Guides

Compare before you buy

• Shutter companies compared: who sells plantation shutters, how, and for how much

  Every shutter seller we’ve compared, in one table, with a guide for each.

• Wood vs vinyl shutters: which is better, room by room

  Wood wins in almost every room. Vinyl wins where the window gets wet. The evidence, item by item.

• Faux wood vs real wood shutters: what “faux wood” really is

  An umbrella name for several different plastics and composites. How to tell what you’re actually buying.

• Composite vs wood shutters, and what to ask about MDF

  Composite can mean almost anything. Here’s how to find out what’s inside, and why it matters for water.

• Are plantation shutters worth it? Cost, lifespan and style

  What they cost, what you get for it, whether they date, and the situations where we’d tell you not to buy them.

• Shutters vs blinds: wood blinds, zebra blinds and plantation shutters

  Light, privacy, cords, cleaning and cost, with wood blinds and zebra blinds compared side by side.

• Plantation shutters vs curtains and drapes, and using both together

  Where drapes win, where shutters win, and why many rooms are better with both.

• Plantation shutters vs cellular (honeycomb) shades

  If the heating bill is the only goal, cellular shades win. For light, looks and lifespan, shutters do.

• Zebra blinds vs California shutters: light, privacy, cords, motors and cost

  Zebra blinds cost less and motorize easily. Shutters last, steer light better and have no cords. How to choose, room by room.

Choosing, measuring and fitting

• How to measure for shutters

  Five measurements per window, and the one mistake to avoid.

• How to install your shutters

  Six steps and the tools you need.

• Plantation shutters vs California shutters

  Mostly two names for one product. What actually differs is the louver width, so ask for that.

• How to choose a louver size

  Bigger louvers, bigger view, but they need a deeper opening.

• Why our shutters are made of American poplar

  A hardwood that paints smoothly and holds it. What that means room by room.

• Inside mount vs outside mount plantation shutters: depth, square and frames

  Inside mount looks built in but needs a deep, square opening. Outside mount forgives almost everything and covers the trim.

• Plantation shutters on casement and crank windows: handles, depth and what to measure

  The crank handle and the louvers want the same few inches. Measure that space first, then free it or mount in front of it.

• Plantation shutters for French doors: handles, clearance and measuring

  One panel per door, moving with the door. The handle is the part to get right.

• Shutters in condos and HOA homes

  Check the rules on what shows from outside before you order, send drawings with your request, and measure each pane.

• Shutters for older homes: crooked openings, original windows and lead paint

  How to measure openings that were never square, when to choose a frame, and what to know about old paint before you drill.

Prices and the market

• What shutters cost

  Price ranges by window size, in US and Canadian dollars.

• What California shutters cost in Canada: 2027 prices in CAD

  Real CAD ranges by window and by home, what moves the number, and the sales tax in each province.

• Shutters in 2027: where the market is going and what buyers are choosing

  The 2027 colours, kitchen and remodeling reports, the cord rules coming, and the forecasts, with our read on what it means for shutters.

Shutter brands compared

Other companies’ shutters, from their own published information, and where ours differ.

• Hunter Douglas shutters: Heritance vs NewStyle vs Palm Beach, cost and warranty

  The three Hunter Douglas shutter lines in their own words, how you buy them, the warranty, and where a DIY wood shutter fits.

• The Shutter Store shutters: prices, materials, shipping and warranty vs Shutter Boys

  Two DIY shutter sellers: what each makes, what it costs, where it ships and how long it’s covered.

• Blinds.com shutters: wood lines, prices, SureFit and warranty vs Shutter Boys

  The wood and faux shutters Blinds.com sells, what they cost, what its guarantees cover, and how a solid poplar shutter compares.

• SelectBlinds shutters: faux wood, hardwood, prices and warranty vs Shutter Boys

  What SelectBlinds sells in the US and in Canada, its warranty and fit guarantee, and how a solid poplar DIY shutter compares.

• Home Depot and Lowe’s plantation shutters: custom options, prices and a wood alternative

  What the two big-box stores sell as custom shutters, what’s wood and what isn’t, what it costs, and where a DIY poplar shutter fits.

• Norman shutters: Woodlore, Normandy and Brightwood compared, with a DIY wood alternative

  What each Norman shutter line is made of, how Norman sells them, what the warranty covers, and how a DIY poplar shutter compares.

• Polywood shutters vs wood shutters: Sunburst’s claims, warranty and a DIY alternative

  What Polywood is, how Sunburst sells and installs it, which claims are tested, and where a solid wood DIY shutter fits.

