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.

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.

There is a particular charm about wooden blinds that have many people going back to purchase new wood blinds time after time.  While they have definitely gone through stages of being ‘in style’ and ‘out of style’ the truth is that this classic look blind is never really out of style. You could hang a wooden blind in any room, and given the right kind of furnishings and providing the wood look matches the overall room décor, they would look perfect!  They match well with other wooden furniture, such as wood barstools or wooden tables, and can actually set off the wood furniture you already have in your room.

There are many different styles and types of wooden blinds. You can choose between wooden venetian blinds, wooden plantation shutters, wooden mini blinds, wooden vertical blinds, wooden roller blinds, and while not exactly in the same hard-wood class as some of the others mentioned, I have even seen bamboo Roman blinds.

The great thing about wooden blinds is that you can actually mix the styles of wooden blinds you install in your home, providing that you either match the stain and color of the blinds, or at least color coordinate it.  For example you could hang tall vertical wooden blinds on your sliding glass doors that lead out onto the patio, and then hang same-color venetian blinds on the other windows in that particular room.

Treating Your Wooden Blinds

Usually wooden blinds are made out of hard wood, with popular woods being Basswood or less frequently Aldar, Cedar or Poplar wood is also used.  These hard woods are often kiln dried for added stability before being cut and treated with a stain.

While you can opt for painting your wooden blinds, I feel that it is a shame in most cases to cover up the beautiful natural look of wood.  More often, the wood is either left untreated or is stained and then finished.  Stains can be as light as a lovely honey color or can be so dark that they are a rich chocolate brown color.  Normally when buying wooden blinds or plantation wood shutters, especially if you are having them custom made, you can choose the exact stain that you want.

It’s a good idea when ordering wooden blinds to make a note of the stain that is used, including the brand. That way, you can choose the same stain if you order more blinds later and all of your wooden blinds will match perfectly. It is also good to have a little stain on hand, just in case there’s any chipping or damage done to the blind.  If you have the right stain you can quickly cover it up without any problem.

Ordering Wooden Blinds

Wooden blinds can be either ordered directly or they can be custom made to suit your particular window size and style–this is a good idea if you are buying wood plantation shutters for example.. Do be careful though when ordering custom made blinds, as most online retailers make it plain that they will not refund your money should you inadvertently give the wrong measurements or not be happy with the finished product’s color or stain. In other words, when you log in your information for your custom order on line they will make the blinds according to your instructions and will not be responsible if the blind doesn’t fit exactly.   So, do be sure to measure the window exactly, and according to the precise instructions given on the site you are ordering from.

Cleaning Wooden Blinds

Wooden blinds don’t require a lot of special care in order to keep them in good condition, though you do need to be sure to clean them on a regular basis. The simplest way to clean them is to use the brush extension on your vacuum cleaner and vacuum each slat gently from side to side, top and bottom. The brush helps dislodge any caked on dust without damaging the wood.  A good timetable for vacuuming your wooden blinds is once a month, with dusting being done weekly inbetween vacuuming.

If your wooden blinds are particularly dirty you can rub with a cloth that has been immersed in oil soap. Oil soap is also a good choice to use when cleaning your wooden blinds if it appears that the wood may be getting a little dry.

Whatever you do, don’t use water to clean your wooden blinds, as if the moisture gets into the wood your blinds will warp. It is not a good idea to use the popular wax based furniture polish for cleaning either, as all the wax does is seal in the dirt–not what you want!

If you care for your wooden blinds properly, and keep them away from damp or humid environments and harsh sunlight, your wooden blinds should last you a long time.