If you love the look of plantation shutters, but really aren’t sure if you could ever afford them, you may be surprised. It is possible to find cheap plantation shutters, though not that easy.  Plantation shutters, are in general, not the cheapest shutters–in fact they can be some of the more expensive window treatments around but having said that if you are prepared to pay more than you would for other types of blinds, you can find something fairly reasonable.

Of course the cheapest option when it comes to plantation shutters is to forego the idea of buying wood plantation shutters and to instead invest in some white PVC plantation shutters. These cheap plantation blinds can look really good in a room, and they add a real bright and cheery appearance to a room. They look great in kitchens, of course, but can also look really nice in a bedroom and even in living rooms providing that your décor matches the style of shutter you are hanging.

Next in line comes the faux-wood plantation shutters. There is a huge difference here in the costs of different faux wood shutters. Difference in the design and the craftsman ship employed to build them can sometimes result in differences of $100′s when buying plantation shutters.  While you do want to save, you don’t want to buy such cheap shutters that they don’t last, so be judicial in your decision when it comes to how cheap you are going to go with faux wood plantation shutters. While they may be cheap plantation shutters, you may find they are all together too cheap!

I would never really consider wood shutters to be cheap plantation blinds. Having said that though, it is possible to find discounted plantation shutters which do end up being fairly cheap.  For example, most larger stores like Lowes or Home Depot have resale lists where builders and contractors have had to return unopened blinds to the store due to mistakes they make when measuring for the blinds!  As they are returned goods, the store is forced to sell them at a huge discount. Great idea to check that out when looking for cheap plantation shutters.

Of course the cheapest is to order your plantation shutters online. The cheap plantation shutters offered online are just as good quality as store-bought ones, and the only real con to buying on line is that you have to measure very carefully and put the plantation shutters up yourself. If you are sure you can measure accurately and if you are confident that either you or someone you know can install the shutters for you, I would highly recommend going this route.  Many places will even offer free shipping!

A popular form of shutters, that is no long limited to homes in the Southern US, is plantation shutters. These shutters have been a long time favourite in the US, but they are now gaining in popularity in other parts of the world, particularly the UK and also in the warmer parts of Australia as well.

Part of their rise in popularity is of course due to the ease with which people from all over the world can check out shutter styles on line.  This makes styles that were once peculiar to a certain region or country suddenly becoming in vogue worldwide.  But that’s not the only reason that plantation shutters are popular.

They offer many benefits to homeowners.  First of all, the type of plantation shutters I am talking about are the interior shutters, usually made from either wood or faux wood, or occasionally you can find cheap plantation shutters made from a harder plastic.  Traditionally, though, I think that plantation shutters should be at least wood or composite wood in order for them to look realistic although these are not the cheapest shutters you can buy.

Plantation shutters these days are made up of individual shutters that are sent into panels that are usually one to one and a half feet high.  While originally used to shelter homeowners from hurricanes and other weather conditions, or to protect a house from being looted and robbed by passersby by adding additional security to their oftentimes isolated homesteads, now days they are mainly used to add to a home or rooms décor.

There is not really much value in installing faux-wood plantation shutters over real hardwood shutters, aside from the fact that faux wood shutters generally are quite a bit cheaper than traditional wood shutters.  They are also usually quite a bit heavier, which is something you may want to take into consideration if you are planning on hanging them over large windowed areas.  Wood shutters are easier to manage, to open and close, due to the fact that the real wood shutters are usually lighter weight-wise.

Faux wood plantation shutters are a bit easier to care for. They don’t fade in the sun as much (although some finishes used on faux-wood shutters can yellow if exposed to bright sunlight) and they don’t warp when exposed to dampness or humidity as much as wood shutters do.

Few people are able to tell the difference, from a distance at least, between real wood and faux wood shutters, and in general the faux wood shutters look just as nice in a home as the real wood shutters.  Deciding on what type of plantation shutters to buy will really depend on your deciding first of all what you can afford, and secondly on what is of the most importance to you — their weight, whether you live in a humid climate, etc.

On a final note , if you do live in an area that is exposed to very bright sunlight, and you are planning on opting for wood plantation shutters, you may want to consider purchasing light colored wood shutters as these show a lot less fading from being exposed to the sun.  Thus, they will last longer without needing to be re-finished.

