Do Your Window Shutters Need To Be Replaced?

Window shutters are one of the most common window dressings there are, especially in Australia where their benefits are more evident than most places. Their large slats can block most of the sun while still allowing uninterrupted breezes into your home much better than blinds or curtains can. However, many older window shutters were made with lesser quality wood with very little treatment on them. Here are three signs that your window shutters are probably past their prime and should be replaced as soon as you get the chance to do so.

Sagging

If your window shutters are the kind that are foldable, as many are, then you may notice a quite severe sagging after a number of years. While this can be fixed through some quick repairs, it is only delaying the inevitable and the sag will come again. There are a number of reasons for this, but mostly it is because the wood is too heavy for the hinges it rests upon. This is probably due to the older method of construction with much heavier wood. Modern window shutters use much lighter wood while also treating it better so that it can withstand the damp and wet conditions just like it can the heat.

Chips 

You might not notice it from a distance, but when you get close to your window shutters, it is not uncommon to see quite a lot of wooden chips hanging loose or on the sill or floor beneath the shutters. These wooden chips indicate that the structural integrity of the timber is starting to fail and it will only get worse from there. If you don't want to be picking up tiny pieces of wood out of your carpet or floor for the next couple of years, then it may be time to take out your current window shutters and search for replacements.

Hard To Adjust

One of the reasons window shutters are so popular is because they are so easy to adjust. Depending on your style of window shutters, you should only need one hand to move the slats up and down. If there is a lot of pushback when you try to do this, then there could be a few things wrong. The wooden frame could have warped and is stopping the slats from moving freely, or the actual slats themselves could be old and stiff. The issue is that many of these designs were not tested to last decades like modern versions are, so there will always be some degradation as the years go by. 

Contact a window company to learn more about replacing window shutters.