Wood Plantation Shutters

Van Gogh Premium Plantation Shutters

The premium line of interior shutters will transform your home with timeless beauty and practical style that transcend the useful life of any other window treatment.  Enjoy the natural elegance of real wood combined with functional control of light, view, and privacy.  

Shutters help deflect the heat and damaging rays of the sun while preserving views of lakes, forests, and golf courses.  While traditional to southern plantation architecture, Van Gogh Premium shutters will complement any décor.  Beyond the classic looks and versatility, they reduce cooling and heating costs, maximize curb appeal, and increase home value making shutters a beautiful yet sound investment.

Why choose shutters for your home?

Choosing to add shutters to your home has several benefits. If you are considering shutters for your home, here are some of the top reasons to invest.

• Light control – One of the most common reasons for using plantation shutters is the ability to filter the amount of natural light that seeps into a room. Shutters can block out harsh sunshine or early morning light. They can also provide room darkening benefits in bedrooms.
• Temperature control – Whether you live in a cold or hot climate, shutters are an additional insulation layer for your home. In warmer climates, they block out the heat while keeping the heat in on colder days. Properly built and installed shutters will be in a four sided frame that will block outside air from coming in when the louvers are closed.
• Privacy – Shutter louvers can be closed tightly to provide total privacy from outside.
• Added Value to your home – Well-maintained shutters should last a lifetime. Curtains and drapes may change over the years and become worn or discolored; however, shutters are the perfect solution for any home. Their timeless aesthetic adds value to your home.

Are plantation shutters worth it?

Whether you live in a warm or cool climate, shutters can help reduce your utility bills. They are excellent insulators which means they keep the cool air from seeping in during the winter season and the heat from overheating your home in the sweltering heat of summer.

Wood plantation shutters add value to your home as a protective covering for your windows. They come in many styles and are customized to fit the windows of your home. Van Gogh Window Fashions can easily match the color to your aesthetics. Overall many customers are satisfied with the final product.

What is the best wood for plantation shutters?

When choosing a wood for your shutters, the options are endless, from hardwood to lighter woods.

Van Gogh Window Fashions offers an all hardwood shutter in a four sided wood frame. Our shutters are made of Cotton Wood which is milled in Texas. Our American made hardwood shutters are among the best available and while not the cheapest, they are definitely higher quality and the best option for the homeowner interested in the best shutter quality for the money.

Investing in a better product now ensures that your shutters will last.

Choosing a cheaper lower quality shutter may look good right now, but in the long run, repairs and replacement costs will figure in and you’ll end up spending the same amount as if you’d invested in the better product to start with. Make sure you know what you’re purchasing and that the manufacturer will stand behind their product.

Color Choices

Our hardwood shutters are available to be finished in any color. They are custom painted to match your trim. We can even match stains for a beautiful warm look on your shutters.

Maintenance of Wooden Shutters

It is important to remember that you will need to maintain your shutters and ensure that they are kept in reasonable condition like any other wooden addition to your home. Shutters can be vacuumed with a brush attachment to get rid of any dust. They can also be wiped down periodically with a damp cloth. Avoid getting them soaking wet, but any dirt or dust should be easy to remove. Certain chemicals can damage the wood and cause staining or discoloration on the finished look.

Real Vs. Faux Wood Plantation Shutters

Our hardwood shutters are available to be finished in any color. They are custom painted to match your trim. We can even match stains for a beautiful warm look on your shutters.

If you are stuck between choosing natural wood or faux wood for your shutters, there are many things you should consider.

• Budget – While faux wood might be budget-friendly, it might not last as long as natural wood. There are plenty of sturdy options for faux wood shutters available on the market. Van Gogh Window Fashions offers a very nice composite shutter that looks good and provides a very similar look to a wood shutter.
  
• Function – Faux wood shutters are made of a composite material that is heavier than wood. Since it has more weight, there are more limitations to faux wood. For example, there are restrictions to how tall and how wide a composite shutter can be. If you have very large windows, a composite shutter might not be the best option. Composite shutters are also only available in three colors. They are all whites and off whites and we can typically match the trim in a home pretty close, but if you’re looking for a custom paint match, wood is the best choice.
  
• Finished Look – Both wood and composite shutters look the same from across the room or from outside the house. Wood shutters are a more long term investment while composite shutters are the more budget friendly choice.

While there are attractive options for faux wood shutters, it is sometimes better to save up and invest in the real deal. The savings you can earn back in the longevity of the product can help offset the price of real, quality wood shutters in the long run.

Customizing Your Shutters

Louver Size

There are many options for making your shutters fit your design style and the way you use your windows. Van Gogh Window Fashions offers 2 ½”, 3 ½”, 4 ½” and even 5 ½” louvers. The 2 ½” louver is a more traditional style and because there is less space in between each louver, there is more wood in your window so it’s a less open look. 3 ½” louvers are our most popular size and this offers a more open look while still providing a traditional shutter style. 4 ½” and 5 ½” louvers are best for large windows and provide a very open view.

Tilt Type

Choosing a standard tilt rod that runs vertically down the front of your shutters is a traditional shutter style. The tilt rod is not actually meant to be used to open and close your shutters. Its function is just to make sure the louvers all move together.

Choosing a hidden tilt rod means that the rod that keeps all the louvers moving together is “hidden” on the side and back of the shutter panel so that there isn’t a vertical rod down the middle of the panel. This is a more modern open look since there is nothing vertical on the front of the panel.

Full Panel vs Divider Rail vs Split Tilt

A full panel shutter is one where all the louvers from the top to bottom of the shutter panel move together and open and close at the same time.

A Divider Rail is a stable louver in the middle of the shutter that is fixed and doesn’t move. It allows you to open the top section of the louvers separate from the bottom section. This allows homeowners to keep the bottom section closed to have privacy while opening the top section to let in natural light. A divider rail is a very traditional shutter look. It also provides stability and may be required for very tall windows and for composite shutters.

A similar option is called Split Tilt. This has the same function as a divider rail in that you can operate the top section separate from the bottom, but it does this without the fixed louver in the middle. The louvers all move, but the top and bottom sections are split to allow them to be tilted at different angles.

Real Wood…Real Joinery

Four critical joinery details are important in the design of a quality shutter panel.  In each of these, VanGogh Window Fashions combines time-honored methods of construction with computer-controlled precision (+/- .005”) resulting in panels built to last for the life or your home.

Mortise and tenon joint:

Continuous Tilt Rod Linkage