Installing Shutters Made Simple — Your FAQs Answered

To prevent damage in transit, your shutter ships securely packaged with the panels in a separate box from the frames. Our frames are mitered and cut to fit together by inserting a bowtie-shaped fixing called a Hoffman key or Mortice and Tenon, depending on the frame type. This just helps keep the frame sides together and lined up properly until they get mounted to your window opening.

The shutter frame and the shutter panels will already have the hinges installed. All you need to do once your frame is mounted is line up the hinges and join them together using the hinge pins provided in your hardware kit.

Your boxes will be labeled with a few identifiers: the room name you provided when you placed the order, and the item number corresponding to your final invoice. You will usually have 2 boxes per shutter, one with the panels and one with the frame.

Your frame sides are labeled with a sticker or marking to indicate top, bottom, left, and right sides. These indications are based on you looking at the front face of the shutter. (If you are assembling the shutter face down, be sure to lay out the frame sides in the reverse direction of their labels.)

Your panels will also be labeled or stamped to indicate their position from left to right, with either a number or letter system (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4 or A, B, C, D and so on).

You can also be sure your panels are positioned correctly because our shutters are designed for the slats to close upward, for maximum light blockage and privacy. If there is more than one panel in your shutter, the right side will always have a lip to conceal any gap between the panels, and the right side will close over the left.

You will need:

• A drill

• A spirit level

• A hammer or rubber mallet

Everything else is provided in your hardware kit, which includes:

• Hoffman keys — the bowtie-shaped pieces that connect your frame corners together.

• Screws — longer screws for mounting your frame, and smaller screws for securing your hinges once all final adjustments are made.

• Hinge pins — long pins used to connect adjoining hinge sides.

• Hinge shims — flat plastic spacers to help with aligning panels if needed. Not required for installation, but helpful to keep on hand.

• Touch up paint — a small bottle matching your shutter color, helpful to have on hand for any minor repairs.

• Frame caps or stickers — use these to cover the holes where you have drilled into your frame. Note that some holes on your panels are intentionally left uncovered as they contain the tension screw that allows you to adjust the slat movement.

This is very common, and easy to work around when fitting shutters. Depending on the type of mount and shutter frame you have chosen, the shutter itself may hide all those imperfections.

Tips for uneven or out-of-square windows:

• Use a spirit level as you install to check that the shutter frame itself stays level, and your panels will line up correctly.

• Start with loosely screwing in one or two frame screws, keep checking for levelness as you go before tightening all frame screws.

• If you need help keeping the frame level, pick up snap shims from any local hardware store. These are graduated in thickness to fit any size gap.

• Your hinges can also be adjusted slightly up or down before locking the final hinge screw in place.

• For inside mount shutters with an L-Frame, you may see a gap if your window size varies from top to bottom or side to side. A bead of caulking around the outside edge of the shutter frame is usually all you need to create a seamless finish.

• For greater variances, use shims to fill any gaps. You can use your touch up paint so these shims match your shutters.

• If the shutter frame is too tight at some spots, use sandpaper to gently sand the area down inside the window opening.

Based on our experts' hands-on training and our DIY customers' feedback, the average installation takes about an hour or less per window. Full height shutters are the easiest and fastest to install. Tier on tier shutters have twice as many panels and can take a little longer.

Yes — but it does need a little extra thought. The key is making sure the shutter frame doesn’t block the window from opening.

If your window sits inside a wall opening, mounting the frame inside that opening will usually prevent the window from swinging inward. In that case, the best solution is to mount the frame outside the opening instead — fixed to the surrounding wall or trim.

If there’s no wall opening and the window sits flush to the wall, the frame can be fixed directly to the wall around it.

You can find full instructions in our guide on how to measure for an outside mounted shutter.

This is one of the most common installation questions, and it’s almost always fixable with a few small adjustments. Work through the steps below in order.

Step 1: Check the frame is level

Use a level to check the frame horizontally and vertically. The bubble should sit exactly in the center on all sides. If the frame is off, that’s usually the root cause.

• Loosen the frame screws on the affected sides

• Add shims or cardboard spacers where needed to bring the frame level

• Re-check with the level before tightening

Step 2: Adjust the panel position using the hinge

The hinges have a vertical adjustment built in, which lets you raise or lower each panel slightly without moving the frame.