• Louver Shop shutters: Heritage, LouverWood and Classic, and a DIY poplar alternative

  Louver Shop’s three shutter lines, how its dealers sell and install them, what the warranty requires, and when ordering poplar shutters online makes more sense.

• Budget Blinds and 3 Day Blinds shutters: how they sell, what they cost, and an online alternative

  How the two big in-home companies sell shutters, what their warranties cover, and when ordering online makes more sense.

• Kestrel shutters compared: made-to-order wood shutters vs Shutter Boys DIY plantation shutters

  A Pennsylvania shop that makes wood shutters and doors to order, and how it compares with made-to-measure DIY plantation shutters.

• Blindster shutters vs Shutter Boys: faux wood or solid poplar, compared

  Blindster’s faux wood shutter in its own words, its guarantees and shipping, and how a DIY solid poplar shutter compares.

• Blinds Chalet shutters vs Shutter Boys: two online DIY shutter sellers compared

  Two online, made-to-measure shutter sellers: materials, prices shown, production times, guarantees and where each ships.

• Costco shutters: Graber, Bali and Hunter Douglas programs vs Shutter Boys

  The three ways Costco sells window coverings, which include shutters, the member perks, and how a DIY solid poplar shutter compares.

• Graber shutters compared: wood and composite, the warranty, and a DIY poplar alternative

  Graber’s two shutter lines in its own words, how you buy them, the warranty’s fine print, and where a DIY wood shutter fits.

• Bali shutters compared: DIY composite, Premium wood, and a DIY poplar alternative

  Bali’s two shutter routes, DIY composite and Premium with installation, where each is sold, and how a DIY poplar shutter compares.

• Levolor shutters compared: faux wood traditional, bypass and French door shutters vs DIY poplar

  What Levolor’s shutters are made of, where they’re sold, what the listings say about sizes and warranty, and how a solid poplar shutter compares.

• Lafayette shutters compared: Parke faux wood shutters vs solid poplar DIY shutters

  Lafayette’s Parke faux wood shutters in its own words, how its dealers sell them, and how solid poplar DIY shutters compare.

• The Shade Store shutters? What it sells, and where to buy plantation shutters

  What The Shade Store sells, how its service works, and where a made-to-measure wood shutter fits beside it.

• Smith & Noble shutters: now part of 3 Day Blinds. What that means, and a DIY wood alternative

  Where Smith & Noble shutters stand now that its US operations are part of 3 Day Blinds, and how a DIY wood shutter compares.

• Next Day Blinds shutters: the company has closed. Warranty, repairs and where to buy now

  What happened to Next Day Blinds, what owners of its shutters can do, and where to buy shutters now.

• Wayfair shutters? What Wayfair sells, and where to get made-to-measure plantation shutters

  Wayfair has no shutters category: what its shutter listings are, and how a made-to-measure plantation shutter differs.

• Gotcha Covered shutters vs Shutter Boys: in-home service or made-to-measure DIY

  A franchise that measures and installs, against made-to-measure poplar shutters you price online and fit yourself.

• Blinds To Go shutters: PVC California shutters in store, or solid poplar online

  A showroom chain’s PVC shutter and an online poplar shutter: what each is, how you buy it, what it costs, and who each suits.

• Blinds.ca shutters vs Shutter Boys: composite or solid wood, in Canada

  The shutter Blinds.ca sells, what it cost on October 30, 2026, its guarantees, and how a DIY solid poplar shutter compares.

• California shutters in Toronto: GTA shutter companies compared, with prices

  Eight GTA shutter companies in their own words, what they have in common, how to compare quotes, and the online alternative.

Buying a new build

What each builder’s design studio and warranty cover, what to add after closing, and when. We aren’t connected with any of these builders.

• D.R. Horton upgrades: what comes with the home, and what to add after closing

  What D.R. Horton homes come with, how the walk-through and warranty work, and the upgrades worth adding after closing.

• Lennar upgrades: what Everything’s Included covers, and what to add after closing

  What Lennar’s Everything’s Included puts in the price, what to do with builder blinds, and the upgrades worth adding once you move in.

• Pulte Homes upgrades: what to choose at the Design Center, and what to add after closing

  The Design Center, the build meetings, the warranty, and which upgrades are better left until you have the keys.

• Del Webb upgrades: what to choose at design, and what to add after closing in a 55+ home

  The design appointment, the build meetings, the warranty, and window coverings that stay easy to use for years.

