Does anyone have plantation shutters? What are they really like

Had mine for 12 years and they look as good as the day they were installed. Expensive? Yes, I suppose so. But you'll never need to think about curtains or blinds ever again and they're much more hygienic because you just wipe them over with a slight damp cloth.

The ones in my house are lovely, look good and are easy to clean. So much easier than the white wooden venetians they replaced. I had them fitted when I had new double glazing installed so all things are relative price wise.

Thanks. I am definitely going to get someone in to quote, in the meantime will be using temporary blinds (cheap). Only the 2 bigger downstairs front windows to begin with

Yes, yes, yes!

In the house I’ve just left I just had one set in the kitchen to stop next doors’s cat coming in when the window was open.

I loved it so much I then had them in every room in the house!

I first noticed plantation blinds in a house a few streets away from ours. For the first time ever I really wanted them in our house. We have them at the front and side, look great, easy to keep clean. Only one not too happy is Harry the cat as he used to sit on the windowsill for hours. Not so easy for him with the shutters.

Oh I love them craftyone and would love them at the front of my house which has 3 long windows almost directly on to the street and there is very little privacy . I currently have Venetian blinds as everyone walking past has a good nosey in.

oh that is it!! Now I have that longing feeling. Maybe I will get more on the first phase, after all I am moving house to the smaller new build. The cost will be relative to my enjoyment and old age prepping, no more curtains to struggle to lift down

How may quotes did you get? I have found a company, franchises I think, called just shutters. Ohh got to stop looking, even though it is a pre-removals break

In the meantime, those JL £4 blinds will be just the ticket

I went to a local curtain and blind shop. Measuring done by the owner, fitting supervised by him.

A personal stake in getting it just right and the best price.

Can I ask you what your shutters are actually like. Wood, mdf or plastic, if wood then which wood and are they painted or coloured. This is going to be my one chance to get it right and I would love to pick your brains please. I am thinking tier on tier for 2 rooms. I have french doors, anyone have shutters for doors?

I have found local companies, they seem to be franchises.

My shutters are made of wood but painted off white. I've never had to repaint them because the paint finish is powder coated I think and therefore very durable.

I have small, cottage windows and so the shutters are in 4 segments; 2 at the top/2 at the bottom, so that each quarter of the window can be opened/closed independently. Some shutters have the open/close bar up at the side of the shutters but mine is in the middle.
I used a small independent company to fit mine, rather than a large national franchise, mainly because I'd seen their work on neighbours property and I was impressed with the quality if the fit and comparable price. There are so many companies out there now that I would definitely ask several suppliers to call and measure up and give you a quote before choosing one.

love that post of yours chewbacca, thank you. Got to ask for recommendations, maybe facebook will be a start

We have tier on tier white mdf shutters (like the design Chewbacca described) in our front of Edwardian house bay windows, front room and bedroom - and I love them. The rooms look so much brighter, but the amount of light in can be controlled when needed. We got a quote from a well-known company and also from a local specialist shutters business that had lots of good recommendations on a community Facebook page - and are very pleased with the work done by this local business.

I mirror Chewbacca, four segments, bar in the middle, painted wood.

The wood provides very good insulation on winter nights. No need for extra curtains. I don’t think plastic would be quite as good.

I liked the quarters. I was very close to the road so it meant I could keep the lower half closed if I wasn’t totally dressed ? but plenty of light came in through the top.

Also I had locks fitted. It meant I could leave the kitchen window, on the road, open when I was in the back room but nobody could have climbed through without taking a hatchet to the shutters. And, being a nervy at night person, I could have my bedroom window open too.

Having tried all manner of curtain and blind styles for over 50 years I thought I would try Plantation Shutters since loving them in all the pictures seen.
That was some 14 years ago, and yes they look as good as the day fitted and although not cheap, I believe if you price them alongside swathes of good quality curtain material,lining,making up and fitting, then quite frankly the Shutters win hands down every time.
Plus the extra warmth from wood,a good sound in sulator if passing traffic is a problem,and easily cleaned as already mentioned, whilst they look so good and serve well.
I do not think it is something you will regret.

I think they look lovely but was warned against them when we wanted ideas for our windows (when we moved) as they are quite bulky with frames etc, and can block out light.

