Charlotte's Frequently Asked Questions About Shutters

For more than 8 years, we’ve heard every question about shutters you can imagine from our customers in Charlotte. And we’ve gathered the top ten of them here. Perhaps in these questions and answers you’ll find answers to questions of your own. If not, please don’t wait to contact Sunburst Shutters Charlotte directly. We’re here to help you and happy to do so.

That is based on how you would like the shutters to interact with your home’s décor. Do you want a shutter that contrasts your wall paint color and has clean lines? Polywood® plantation shutters are ideal for you. Or are you looking to duplicate the wood in your home as closely as possible? Ovation® wood shutters are the ultimate fit for you.

Plantation shutters are celebrated for being energy efficient. And to get the greatest energy savings, our Polywood Shutter Insulation System is the only choice.

For the budget-conscious, blinds are a temporary window treatment to cover your windows. Chances are they will deteriorate over time with the strings snapping and the loops that hold the slats in place falling apart. Not to mention, they are difficult to clean.

Shades offer a variety of colors and unique patterns, changing your window into artwork. By effortlessly pulling up the fabric of the shade, your whole window is exposed and you can see out onto your Charlotte neighborhood.

Draperies also are available in a wide variety of color, fabric, and patterns. They are a traditional option for a window treatment. Installing thick panels between the drapes and the window gives you light and temperature block-out capabilities. And unlike other window treatments, there’s no rush to clean draperies for five years.

If you are searching for a window treatment that lasts over 10 years, saves you actual bucks on your energy bills, and looks magnificent on your windows, shutters are the choice for your home. Not only are shutters durable, but they’re also exquisite and energy efficient. Actually, Polywood shutters insulate up to 70% better than a similar wood shutter. That’s energy savings you can’t get with any other window treatment.

When it comes to control over privacy and light, plantation shutters are unmatched. And with their large louvers, Polywood plantation shutters give your space a clean in vogue feel whether they’re closed or open.

An improperly installed window treatment can be a hassle to open and can get damaged easily. We have an expert installation crew that comes to your home and installs your window treatment just right, making sure that each one moves perfectly – and doesn’t get damaged in the process.

But before we start installing your shutters, we bring shutter samples to your home so we can custom craft your window treatment together. Learn more about our free in-home consultation.

Your plantation shutter slats – or louvers – can be moved simply by tilting them up or down. Most commonly, a tilt rod mounted on the front of the shutters gives you control over the louvers. To move the louvers with your hand, we recommend buying shutters with hidden tilt-rods or rear-mounted tilt rods. This gives your shutters a clean, contemporary appearance.

Our Polywood shutters last 50+ years – more than any other shutter you can find. That’s why these plantation shutters are a permanent fixture that boosts your home’s resale value. Learn more about the durability of our shutters.

Plantation shutters are a breeze to clean because they have large louvers and their tilt bars are either hidden or mounted on the rear. Gently tilt them open and dust them like furniture – or wipe smudges with a wet cloth.

Plantation shutters are custom designed to fit your windows down to the last one eighth of an inch. They become a permanent fixture of your home, adding to its resale value. It’s not possible to move these shutters from one house to another.

Plantation shutters are an investment that gives you temperature control, energy efficiency, and privacy. They are custom manufactured and installed on your windows to become permanent fixtures. Not only are they magnificent and energy saving, but plantation shutters also add to the value of your home. We’ve seen it first hand in Charlotte!

A half shutter allows you privacy on the bottom and leaves the top open for light and view. It’s called a café style shutter. But is it the right look for a plantation shutter?

Cafe Shutters Cafe Style Shutters With Divider

What it comes down to is style choice – whether you like the look of a half shutter or that of a plantation shutter with a divider rail.

A full length shutter with a divider rail “completes” your window, giving it a fully finished look – and giving you the option to close the bottom louvers for privacy while leaving the top louvers open for light. At night, you can close the top louvers as well for privacy and security. This also comes in handy during the day when the sun is hindering you from watching TV. And don’t worry about losing any of your view. A 3.5" or 4.5" louver will almost disappear when opened flat and gives you plenty of of a view to look through.

Simple! Call us at 980-231-1116 or fill out the form below to schedule your free in-home consultation, and we’ll guide you from there. We come out to your home to measure the windows you want to cover with shutters and bring samples of all of our shutter products and their available options. This way we can provide you with the appropriate shutter estimate for your project. Schedule your in-home consultation today!

Absolutely! There’s seldom a reason to remove or make alterations to your current window trim when installing new plantation shutters. Natural Ovation wood shutters and deluxe Polywood shutters are offered in an array of frame styles to fit naturally into your existing window trim. If your windows are trimless, we offer frame styles to install right onto the wall around your window to secure your gorgeous new shutters to your window opening.

Your installer will measure each of your home’s windows during your complimentary in-home consultation to make sure that your new shutters will fit perfectly with your window trim.

Sunburst Shutters Charlotte is committed to offering a collection of window coverings made right here in the U.S.A. Our marquee Polywood plantation shutters are 100% American-made, from the creation of our patented Polywood material to the building of the shutters themselves. Not only does that result in a lower final price without unnecessary shipping and handling costs, it also gives you the perk of knowing you’re choosing an all-American window treatment for your Charlotte house.

And Polywood isn’t alone in hailing from the U.S.A. Our historic Reclaimed Wood shutters are built using lumber harvested from places across the country, from rustic Midwest barn doors to sturdy Texas ranch fences and more.

