Three Considerations to Make Regarding Shutters for Your Los Altos Home

When people think of shutters, they generally think about window shutters. However, shutters can be ideal for a number of entry doors around the house, and they can even make ideal interior doors for certain situations. For the purposes of this article, we are going to be discussing shutters for patio doors.

No matter whether you have a sliding glass door, which is one of the most common types of patio or deck style doors throughout the United States, or French doors, or a general, basic entry door in your Los Altos home, you can have shutters installed to make them look amazing.

There are a few things that you need to consider when determining what type of shutters you should choose for your entry door in your Los Altos home. Even if you have general vertical blinds, a curtain, or even standard horizontal, thin lined slat blinds, you can enjoy the beauty that wood shutters offer for any window or door in your home.

The three aspects that you should consider before choosing door shutters are: recess depth, framing, and weight.

Recess Depth

Depending on the type of exterior door that you are considering installing shutters on, you will notice that the recess depth is different than for standard windows. Generally (and this is true for a majority of entry doors, but not all), most exterior doors have a deep recessed frame. What this means is that the framing is larger and there will be more space from the molding to the door than for traditional windows.

This will impact the installation of the shutters that you choose for the door. If you choose the wrong type of shutters, they will sit away from the door and won’t close properly. If they are installed against the door, such as a sliding glass door, then it can cause problems opening and closing the doors.

When deciding to have shutters installed on any interior or exterior door of your home, it is best to have a shutter professional with experience come to measure the recess depth and determine the proper size of the shutters so that they fit perfectly.

Framing

Another consideration that needs to be made is in the framing of the door. If you have a sliding glass patio door, then you will easily notice that the frame is much different than on the front door of your Los Altos house or a side door.

The type of frame, as well as the size of the frame, will have an impact on the type of shutters that you should install over these doors. Again, if you do not have a lot of experience with home improvement projects, it is best to have a shutter expert come to your home to determine the frame and size of the opening where the shutters will be installed to ensure a perfect fit.

Note: it may sound like a significant amount of trouble to deal with installing shutters on interior or exterior doors, but the process and cost is not much different than having wood shutters installed on any of the windows in your home. They offer a greater level of privacy and light control with the added benefit of style and value.

Make sure that the recess depth and framing is calculated when figuring out the size of the shutters and where they will need to be installed.

Account for Weight of Shutters

Finally, you should consider the weight of the shutters that you plan on having installed over the patio doors in your Los Altos home. If you choose a heavy type of shutter, the sheer size of the shutters will place a greater amount of pressure on the hinges as well as the supporting framework. This has the potential to cause warping over time.

Patio or French door shutters are an ideal alternative to traditional blinds or even curtains. They offer more flexibility, they are more practical, and they are much more durable. If you have interior wood shutters installed over your patio doors, you should expect to get several decades of use out of them, especially if you care and maintain them properly.

This type of covering for patio doors also provides a more sophisticated look. It is an elegant alternative to the normal type of vertical blinds or heavy drapery that you will find in most homes throughout Los Altos.

Shutters that are designed for larger openings such as for patio doors must be made from lighter weight materials in order to prevent sagging. You cannot just go down to your local hardware store and pick up some tall, standard wood shutters and expect them to last. If you have a sliding glass door, you’ll need to consider a tract shutter system because it will work much better with this frame set up.

If you have more questions about installing shutters on your patio door, contact an experienced and professional shutter expert today. The possibilities are nearly endless with regard to interior or exterior shutters. With the amount of privacy and light control that these window and door treatments offer, making a wise investment today can mean enjoying the same shutters many years from now.

If you need the help of an expert to review your current shutters, give us a call. At San Francisco Shutters, we help our community find the right Los Altos, CA shutters for their home. Stop by our showroom located at 1676 Gilbreth Rd Burlingame, CA 94010. Call us today at (650) 552-9020 to get started.