How Difficult Are DIY Shutters?
Getting home design projects done on your own in Bakersfield has never been easier. With resources easily available to walk you through every step, many once-difficult projects are now very doable by yourself.
There are outliers, though – jobs that may be cumbersome, time-consuming, or just too hard to do by yourself. One project that might be part of that category is installing DIY plantation shutters.
Below are just a few of the issues that might arise when trying to install shutters as a DIY job.
DIY Window Measuring for Shutters
Though it can look easy at a glance, getting the precise window measurements for plantation shutters can get a little tricky. As one of our team members says, “There are a thousand wrong ways to measure windows, but only one right way.” There’s a good amount of variation in windows that can impact how you need to measure.
Have you decided whether your shutters will be on an outside or inside mount? How thick is the frame of the shutters you’re thinking about and how deep into the window opening does it go? What kind of frame do you need for casement-in windows, crank windows or sliders?
All these factors can affect what size of shutters you’ll want and what frame you pick. That also changes how you need to measure your windows.
DIY Shutter Buying
The next pitfall for DIY shutters arises in the buying process. As with the variation in windows, there’s a lot of variation in shutters, and if you’re flying solo, it can be easy to purchase the wrong thing. Here are a few common DIY mistakes:
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Purchasing the wrong material for shutters. For instance, getting hardwood shutters to put in a room that might actually need a waterproof window treatment.
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Picking a shutter build that impedes window movement, meaning you can’t fully open the window.
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Choosing a shutter with a frame that doesn’t work well with your specialty window such as your sliding glass doors.
In addition, there can be some added confusion about certain shutter terms. Working with shutter experts can help clear up any confusion, so you get exactly what you think you’re getting when you buy your shutters.
Installing Shutters Yourself
The most difficult part of DIYing shutters, similar to any home improvement job, is in actually putting them in.
First off, shutter installation is a precise procedure, and one slight slip-up in measuring at the beginning or in installing a bracket can throw a wrench in the whole project. Shutters can also be physically hard to maneuver on your own; depending on the material and your window’s position, lifting a shutter can be exhausting and in some cases dangerous.
The majority of shutter DIYers are unaware that it’s pretty common for shutters to not fit the window frame precisely. This is mainly because few window frames are a perfect square. Attaching the shutter flush to one side of the window opening could result in the shutter looking crooked and making gaps. It’s typical for an installer to caulk a ¼ or ½inch gap, and if you’re solo a caulking job could be outside your expertise.
Finally, when you do a DIY shutter project, you don’t have a safety net. If a professional installer puts in your shutters for you, they’ll typically guarantee the job with a warranty. But if something goes awry when you try to install yourself, you’re on your own if there’s any damage to your shutter or to your window.
