Shutters have a crisp design that looks great in any home. Keep reading for the ultimate guide to all different types of shutters for indoors and outdoors.

Homeowners spent a record $361 billion on home improvements, maintenance, and repairs in 2016. Home improvements are particularly popular since they can add value and style to your home.

One way to create visual impact both internally and externally is to add new shutters. Shutters don't just change the look of your home, they can also be functional.

We're here to tell you all about the many types of shutters you can choose from.

Location

The first thing you'll need to decide is whether the shutters are to be put on the outside of your house or used on the interior.

Interior shutters can help change the look of a room. They can also add privacy by blocking windows to prevent others from seeing in.

More often, homeowners install shutters on the exterior of their homes. Some types of shutters are functional and can add privacy or protect windows during windstorms and other adverse weather.

Those living in hurricane-prone areas often use shutters as an economical means of protecting windows during storms.

Shutter Design Styles

Several different panel styles are available. The panel style not only determines the look of the shutter, but also the functional value of the shutter.

Louvered

The most popular types of shutters use louvered panels. This design uses overlapping slats to offer a country-like look to the home.

Louvered shutters are available for both internal and external use.

Raised Panel

This style uses raised box-like designs to create rectangular features that stand out from the rest of the frame.

As with louvered shutters, these are great for both external and internal uses.

Shaker

Like raised panel designs, shaker style shutters have a flat body with the rectangular shapes. However, the shapes are recessed instead of being elevated like the raised panel design.

Both for internal and external use, these shutters offer a stylish addition to your home.

Plantation

These types of shutters add southern charm to your home. The use of louvers or angled slats allow light to shine through the shutter. Many come with adjustable slats allowing you to control the amount of light passing through the shutter.

Plantation shutters are typically used inside of homes, although they are sometimes added to the outside of the home.

Board and Batten

As the name suggests, this style of shutter uses a series of boards linked together using crosspieces extending extend over the boards. This offers a rustic look to your home.

Board and batten shutters are typically found on the exterior of houses.

Scandinavian

Visually like board and batten design, these types of shutters add a series of cutouts and carefully cut designs. Traditionally this style of shutter is thicker than other shutters to help protect against weather.

Like the other styles of shutters, Scandinavian shutters are available for both internal and external use.

Combination Shutters

This style uses more than one shutter styles. One popular combination uses a solid shutter on the bottom and a louvered style on the top of the shutter.

These styles are often used in the interior of the house and can help control the amount of light coming into a room.

Amount of Window Coverage

When selecting a shutter, one thing to consider is how much of the window you want to cover. While most people think of shutters as covering an entire window, this is not always the case.

Cafe-Style

As the name suggests, these types of shutters draw their inspiration from cafes. Rather than cover the entire window, cafe-style shutters usually come in plantation style designs and cover only the bottom part of the window.

Cafe-styles are available for both internal and external uses.

Tier-on-Tier

A great option, this offers 2 different sets of shutters vertically stacked on top of each other. This allows you to block part of the window completely while the other part is left open.

If you'd like to block the lower half of your window but leave the upper half-open, this is a great option for you.

Full Height

As the name suggests, these shutters cover the window from top to bottom and are most often the type found on the exterior of houses.

Accordion Shutters

You may think of shutters as being a single panel, but some shutters can fold like a closet door. This allows shutters to cover wider windows.

Also, accordion shutters are useful in controlling the amount of light since you can be partially open or close the shutters depending on your need.

Shutter Materials

Once you've selected where you want to put the shutters and what style you want, you'll need to pick what shutter material to use.

You have many choices of materials.

Wood

This is the traditional material for making shutters. With many paint and stain colors to choose from, it is easy to change the look of the shutter.

However, wood shutters will need painting or staining regularly to protect them from the elements.

Engineered Wood

Engineered wood is more durable than regular wood and better able to resist the effects of weathering.

Like regular wood, it can be painted a variety of colors to suit your tastes.

Laminate

Made of different sheets of wood glued together, laminate materials are especially good at protecting against rain. Like wood, they need regular painting or staining to protect them from the elements.

Metal

Using metal creates a sturdy shutter, although it can dent or chip. Metal types of shutters can be painted any color.

PVC

Vinyl shutters can stand up to the effects of sun and UV rays. This material is often used for exterior shutters that do not open or close.

Foam Synthetic

This material can create a wood-like body with a synthetic metal surface and foam interior. The foam provides insulation and is good for use in areas with extreme temperatures.

What Types of Shutters Are Best for You?

With all these choices of shutters, you're wondering what's best for your home. Not to worry, we're here to help.

Whatever your need or design taste, we've got you covered. We offer a free in-home consultation to help you select your shutters.

See why our customers rave about our service then give us a call.

You'll be glad you did.