How to Treat Your Wooden Shutters in Bremerton
You know wooden shutters in Bremerton need good maintenance. This ensures they always look good, and that they offer the benefits that you need throughout their lifetime. What a lot of people don’t know is how to treat their shutters.
What do you need for routine maintenance? How do you reapply treatments to protect from water and heat damage? Here’s everything you need to know about treatments of window shutters.
Ensure All Paint Is Removed
Start by making sure all the paint is removed from your wooden shutters in Bremerton. You want to get rid of all layers of the paint, sanding the wood down to a smooth layer. This is going to take some time, and it doesn’t matter what color of paint you have. It needs to be completely removed so that you have the bare wood to work with.
Any leftover paint will mean that the new paint and varnish isn’t going to stick very well. Those areas will start to flake off, and you’ll also see a color difference between the sections. With a smooth surface, you’ll find everything connects fully to the wood, creating a better bond.
Fill in the Gaps and Cracks
Before you do apply a new coat of paint to your wooden shutters in Bremerton, you need to know that everything is smooth. Did you notice any cracks in the wood? You’ll want to take the time to fill those cracks in. You can get wood filler to bond the wood together, ensuring that your shutters last for many more years.
If you don’t fill in the gaps, you weaken the shutters. They don’t have the stability to handle the heat and UV rays that come through the windows. Even the smallest of gaps or cracks will need some wood filler used.
Apply a Layer of Stain to the Shutters
Next, you want to protect the wood from the paint. This means applying a layer of stain to the wooden shutters in Bremerton. Depending on the look that you want to gain, you could have the stain as the final layer. There’s no need to repaint the wood if you don’t want to.
Avoid oversaturating the wood with the stain. Doing this will just lead to problems for the integrity of the wood. It won’t dry out fully, so you’ll need to deal with rotting problems from the inside. You can apply the varnish with a soft cloth.
Varnish or Paint Your Shutters
If you’re not going to paint the shutters a new color, you’ll want to add varnish over the top of the wood stain. This is a great protective layer for your wooden shutters in Bremerton.
What if you want to paint them? This is the time to do that. Consider whether paint is really all that necessary, especially for inside the home. You’ll need to do all these steps again as you change your décor needs. If your shutters are outside, a weather-proofing paint is a great idea for protection.
Make sure you treat your wooden shutters in Bremerton every few years. You’ll want to end with varnish to protect the wood from the heat, UV rays, and elements.
