Phoenix's Frequently Asked Questions About Shutters

For more than 45 years, we’ve heard every question about shutters thinkable from our customers in Phoenix. And we’ve collected the top ten of them here. There’s a good chance that in these questions and answers you’ll find answers to questions of your own. If not, please don’t wait to contact Sunburst Shutters Phoenix directly. We’re here to aid you and happy to do so.

That is based on how you would like the shutters to mesh with your home’s décor. Do you want a shutter that contrasts your wall paint color and has clean lines? Polywood® plantation shutters are perfect for you. Or are you looking to match the wood in your home as closely as possible? Ovation® wood shutters are an absolute 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 can be temporary window treatments to cover your windows. Store-bought blinds tend to deteriorate over time, with its strings breaking and the loops that hold the slats in place falling apart. And they are difficult to clean. Even if you're budget-conscious, Sunburst Shutters blinds have the durability and craftsmanship lacking in off-the-rack, store-bought, or online blinds.

Shades offer an array of colors, materials, and unique patterns, changing your window into artwork. Just by pulling up the fabric of the shade, your entire window is exposed and you can see out onto your Phoenix neighborhood.

Draperies also come in a wide assortment of color, fabric, and patterns. They are a traditional alternative for a window treatment. Adding thick panels between the drapes and the window provides you with light and temperature block-out capabilities. And unlike other window treatments, there’s no need to clean draperies for five years.

If you want a window treatment that lasts beyond 10 years, saves you money on your energy bills, and looks elegant on your windows, shutters are the choice for your home. Not only are shutters durable, but they’re also lovely and energy efficient. Actually, Polywood shutters insulate up to 70% better than a comparable wood shutter. That's energy savings you will miss out on with any other window treatment.

Plantation shutters are unparalleled when it comes to control over privacy and light. And with their large louvers, Polywood plantation shutters give your house a clean contemporary feel whether they’re closed or open.

An inappropriately installed window treatment can be tough to open and can get damaged easily. We have an expert installation crew that comes to your home and installs your window treatment precisely, double checking that each one operates smoothly – and doesn’t get damaged throughout.

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

Your plantation shutter slats – or louvers – can be moved without difficulty by pushing them up or down. Generally, a tilt rod mounted on the front of the shutters gives you control over the louvers. If you would like to move the louvers with your hand, we advise buying shutters with hidden tilt-rods or rear-mounted tilt rods. This gives your shutters a clean, contemporary look.

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

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

Plantation shutters are custom built to fit your windows just right. They become a permanent fixture of your home, adding to its resale value. These shutters cannot be moved from one house to another.

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

A half shutter gives 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 appropriate 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 polished look – and allowing you to close the bottom louvers for privacy while leaving the top louvers open for light. At night, you have the option of closing the top louvers as well for privacy and security. It’s also convenient during the day when the sun is stopping 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 space to look through.

Piece of cake! Call us at 480-485-7743 or fill out the form below to schedule your free in-home consultation, and we’ll take it 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 allows us to provide you with the most accurate shutter estimate for your project. Schedule your in-home consultation today!

Yes! There’s a reason to remove or make alterations to your existing window trim when you buy new plantation shutters. Natural Ovation wood shutters and premier Polywood shutters can be customized with a variety of frame styles to fit naturally into your current window trim. If your windows don’t have trim, you can choose a specific frame style to install directly onto the wall around your window to secure your gorgeous new shutters to your window opening.

Your shutter installer will measure each of your house’s windows during your complimentary design consultation to make sure that your window trim is beautifully complemented by the frame of your new shutters.

Sunburst Shutters Phoenix is proud to offer a range of window treatments made right here in the U.S.A. Polywood plantation shutters are not only America’s #1-selling shutter, but they’re 100% American-made. Not only does that mean a lower final price without unnecessary shipping and handling costs, it also gives you the perk of knowing you’re choosing an all-American product for your Phoenix home.

And Polywood isn’t alone in hailing from the U.S. Our historic Reclaimed Wood shutters are constructed using lumber gathered from sources across the country, from rustic Midwest barn doors to beautiful New England fences and more.

The primary differentiator between painted and stained shutters is the way the shutter material interacts with the color. Paint sits on the top layer of the shutter, just coating the surface. Stains conversely, seep into the shutter, bonding to the natural wood or faux wood material.

Each method comes with its unique benefits. There are typically more color choices for painted shutters. With stained shutters, the color won’t obscure the natural wood grain, so you can see the natural knots and ridges of the material without it being hidden by a layer of paint.

When it comes time for your in-home window design consultation, we’ll bring samples of our stain and paint options straight to you so you can easily match and complement colors with your current design.

