Low Cost Home Improvement Tips: Decorative Window Shutters ...

Decorative window shutters are an economical and elegant way to improve the appearance of your home. They come in a wide variety of designs, are easy to maintain and simple enough to install yourself.

If you have lived in a house for some years, there comes a certain point (sooner for some people than others) when you have done all you can to improve the appearance and value of the property. Most people focus more on interior decorating than the exterior of the house, choosing colour schemes and furnishings that reflect their character and tastes. This is hardly surprising, since this is where we spend most of our time and where we entertain guests. However, it is the outside of the house that gives people their first impressions ? both of the property and its owners. Aside from keeping the exterior clean and freshly painted, there are a limited number of ways to improve it. Decorative window shutters are one means of creating an appealing and welcoming feel to your home.

A cost-effective addition

Decorative window shutters come in a wide variety of styles, colours and materials. As well as the traditional wooden ones, familiar to anyone who has spent time in the south ofFranceor elsewhere in theMediterranean, you can now purchase plastic ones. Whilst these look the much same, they are significantly cheaper than wood. One reason for this is that the hard woods from which shutters have to be made are a natural but slow-growing resource. Another variant is so-called ?synthetic wood?, a mixture of man-made polymers designed to replicate the look and feel of timber. It is cut, shaped and painted in just the same way as wood is. However, it typically comes in at around 30 percent cheaper. Overall, you can expect to pay less than ?50 per pair for many designs of plastic window shutter, depending on what you are looking for.

Durable and low-maintenance

Decorative window shutters are highly durable and require little in the way of maintenance. Plastic shutters are not prone to damage by the elements in the same way that wooden ones are. Depending on the material, they may not even need painting ? UPVC and polypropylene shutters cannot be painted and the colour is a part of the plastic. Styrene shutters do need painting, but once the job is done you shouldn?t need to worry about them for some years. These are a good option if you think you might want to change the colour of the shutters ? or the outside of the house, since you may wish to repaint them at this point to match the new colour scheme.

Easy to fit

Whilst operational shutters take some time and expertise to fit, decorative window shutters can be put up by anyone with basic DIY skills and a couple of hours to spare. You will usually need two people ? one to hold the shutter in place and one to check that it is in line with the windows. (Don?t use a spirit level, since this assumes that the windows themselves are perfectly horizontal!) After that, it is a simple matter to drill the required holes in the shutters and masonry of your house and screw the shutters into place. If you need to remove them for cleaning or repainting, this is a straightforward task.

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This article was supplied by simplyshutters.co.uk, who are members of The Guild of Master Craftsmen and suppliers of high quality decorative exterior window shutters.

Source: http://www.homeandgardengroup.co.uk/low-cost-home-improvement-tips-decorative-window-shutters/

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