Shutters london
Shutters London Types, Styles, Colors & Costs
Whether you are residing in an apartment or a family home in London, you will definitely take pains over enhancing the interiors and exteriors in an elegant way. One problem that may worry you is selecting the right type of shutters for your windows. Shut the door firmly on all those worrisome details of shutters by contacting a professional London firm that deals exclusively in shutters.
Interior & Exterior Shutters
An interior shutter is generally installed in such a way that natural light can filter into the house and not block it entirely. Some interior shutters have fixed slats; others ones have can be moved with the help of louvers. An interior shutter can be in the form of just one piece, or take the form of two tiers or even three tiers, with each tier separately maneuverable from the other tiers. What is known as a cafe type shutter enables you to cover the lower section of a window.
An exterior shutter is generally installed to ensure that pests (both of the flying variety & thieves!) do not gain access to the home through the windows. Also, the furnishings and the room in general are protected from the vagaries of the climate lashing rain, dancing slow flakes, floating autumn leaves, etc. If your London home is located in an area that is often battered by extra strong winds, you can install specially designed exterior shutters to act as buffers to the winds.
Types of Shutters offered by London shutter firms
There are basically 2 types of shutters offered by your London shutter manufacturing firm: plantation & traditional.
The traditional shutter is referred to as a colonial-type shutter due to its use in colonial-type homes. The slats of a traditional shutter are often small, and placed on either side of a central vertical ridge. You are likely to find traditional shutters designed from wood only and not likely in any other material, such as vinyl.
The plantation shutter generally has louvers that are either flat or are of the thicker variety towards the center. The panels of this shutter are usually quite thick. The view is better enhanced with larger louvers.
Materials for Shutters & Costs
When you contact your London shutter firm, you will be given some standard options regarding the material used for the shutters.
Basswood: The grains that compose this wood make it quite stable and prevent ugly distortions from forming. It is the first choice for window shutters due to its great quality. Cost range: £280 to £285 per square meter
· Lockwood: The grains that compose this wood give it a unique lustrous look and a smooth texture. Hence, it is easy to get it painted in a color of your choice.
Cost range: £ 235 to EN £245 per square meter:
· Craftwood: this material is alternatively referred to as MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard). It is considerably long-lasting, thanks to its abilities to stand up well to cracks and chips. Its surface also does not fade out easily. Further, it is less expensive than other types. Keep in mind, though, that this type of shutter can be quite heavy and thus look unsuitable for a very wide window. Cost range: £175 to EN £185 per square meter .
Cedarwood: This type of wood is of very high quality and its lovely red-brown hues give a charming appearance to the window shutters.
Cost range: £275 to £285 per square meter
Other special types: Some firms will offer you shutters made from wood that is specially coated with another material, such as a waterproof plastic material. This type of shutters can thus be used for windows located above the kitchen sink and in the bathrooms of your home.
Styles & Shapes
The first style that comes to mind for a shutter is just one large solid block. This type is to be usually seen in traditional shutters and look great for a single large floor-to-ceiling window. However, some consider this to be a bit old-fashioned. An alternate is to install shutters in a tiered style, one above the other, with a single horizontal ridge separating the tiers. The advantage of this style is that you can keep one tier level open and close the other level. Yet another option in style was mentioned earlier: the cafe style, wherein only the lower section of a window is shuttered.
The shape of the shutters can be specially customized by the London shutter firm to fit the specific shape of the window a bay window, an arched window, a window that has a partial slant towards the ceiling, and so on.
Colors
Your London firm will offer you an incredible range of colors to choose from for painting / staining the shutters. However, while Basswood and Lockwood shutters can be easily painted in just about any color, MDF shutters have limited options.
Some examples of color options:
· Basswood Paint options: a wide range of white shades (silk white, bright white, pearl white, etc), different types of cream colors, and black; Stained finishes: blues, browns (honey, teak, oak, pecan, etc), and grays.
Lockwood whites, bisque, alabaster paint options.
· Craftwood just whites generally.
Remember that it is best to get a professional to do the painting / stain finish job for the shutters, to avoid giving a sloppy look and spoiling the overall beauty of the windows. Far too glossy finishes are also best avoided, as these spoil easily when touched and also bounce off sunlight and other light directly onto your eyes.
Finally, here are some handy tips when selecting the London firm that provides the shutters: first ask around and compare prices. This does not necessarily mean that you should opt for a lower-priced firm. Ask for a proper completed sample first the style and color included before actually having it installed. Also, it is not necessary that the firm itself should do the installation work. You can follow the do-it-yourself installation manual that should be provided when you place your order; or you can call a professional of your choice who maybe charging less. It all depends on you! Dont forget to ask about the warranty policies some shutters come with a 1 yr. warranty, others with 3 yrs, depending on the material used.
Go a head and beautify your home with some wonderful shutters you can use them on doors too!
Other Articles
