Tag: plantation shutters

Posted on

Job Photo – 09/19/15

Requested Service: Installation

 

Another challenging plantation shutter install. 

Pictured, is what’s known as a “double hung” configuration. There were two other shutters of identical size and configuration in the same room, which was to be used as an office.

The owner’s intention was to place desk/credenza components along the walls where each shutter was located. She wished to have the ability to open some panels without the need to move heavy furniture. 

Generally a shutter this size would feature four, full length panels. As you can see, each had eight in this case. Four large across the top, four small across the bottom. The loss of structural integrity when panels are divided in this manner requires use of horizontal supports. These can be seen intersecting the required vertical supports.

Since the horizontals must be divided into three parts, (left, center, right) they cannot always be attached in the same fashion as the verticals (two screws into each end through concealed portions of frame). Invariably what you’re left with is a couple of locations where toe-nailing into the ends from the back side of each vertical becomes necessary. This is especially exciting when the shutter is made of anything other than wood.

These were of a composite material, which is attractive and very good quality, but nowhere near as forgiving as wood. Meaning, you only get one chance to hit your mark. All the while ensuring that the horizontal remains in the exact location prescribed. If you fail, you may have to “eat” the entire shutter. Certainly, both the horizontal and vertical supports will be lost.

It pays, then, to assemble the entire shutter, including panels, before attempting such an operation. Because, guess what? Even if the “pilot holes,” sometimes used by manufacturers to designate screw locations, are placed wrong at the factory, you still get to “eat” the product. 

ADVANCED ON-SITE is certified as having completed training that focuses on complex shutter configurations, and how to foresee potential problems before they develop. It can’t be called rocket science, but you’re well advised not to entrust your shutters to just any installer.

Our specialty is drapery and shade cleaning, though we offer a range of other services related to window coverings. Contact us to discuss your needs.

Posted on

Job Photo – 09/11/15

Requested Service: Installation

 

That’s right! We install plantation shutters!

Pictured, is one of our more elaborate installations involving four very large units at the private Alicante community in Juno Beach. Two of them could not have been more complicated, given their arched shapes and the fact that they reached as high as 14 feet in the air.

The unit at upper right qualifies as our most complicated ever, due to its modular construction and the need to hoist it into place already assembled. Boy, if that wasn’t a tricky operation.

Know what was even more tricky? The preliminary measurements and calculations that went into ensuring the best possible fit in an opening with all sorts of issues. Not only was it badly out of square, but the wall on which it was located had a big nasty bow at the point where the top of its left “ear” portion intersected the left leg of its “eyebrow” (arched) portion.

Bear in mind that a shutter’s frame must be perfectly square and plumb, on all planes, in order for the panels to function properly when installed. This requires the ability to plan in advance for adjustments that can be executed only during installation. 

Don’t trust this to just anyone. ADVANCED ON-SITE is equal to the task.

Our specialty is drapery and shade cleaning, though we offer a range of other services related to window coverings. Contact us to discuss your needs.

Posted on

Avoiding Damage to Plantation Shutters

Perhaps as much as eighty percent of all plantation shutters sold in the past ten years utilize a “rear tilt” (left) method, rather than the traditional “tilt bar” (right) they were originally known for.

While both are connected to each and every louver, the “tilt bar” is typically made of the same material and located on the front center of the panel. “Rear tilt” can be either metal or plastic and located on the rear of the panel, usually at the same end of the louvers as its hinges.

This post focuses on the traditional tilt bar. Some aficionados still insist upon it, though many do not properly understand its purpose.

It is NOT intended as a handle for moving the louvers, so let’s clear that up right away. In fact, you should never touch it!

The correct way to open and close louvers is to grasp one in each hand, as far apart, both vertically and horizontally, as you can. When you begin to move them, the tilt bar’s true purpose becomes evident. Namely, to ensure that all the louvers move in unison. That’s it! There’s no other reason for its existence.

When the tilt bar is used as a handle, its connectors are subjected to undue stress. This dramatically reduces their life expectancy.

Wooden and composite shutters most often use opposing wire staples. These are prone to rust and corrosion, not to mention fatigue. Polyvinyl shutters use various types of plastic connectors, which dry out and become brittle as a result of the constant heat inside a window opening.

In either case, connectors are not easily replaced. Where vinyl shutters are concerned, there’s the matter of, first, determining who the manufacturer was. This can be surprisingly difficult, as most do not place their name anywhere on the product.

Manufacturers of polyvinyl shutters often use their own proprietary connectors. If a homeowner is unable to recall where their shutters were purchased, he or she may end up with a very expensive piece of junk covering the window.

Wood shutter connectors are generally easier to replace, but there are occasional exceptions.

ADVANCED ON-SITE‘s specialty is drapery and shade cleaning, though we offer a range of other services, including shutter installation & repair. Contact us to discuss your needs.

Verified by MonsterInsights