Bahama  shutters are different than most other shutters. They are usually attached to the outside of the window, and are hinged at the top with standoffs on the side that allow the bottom to be held out from the window, so it appears to be a kind of awning over the window.  While it is usually a single shutter and usually covers one window, it is sometimes made with a vertical centre stile, especially if it is to cover a larger area, as that gives it more stability.  When the shutter is open it only allows some light into the room, depending on the angle that the shutter is hung at.  Most shutters open to around a sixty degree angle, but some open up to ninety degrees which allows more light into the room.

They can be made from different materials, including PVC; fibreglass; wood; faux wood; or aluminium though until recently wood was the favoured material for Bahamas shutters.  Aluminium Bahama shutters are increasingly more popular, and are replacing the former wood Bahama shutters. They are very lightweight when it comes to opening and closing, yet they do provide adequate protection for your home. They are also cheaper to maintain than wooden shutters.

They are not only decorative, adding style and often resale value to your house but they have an added use of offering protection from storms and hurricanes. This is particularly useful if you live in an area where hurricanes occur.  While Bahama shutters are made to open from the outside of a house, these days they are also made so that they can be easily opened or closed from within your  home as well.

Aluminium or fibreglass Bahama shutters are available in an array of different colors, which makes them perfect for adding a touch of color to your home.  Wood shutters are either stained in light to dark wood shades or more often painted with an exterior paint, and you can choose whatever complements the outside of your home.  If you choose wood shutters, you do have to make sure they are well maintained as if water penetrates the finish it can damage the shutters.

Bahama shutters are made with fixed louvers, which allow a good air flow into the room whether the shutters are closed or opened though they are usually fixed in a downward position to avoid rain being able to enter into your home.

Bahama shutters are mainly found in Southern USA regions, rarely in the Northern states. They are also known in some places as Bermuda shutters.

There are several reasons for wanting to install external house shutters on a home.  Though they are an added expense in some respects, they really do add to the overall value of your home as well providing of course that they fit in with the overall look of your home.  The same holds true even if you install cheap plantation shutters indoors, by the way. Doing anything to add value to your home is a real plus if you intend on selling it further on down the line.  But there are other reasons for adding house shutters as well.

One of the original reasons shutters, such as plantation shutters, were added to homesteads and a very good reason why house shutters should be added today, is that they offer extra protection from bad or stormy weather.  This is particularly true in areas that suffer from strong wind or hailstorms, or in areas that suffer with cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons.   They are also handy to have if you want to cool down your room during summer, particularly if the hot afternoon sun really beats through one or two windows in a room. You can simply close the shutters on that side of the room and keep the room a few degrees cooler.

Another major reason for adding house shutters to pioneer homes was that they also added extra security to households, particularly on plantations where there were a lot of poor labourers or others who might be tempted to steal.  The house could be easily secured at night, or even during the day if no one was going to be home.  This discouraged thieves from breaking in and also added to the safety of those left at home.

With heating costs as expensive as they are these days, it is always a great idea to add as much insulation to your home as you can.  Shuttering your windows helps insulate your house as well, and this can be a great idea during the nights for example when it is not as important to have light coming in through the windows.

Aside from all of these reasons, house shutters just make your home look a lot more attractive, comfortable and welcoming providing they match the overall style of your house.  They are not always that easy to attach to brick houses for example, as getting them up can be a bit tricky, but they do well for most other style of housing.

These house shutters are made from many different materials these days, including vinyl, wood such as cedar or pine, metal , and faux wood. The cheapest shutters, such as the faux wood and vinyl house shutters work well for attaching to the exterior of a house and they require little maintenance.  Vinyl shutters are better if you are mainly wanting to add to the appeal of your home as they aren’t so good at protecting your windows and home.  For that you would either want the heavier faux-wood shutters, or perhaps cedar or pine shutters.  Note, however that hard wood shutters do require more work to keep them in shape and looking good.

Popular plantation shutters, or wood shutters as they’re commonly known as, are also available made from vinyl. These vinyl shutters look just as good as many wood or faux wood shutters, and they have the added advantage of being a good deal cheaper to buy.  There are quite a few pro’s to choosing vinyl shutters over the more expensive and heavier wood or faux wood shutters, aside from the price.