• Ryan Homes upgrades: what’s included, the 1-2-10 warranty, and what to add after settlement

  What Ryan Homes includes, what its spec sheets say about the blinds and windows, and the upgrades worth adding once you move in.

• Meritage Homes upgrades: designer-curated finishes, included blinds, and what to add after closing

  What a Meritage home comes with, why the builder blinds change the question, and which rooms are worth upgrading after you move in.

• Taylor Morrison upgrades: the Design Studio’s two phases, and what to add after closing

  What you choose in each Design Studio phase, how to weigh studio window coverings against buying after closing, and what to add once you move in.

• KB Home upgrades: the Design Studio, window treatments, and what to add after closing

  KB’s three Design Studio appointments, the window-treatment choice you face there, the follow-up visits after closing, and what’s worth adding once you have the keys.

• Toll Brothers upgrades: the Design Studio, what to choose first, and what to add after settlement

  How Toll’s Design Studio sequence works, what’s hard to change later, and how to finish the windows to the same standard once you move in.

• Century Communities upgrades: building, quick move-in or Century Complete, and what to add after closing

  How much you can personalize depends on how you buy. What Century includes, what it leaves to you, and how to plan window coverings around its warranty.

• Richmond American upgrades: the Home Gallery appointment, and what to add after closing

  What you choose at the Home Gallery, when each walk-through happens, and what’s better added once you have the keys.

• Ashton Woods upgrades: the Design Studio, the three orientations, and what to add after closing

  What you choose at the Design Studio, what each orientation is for, and what’s better added once you have the keys.

• Mattamy Homes upgrades: what the Design Studio covers, and what to add after closing

  What you choose at the Design Studio, what’s hard to change later, and what’s better added once you have the keys.

For your rooms and your household

Humid rooms, home offices, kids, pets, sun, the coast, rentals and new builds, for 2027.

• Shutters for humid rooms: bathrooms, the window over the kitchen sink, and laundry rooms (2027)

  Steam that comes and goes is one thing; water that lands on the shutter is another. Here’s how to tell which room you have.

• Home office windows in 2027: cut screen glare and keep the daylight

  Put the screen at right angles to the window, then use the louvers to steer the light rather than shut it out.

• Cord-free by design: shutters for nurseries and kids’ rooms

  No cords to manage, a finish you can wipe, and the setup choices that matter once a child can reach the window.

• West windows and sunrooms: heat, glare and fading in summer 2027

  Inside shutters tame glare and help with heat and fading, but outside shading does more. Here’s how to use each.

• Interior shutters for coastal homes: salt air, humidity, and wood or aluminum

  Indoors, the coast is mostly a humidity question. Poplar suits air-conditioned rooms; damp rooms are what the 2027 aluminum line is for.

• Shutters for short-term rentals and rental properties: durability, light control, no cords

  What shutters do well in a rental, what they don’t, and a live price for a whole suite. No promises about bookings.

• Aging in place: window coverings that are easy to use and cut glare

  No cords to find, one easy movement to tilt, and daylight you can aim away from your eyes.

• Shutters for homes with dogs and cats: cords, claws, hair and the right layout

  No cords to tangle, the straight answer on claws and wood, and the layouts that work with a dog at the window.

• Basement window shutters in Canada and the northern US: humidity, condensation and small windows

  Small windows, deep sills, cold glass and damp air: what changes below grade, and what a shutter can and can’t do about it.

• Window coverings for a new build: builder package or after closing, and when to measure

  Whether to take the builder’s package, when your openings are ready to measure, and what a new house does in its first year.

Living with shutters

• Do plantation shutters cause window condensation? What to do in winter

  Shutters don’t make the water, but closed ones can let it collect. Humidity and moving air are the fix.

• Loose or sagging plantation shutter louvers: why it happens in winter and how to tighten them

  Usually a one-minute fix with a screwdriver, if your shutters were built to be adjusted.

• Plantation shutter repair: tilt rod staples, broken louvers and hinges, and when to replace

  Most shutter problems are a small part. Here’s how to fix them, and the few cases where replacing makes more sense.

• How to paint or repaint plantation shutters, with or without taking them down

  Slow but simple: what the paint makers say, and what louvers add to it.

• How to clean and look after wood shutters

  Dust weekly, wash rarely, keep water and heat off the wood, and understand why it moves with the seasons.

• Do interior shutters save energy? What the research says, and what it doesn’t

  The honest answer: they help, nobody has rated how much, and how you use them matters more than what you buy.

• Cordless window coverings and child safety: the rules in Canada and the US

  What the law requires in each country, what changed in the US since 2022, and what to check in your own home.