How Hard Are DIY Shutters?
Getting home improvement projects done by yourself in Baltimore is easier than ever. Since you have a lot of resources easily available to walk you through every step, a lot of projects that used to be hard are now very doable.
There are outliers, though – projects that may be cumbersome, time-consuming, or just too difficult to DIY. One job that might be part of that category is installing DIY plantation shutters.
Here are just a few of the problems that might pop up when trying to put in shutters as a DIY project.
DIY Window Measuring for Shutters
Though it may look easy on the surface, getting the exact window measurements for plantation shutters can get somewhat tricky. As one of our installers says, “There’s about a thousand ways to measure windows wrong, but only one right way54.” There’s a lot of variation in windows that will impact how you need to measure.
For example, will your shutters be on an inside mount or an outside mount? What’s the thickness of the shutter frame you’re thinking about and how deep into the window opening should it need to sit? Which style of frame is needed for casement-in windows, swinging windows or sliding windows?
Each of these can affect which kind of shutters and frame are best for you. By extension, that changes how you measure your windows.
Buying DIY Shutters
The next problem area for DIY shutters can pop up during the buying process. As with the variation in windows, there’s a lot of differences between types of shutters, and if you’re flying solo, it’s easy to purchase the wrong product. Here are a few easy to make mistakes if you’re a DIYer:
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Buying the wrong material for shutters. For example, getting real wood shutters for a space in your home that should have a waterproof window treatment.
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Picking a shutter configuration that impedes window movement, making it so you can’t fully open the window.
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Choosing a shutter with a frame that doesn’t fit your specialty window such as your sidelight windows.
When talking to DIYers, we’ve found there might be some added confusion about certain shutter terms. Working with shutter experts can help clear up any confusion, so you get exactly what you need.
DIY Shutter Installation
The hardest part of DIY shutters, like with any home improvement job, is in actually putting them in.
There are a few reasons it’s so difficult – first, shutter installation is a precise procedure, and one small mistake in measuring at the beginning or in hanging a bracket can ruin the whole thing. Shutters can also be a little heavy; depending on the material and your window’s location, lifting a shutter can be exhausting and sometimes hazardous.
Many DIYers also don’t realize that it’s pretty common for shutters to not exactly fit your window frame. This is mainly because most window frames aren’t perfectly square. Attaching the shutter flush to one side of the window opening could result in the shutter looking crooked and creating gaps. It’s typical for an installer to caulk a quarter or half-inch gap, and if you’re doing it alone a caulking job could be more than you bargained for.
Last, when you do a DIY shutter project, you don’t have a safety net. If a professional does your shutters for you, they’ll almost always guarantee the project with a warranty. But if something goes awry when you DIY, you’re on your own if there’s any damage to your shutter or to your window.