The primary divide between a shutter that’s stained or painted is how the material of the shutter interacts with the color. Paint lays atop the material it’s coloring, covering the surface. Stains on the other hand seep into the shutter, bonding to the natural wood or Polywood material.

Both methods come with their individual benefits. There are usually a larger number of color choices for painted shutters. With stained shutters, the color doesn’t interfere with the natural wood grain, so you can see the natural grooves and ridges of the material without it being masked by a layer of paint.

During your in-home window design consultation, our team will bring samples of our stain and paint options right to your door so you can easily match and complement colors with your existing interior design.

The complete plantation shutter process, beginning with your starting consultation through installation, will take about four to six weeks. The process takes this long because we strive to build 100% custom shutters for your windows. To do that, we need to take precise measurements, make use of sophisticated software to design your shutters, assemble your brand-new shutters by hand, and ship them to you prior to installation. Wood shutters will usually take longer than Polywood due to the staining and finishing process.

It does take a little time, but it’s an investment that’s well worth it.

We offer a complete shop-at-home experience. So we send shutter expert to your door to get window measurements, walk you through your options, and give you a quote. The design consultation is absolutely free. That’s the easiest way to start a shutter project. If you’re just looking for a quick estimate, you can give us your window measurements either by phone or through our contact form.

Whether or not to remove the trim depends on your personal taste. If you want to keep the trim you already have, we’re able to build your shutters to match your current trim. If you prefer our shutter frames, then you can remove the trim—but it’s not a necessity. If you want to go without trim or replace your trim, we’ll help you pick the right shutter to match what you have in mind for your space.

If you’re an experienced handyman, you might be familiar with what goes into a shutter installation. However, taking on DIY shutters may be a little complex for most Charlotte homeowners. Our recommendation is to leave the installation to our certified and insured professionals, so you won’t risk damage to your shutters, your windows, or injuring yourself.

By far our most popular shutter options are our classic white Polywood® plantation shutters, and Ovation® hardwood shutters.

As far as shutter options, the most common shutter configuration we sell is a 3.5” louver, smooth finish, with an interior-mount Z-frame. If none of that makes any sense, that’s ok. We’ll be happy to demonstrate what all that means in person. Set up your free home consultation and we’ll show you what would work best on your windows.

Smooth finish shutters have a more fashionable look, whereas shutters with a textured finish look a bit more historic. But the benefits to both types of plantation shutter finish are a little deeper, and in the end come down to your own taste.

Perks of a smooth finish for shutters – A smooth finish to your shutters offer a solid, chic, sophisticated look. If you don’t have many other wood surfaces like hardwood floors or exposed beams, you might not want a smooth finish. A smooth finish is easier to see when it needs dusting, in comparison with a textured finish. We usually recommend a smooth finish for faux wood shutters like Polywood.

Perks of shutters with a textured or wood grain finish – A wood grain finish on your shutters gives you a more natural, rustic look to your shutters. That’s perfect if you want to bring the look of nature indoors, especially if you want to complement the look of your hardwood furniture. A textured finish on your shutters will also make dust harder to see, which means you can wait a little longer between regular cleanings. A wood-grain finish looks especially great on real wood shutters in Charlotte.

Usually, the larger the window, the more shutter panels you’ll want. Our recommendation is to use one panel for windows up to 26” wide, two panels for windows up to 50” wide, and four for windows up to 98” wide.

Single wide panels aren’t as room-friendly as two separate panels. Sometimes, wide panel shutters can’t fit flush against the wall due to their width. Multiple smaller panels fix that.

For windows that you might open or shut regularly, you’ll be better off with multi-panel shutters, since they’re easier to open and get better support from the frame when you do operate them.

With Sunburst Shutters Charlotte, all of your measurements for shutters will be done by our team for free as part of your in-home consultation. Even if your window is in a hard to reach area of your house or has a unique shape, our installers can get you a precise measurement so that the shutters you get will fit your windows seamlessly.

At your complimentary in-home consultation, your Sunburst Shutters pro will help you narrow down your options from our wide array of Charlotte plantation shutters, such as choices for louver size, stains, and custom mounts and frames.

So schedule your in-home consultation today by calling 980-231-1116 today.

Sunburst can help you find the best shutter for your windows, despite how small your frame. We will use an outside mount installation that attaches to the trim or wall outside the window pane . Your shutters will still have the same functionality and energy efficiency, and will integrate perfectly with your established decor.

If the louver is separated and drooping from the frame, you likely have a broken louver pin. To fix this you will want to extract the pin from both the louver and the stile with a pair of needle-nose pliers or a utility knife. Once the damaged pin is taken out, stick the undamaged pin base into the old hole in the shutter stile, then slide the louver onto the pin. To get extra louver pins for free, just call us at 980-231-1116.

The cost of plantation shutters revolves on the desired product line and window dimensions. While we can offer you a projection over the phone, exact prices are offered after our complimentary in-person consultation. Call 980-231-1116 to ask for an appointment today.

First, pull out the damaged staple from the louver with some of needle-nose pliers. Then apply some adhesive (like wood glue or epoxy) to cover the legs of a new staple. Thread the staple into the loop on the louver and direct its legs into the same staple holes on the tilt rod. For replacement shutter staples, call us at 980-231-1116.

Polywood shutters are some of the safest window treatments in Charlotte. The durable, cord-free design is perfect for kids and pets. The toxin-free and hypoallergenic materials and paint will never chip, splinter, or peel. And because Polywood is moisture and pest resistant, you will not have to worry about termites, mold or wood rot.