As I say, I like the look of them.

I hadn't thought about them taking up a portion of the window but last year visited a friend who had them and her front room was quite gloomy. We had lamps on during the day.

I imagine if you have a sunny aspect the problem wouldn't be so great.

I'm exactly the same as you craftyone, I'm so glad you asked this question. I'd like them in my downstairs bedroom that is at the front where everyone walks by and it's good to know I can lock them so that I'll be able to have my window open.

ok you are saying things that havd been floating in my mind. So I will only get the front done for now, upstairs I have 2 small cottage style dormer windows, I am not looking for light up there but if I can get the shutters installed so that they open right back, that would be good. Those with a blackout blind installed into the shutter frame

Downstairs I have 2 main rooms with a window or patio doors at each end. Light and bright e/w rooms. It would have to be tier on tier/quartered shutters, privacy on the bottom half but the top able to be opened wide. Light will bounce off white shutters so I am happy enough to get those first. I will be open to learning and listening about what to do with the patio doors (2) with a narrow window each side. They are on the back (E) and are not overlooked. I will have to see how much light is taken off the patio doors if I get shutters. I see that the doors would open with the shutters attached, I think. If I had just shutters on the actual doors then I could have swing back shutters on each side window

I was going to write exactly what Day6 has . I'm very glad I was able to see them in someone's home as I would have been very upset at spending all that money, it's not like changing curtains once you find you are not keen. I really feel closed in at my friend's house now, it's like having white curtains closed all the time, even in bright sunshine.

But you don't have to block the daylight out with shutters! You can angle them, up or down, so that they either allow the daylight to come in fully, or to diffuse it downwards. Or you can fold the top shutters back completely, allowing full daylight exposure, but keeping the lower shutters in place. If a room is dark, even in full sunshine, they're not angled in the right position.

Yes I agree with chewbacca, I am wanting shutters that fold back if wanted and I have had venetian blinds in the past, it is all about angling the slats. The windows here where I live now, they are tinted darker and fab because no-one can see in when the lights are off. The new windows are clear see through and I will have to have privacy on the lower half. Slats will be perfect but yes I will question the demonstrator about the framing etc and I will tread carefully ie the front and one narrow side window at first. No other window is overlooked, I will have more choice and can bide my time, get used to front shutters first

I have been very impressed with the person who came to see me, measured up and gave me a very fair quote, he is local. He is coming back tomorrow as I want to see white stained white teak, I prefer wood grain to shiny white. Honeycomb on the french doors. I already cancelled one person and will likely go with this one tomorrow and cancel the third one

I have been living with white paper blinds a couple of weeks and I would think that plantation shutters would let more light in and be much more controllable. The blinds have been very good. He has recommended full shutters in the main rooms, I did think tier on tier, he said that the windows are too small to accomodate the tier on tier without losing too much light. He is going to do upper tilting and lower tilting separately. I have decided to get the whole house done, apart from the the 5 french doors. It would be about the end of july

We are pleased with the extra light let in by our plantation shutters. They replaced some heavy, interlined linen curtains, which had cost a lot and were still serviceable - so I felt a bit guilty at getting the blinds. But I had not appreciated how much of the windows those heavy curtains had concealed when drawn back. The window is actually five separate windows (does that make sense?) forming a semi circle, set alongside each other round the bay. The heavy curtains used to cover up one of the five panes on each side of the bay. I was delighted to gain so much light with the new shutters . There doesn’t have to be a ‘white curtain ‘ effect : it depends how you angle the slats. We have shutters on the front bedroom windows too. They face east, so are very light in the morning, particularly in summer. I must say that the blinds have not solved that problem. Early morning light ‘leaks’ in around them. Despite this, we appreciate the way you can choose to ‘open’ the slats in the top section to let in sunlight while maintaining privacy.

They are ordered! White teak stained white in all windows except the bathroom, which is getting non wood bright white shutters. Honeycomb blinds in a matching off white over the patio doors and to say I am excited is an understatement. My last house had huge heavy lined curtains which cost a bomb, windows now are much smaller. I am looking forward to sunlight control and to just wiping to dust

They have not cost an arm and a leg, I looked upon it as essential moving in costs and factored it in