is important to make sure you have accurate measurements by following our measuring guides, especially to avoid a tight fit on inside mount shutters.

You will never want to force or wedge the shutter frame inside the recessed window opening. The good news is that if your measurements are a bit tight, wooden shutters can easily be sanded to a smooth finish to avoid having to force the frame into the window opening.

Which Wood is Easiest to Work With?

• American Wood shutters have a smoother surface and are the easiest to work with

• Polyvinyl shutters are a hard material with a rough finish if sanded, making them trickier

• Luxe Wood shutters have a deep textured wood grain with more natural variation, which requires more care
  

Learn more in our blog Wood vs Vinyl Shutters Which Is Best?

Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Shutter Frame During Assembly

When installing your shutter frames, keep these tips in mind:

• Assemble your frame on a soft surface like carpet

• Lay cardboard underneath the shutter to prevent damage or scratches to the paint

• When tapping in the bowtie fixing to connect the frame sides, place a small piece of cardboard over the shutter and use a gentle tap

• Do not force the bowties — they are simply a guide to help keep the frame sides aligned until they are securely mounted to your window

Installation Guides >>

Still Have Questions?

If you're having an issue with your wooden shutters, contact us and we'll help you work through it.

One of the benefits of wooden shutters is their ease of installation, as wood can be easily sanded to adjust for any variance in your window opening. It is also very easy to repair broken plantation shutters, even more so than vinyl shutters.

While our wooden shutters are 100% solid hardwood and covered by our 5-year warranty against shipping damage, cracks, or warping, we know life happens and dents and scratches can occur over time.