Shutter BoysWe make every shutter from one wood: premium American poplar, also called yellow-poplar or tulip poplar. It’s a hardwood that grows throughout most of the eastern United States.
Paint
Poplar has a fine, even grain. Purdue University’s extension guide to the species puts it plainly: the wood “is easily painted and tends to hold paint well”. It’s a long-standing choice for painted furniture, and for moulding, trim and interior doors, which is the work a shutter does in a room.
Stain
Poplar can be stained, but its natural colour runs from creamy white to a yellowish green, sometimes in the same board. A stain shows that variation, so a stained shutter looks more like natural wood than a uniform colour. If you want one even colour, choose paint, or a colour match.
Moisture
Like any real wood, poplar takes on moisture when the air is humid and gives it back when it’s dry, so panels can feel a touch tighter in a wet season. In bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms:
- Run the fan during and after a shower or a long boil.
- Tilt the louvers open afterwards so steam doesn’t sit behind them.
- Wipe water off the sill and the bottom rail rather than letting it dry there.
Room by room
| Room | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Living and dining room | Any paint stage; a stain if you like the grain |
| Bedrooms | Any paint stage, or a stain |
| Kitchen, bathroom, laundry | Paint, and keep the air moving |
| Matching existing trim | A colour match |
Source: Daniel L. Cassens, Hardwood Lumber: Yellow-Poplar, Purdue Extension FNR-293-W.