The entire plantation shutter process, beginning with your starting consultation through installing the shutters, usually takes approximately four to six weeks on average. The reason it takes this long is because we strive to build shutters that are completely customized to your windows. To do that, we need to take exact measurements, utilize sophisticated software to design your shutters, assemble your custom shutters manually, and deliver them to you prior to installation. Real wood shutters tend to take longer due to the staining and finishing process.

It will take a little time, but it’s a wait that’s well worth it.

We offer a total in-home shopping experience. So we send one of our reps to your door to measure all your windows, discuss your options, and give you a quote. The design consultation is absolutely free. That’s the best way to start a window treatment project. If you’re just looking for a simple estimate, you can send us your window measurements through our contact form, or by calling us at 480-485-7743.

That’s up to your own taste. If you want to keep the trim you already have, we’re able to build custom shutters to complement your current trim. If you prefer our shutter frames, then you can remove the trim—but it is not a requirement for shutters. If you’re trying to go trimless or replace your trim, your Sunburst installer can help you find the right shutter to match your perfect vision.

If you’re an experienced handyperson, you might be familiar with some of the process involved in a shutter installation. However, DIY shutters might be a bit tricky for most Phoenix residents. We recommend leaving the installation to professionals that are certified and insured, that way you won’t be at risk of damaging your shutters, your windows, or any other part of your house.

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

To get more specific, the most common shutter configuration features includes a 3.5” louver, smooth finish, and an interior-mount Z-frame. If those words don’t mean anything to you, that’s ok. We’d be happy to demonstrate what all those things mean in person. Schedule your complimentary home consultation and we’ll show you what would look best on your windows.

Smooth finish shutters tend to look more modern and sleek, whereas shutters with a textured finish look a bit more historic. However the benefits to both types of plantation shutter finish go a little bit farther, and in the end it comes down to your own style.

Perks of shutters with a smooth finish – A smooth finish to your shutters offer a clean, sleek, fashion-forward look. If you don’t have many other wood accessories like hardwood floors or exposed beams, you might not want a smooth finish. A smooth finish makes dust easier to see, compared to a wood grain finish. We typically recommend a smooth finish for faux wood shutters like Polywood.

Perks of shutters with a wood grain finish – Shutters with a wood grain finish give you a more natural look in your home. That’s fantastic if you’re trying to bring the beauty of nature indoors, particularly if you want to complement the look of your hardwood floors. A textured finish on your shutter louvers may also make dust harder to see, which means you don’t have to dust them as often as you would if they were smooth. A textured finish looks especially great on real wood shutters in Phoenix.

Typically, the larger the surface area of your window, the more shutter panels you’ll want. The most ideal layout is to use a single 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 user-friendly as multiple panels. Sometimes, wide panel shutters can’t fit flush against the wall because of their size. Two smaller panels solve that problem.

For those windows that you may want to open or shut often, you’ll be better off with multi-panel shutters, since it’s easier to open them and they get better support from the frame when you do open and shut them.

With Sunburst Shutters Phoenix, any and all shutter measurements will be done for free by one of our installers 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 shutter experts can get you an accurate measurement so that your shutters will perfectly match up with your windows.

At your complimentary in-home consultation, your Sunburst Shutters pro can help you pick from our wide variety of Phoenix plantation shutters, featuring options for louver size, stain colors, and custom framing options.

So schedule your shutter consultation now by calling 480-485-7743 today.

Sunburst can help you find the ideal shutter for your home, regardless of how narrow your frame. We will use an outside mount installation that affixes to the trim or wall outside the window cavity . Your shutters will still have the same capabilities and energy efficiency, and will tie in seamlessly with other window treatments.

If the louver is separated and drooping from the frame, you probably have a damaged louver pin. To mend this you will want to remove the pin from both the louver and the stile with a pair of needle-nose pliers or a utility knife. Once the pin is taken out, insert the replacement pin base into the old hole in the shutter stile, then direct the louver onto the pin. To acquire extra louver pins at no cost, just call us at 480-485-7743.

The cost of plantation shutters depends on the selected product line and window area. While we can give you a basic quote over the phone, exact quotes are computed after our no cost in-person consultation. Call 480-485-7743 to schedule an appointment today.

First, clear away the broken staple away from the louver with some of needle-nose pliers. Then apply some adhesive (like wood glue or epoxy) to coat the legs of a new staple. weave the staple into the loop on the louver and guide its legs into the existing staple holes on the tilt rod. For new shutter staples, call us at 480-485-7743.

Polywood shutters are some of the safest window treatments in Phoenix. The durable, cordless craftsmanship is perfect for pets and kids. The non-toxic and hypoallergenic paint and materials will never chip, splinter, or peel. And since Polywood is moisture and pest resistant, you won’t have to worry about mold, termites, or wood rot.