1. Loosen the top and bottom screws on the frame side of the hinge — do not remove them

2. Slide the hinge up or down to raise or lower the panel

3. Check the panel closes flat

4. Tighten the top and bottom screws to hold the new position

Important: Don’t insert the middle locking screw until you’re completely happy with how all panels hang.

Step 3: If one panel hangs lower than the others

Loosen the screws on the bottom frame piece on the lower side. Slide a shim underneath that corner of the bottom frame to raise it slightly. This lifts the panel on that side without affecting the rest.

Step 4: If panels aren’t sitting flat or reaching the magnet catches

Try gently pulling the corners of the frame forward while keeping the middle screws in place. Hold the panels closed and pull each corner outward until they sit flush — then fix the frame in that position.

Tip: If the frame feels too tight, loosening the frame screws slightly can help the panels sit flat and prevent bowing.

Drooping panels are usually caused by the frame or hinge needing a small adjustment. Try these steps in order.

Option 1: Adjust the hinge vertically

Follow the hinge adjustment steps in the FAQ above to raise the panel using the built-in vertical adjustment.

Option 2: Use hinge packers

Hinge packers are included in your hardware pack for exactly this reason.

1. Loosen the top and bottom screws on the lowest hinge on the affected side

2. Slide a hinge packer between the hinge and the frame

3. This raises the panel slightly and helps it close cleanly

Option 3: Shim the frame

1. Loosen the screws on the affected frame side and the bottom frame piece

2. Slide a shim or cardboard spacer under the bottom frame near the corner

3. This raises that side of the frame and lifts the panel with it

Option 4: Add panel feet

It’s normal for panels to rest lightly on the bottom frame or windowsill. If you’d like to adjust the gap, insert the panel feet (included in your hardware pack) into the bottom of the panel stiles.

It depends on what you’re drilling into. For most inside mount installations, the provided screws work directly into a timber or vinyl window frame and no anchors are needed.

Wall anchors are required when drilling into:

• Brick or concrete

• Concrete block

• Drywall where there’s no stud behind it

For the screws in your hardware pack, a 1⁄4" wall anchor is the right size. Your local hardware store can advise on the best type for your wall — bring a screw with you for reference.

Tip: When drilling into brick or concrete, use a masonry drill bit. A standard wood bit won’t work.

If you are installing a Non-Recessed shutter (drilling through the holes on the front of the frame) and have requested a large frame, the provided 60mm screw may not be long enough for a secure fixing.

The easiest solution is to source a longer screw of the appropriate depth to securely fix the frame.

Tip: The screw should protrude out the back of the frame by 30mm.

Alternatively, you can countersink the holes further into the frame to give the provided 60mm screws a secure fixing. A 9.5mm or 10mm drill bit would be an appropriate size to do this.

Small gaps are completely normal — they’re a natural result of shimming the frame level. Here’s how to finish them off cleanly.

Gaps under ⅜"

Fill with painter’s caulk. Run a neat bead along the gap, smooth with a damp finger, and leave to dry. Once painted it’ll be invisible.

Larger gaps

Pack with cardboard or shims first to reduce the depth, then finish with caulk. If the gap is more than ½", a length of flat trim from your hardware store can cover it neatly. Take a color sample from your shutter to find a close match.

Tip: Use paintable caulk so you can touch it up to match your wall color once dry.

Panels that drift open by themselves almost always mean the frame isn’t sitting perfectly vertical. Even a small lean is enough to cause the panels to swing under their own weight.

1. Loosen the frame screws slightly

2. Use a level to check the frame is vertical on both sides

3. Add shims where needed to bring it true

4. Re-tighten once the frame is plumb

Tip: Check the frame vertically as well as horizontally — it only takes a small lean to cause panels to swing.

This is easier with two people — one to hold the frames steady while the other drives the screws.

• With frames held in position and aligned, drill and countersink one hole at a slight inward angle through the side of one frame into the adjoining frame

• Drive the screw carefully — make sure it doesn’t break through the far side

• Repeat at the top and bottom of each join

Important: Don’t fully tighten any frame screws until all sections are aligned across the bay.

Tip: Use a temporary screw through the top and bottom frame pieces to hold sections in position while you work. Remove these once all frames are joined and secured.