Unlike wood shutters, vinyl shutters will not warp when hung in humid environments, nor fade when exposed to direct sunlight.  They are also very sturdy and durable, and resist chipping or other damage.   They are quite a bit lighter than their heavier wooden counterparts, which is a great thing with shutters as it makes them fairly easy to close and open.

Another benefit to hanging vinyl shutters is that they are very easy to clean.  It is important to keep them clean and free from any dust or any other dirt or grime, as they will not last as long if they are not kept dust free.  The simplest way to clean vinyl shutters is to wipe them with a damp rag or cloth. Usually that is sufficient to get off most of the dust and grime. If you need something a little stronger, try putting a little dishwashing liquid on the rag and wiping them with that, it should remove any grime or grease.  Then, when done, wipe them one more time with a damp rag to remove the soap residue.  This type of cleaning is best done on a monthly basis.

For regular cleaning, though, you can usually just run a feather duster or some other type of duster over them to remove the dust.

If your vinyl shutters become stained by something, you really should contact the person you bought the shutters off to find out how to clean them.  Too hard cleaning, or scrubbing can damage the surface of your vinyl shutters and ruin their appearance.

They are generally easier to clean than wooden or faux wood shutters as you are able to use water to clean them if necessary. This means that it will generally be much easier to get off the dirt and dust.   You can either choose to leave the shutters attached to the window frame, or if they’re really dirty you can unattach them and clean them over the bath or a wide sink.

Window shutters are solid window coverings that usually have, as their basic structure, a framework of an outer horizontal rails and outer and center vertical stiles.  Depending on the style of shutter, different materials can be set within the frame, such as louvers, panels, glass or even bamboo.  The materials set in the frame determine what the shutter is called.

You can also have either exterior or interior shutters. Exterior shutters are often used to protect windows from extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, etc.  They also provide additional security for a home.

Interior shutters are normally  attached to either side of the window, allowing them to open all the way up and provide access to the window.  Generally, the interior shutters are more decorative in nature, and add to the a home’s décor. Popular California shutters and Plantation shutters have moveable louvers which can open and close, thus adjusting the amount of light that enters into a room.

Plantation Window Shutters

Plantation window shutters are usually built with a 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 moveable louver.  The louvers themselves are usually elliptical in shape, which simply means that they are thicker in the middle and thinner on either end. This makes the louver more stable and stronger, as opposed to flat louvers.

These type of window shutters are perfect for installing over large, wide windows–much better and easier to manage than venetian blinds, which seem better suited to smaller type windows. Even cheap plantation blinds can look very classy!

While they don’t provide complete blockout of light when the louvers are closed, they usually block out sufficient light to make the room almost totally dark. When the louvers are closed no one can see into the room either, so they do offer good security and privacy as well.  Louvers can be rotated to allow varying degrees of light into the room.

Traditional Window Shutters

Colonial style window shutters are once again enjoying popularity in the US. Originating in the North East US, they are now being sold in shops all over the US, and are not limited to this area only. Most of these window shutters have wedge shaped louvers with a ridge down the center.  These small slats are usually placed at intervals of one inch.

You can choose the number of panels you want, but traditionally these come in four panels, with two panels on each side of the window that open out to the side of the window. Commonly these shutters only cover the bottom half of a window, and if the entire window is to be shuttered a separate unit is hung at the top, thus you can open either the bottom set or the top set of shutters independently.

Traditional window shutters, to date, are only made from wood though with their poplarity increasing, this may of course change.

Café Window Shutters

This style of shutter refers to those shutters than only cover the bottom half of a window, leaving the top half open. Usually these window shutters look best on windows where there is a natural horizontal division. The top of the shutter is then lined up with the horizontal mid-way division, giving it a naturally divided look. Having said that, though, it is not essential that they only cover half the window as they can be built to any dimension.

As the shutters themselves are small, usually they are made with smaller sized louvers.  More often than not, the traditional shutter is used for café shutters, although on occasion plantation shutters can also be used.

These type of shutters are great when you want added privacy, as no one can see in through the bottom half of the window, but they allow as much light in through the top half as you like.

As you can see there really is a huge variety of window shutters available, ranging from the more expensive type to cheap plantation shutters, and most can be very simply ordered online.  If you do order online though, be sure to give exact measurements  following closely any instructions given on how to do it. Also, make sure that you have someone who can help you install the shutters, if you are not able to do this yourself.