Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Plainfield
Homes in Plainfield
Apartments outnumber houses in Plainfield: 53% of its 16,712 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 42% and townhouses and other attached houses 5%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 47%. Only 7% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1952. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 45%.
Of the 19 New Jersey cities we have census figures for, Plainfield has the second-highest share of older homes. In nearby New Brunswick, 9 miles away, 62% of homes were built before 1980, so Plainfield's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, Plainfield's homes are older than those in 95% of the 881 US cities we have census figures for.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Estimates carry margins of error.
Plaster walls and deep casings
47% of homes date from before 1950, when walls were plaster on lath and windows sat in deep wood casings. Plaster cracks if you drive screws carelessly: drill a pilot hole, use fixings made for plaster, and fix into the casing or the framing behind it. A deep casing is good news for an inside mount; measure its depth before you choose a louver size.
Out-of-square openings
With 85% of homes built before 1980, many openings have had decades to settle. Measure each one's width at the top, middle and bottom, and both diagonals. If the diagonals differ by more than about ¼ inch, add a mounting frame in the designer, or choose an outside mount so the shutter covers the uneven edges.
Apartments and condos
53% of homes are in buildings of two or more units. Balcony and patio doors suit bypass or bifold panels rather than hinged ones, which need floor space to swing. Check what your HOA or building allows to show from outside before you order: most rules are about the colour seen through the glass.
Replacement windows
38% of homes went up between 1950 and 1979, and most of them have had their original windows replaced since. A replacement window often sits further into or out of the wall than the old one, so the depth you have for an inside mount may differ from window to window in the same house. Measure every opening rather than copying one.
Plainfield weather and your shutters
At Plainfield, NJ (1 mi away), July averages a high of 88.1°F and January a low of 23.8°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to February.
About 29 days a year reach 90°F, 103 nights fall to freezing and 48.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 68% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 5 min on the longest day to 9 h 16 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 73° above the horizon in June and 26° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Plainfield, NJ (temperature) and Plainfield, NJ (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40.7°F | 23.8°F | 3.8 in |
| Feb | 44.2°F | 25.7°F | 3.1 in |
| Mar | 52.9°F | 32.1°F | 4.3 in |
| Apr | 65.7°F | 41.7°F | 3.6 in |
| May | 74.9°F | 51.3°F | 4 in |
| Jun | 83.7°F | 60.3°F | 4.3 in |
| Jul | 88.1°F | 66°F | 5.3 in |
| Aug | 86°F | 64°F | 4 in |
| Sep | 79.4°F | 57.5°F | 4.3 in |
| Oct | 66.3°F | 45.7°F | 4.3 in |
| Nov | 55.7°F | 35.9°F | 3.5 in |
| Dec | 45.7°F | 29.4°F | 4.2 in |
Cold winters
With 103 freezing nights a year, warm room air meets cold glass for months. Shutters closed tight overnight hold that air against the window, so condensation can collect on the sill: tilt the louvers open in the morning, and wipe the sill on windows that often run wet.
Wet months
48.7 inches of precipitation a year keeps the air damp for long stretches. Steam and condensation are hard on any joint, so in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms keep the air moving and wipe water off the sill before it sits.
Fitting them in Plainfield
Shutter Boys shutters are made for you to fit yourself: an inside or outside mount takes a drill, a level and our step-by-step guide. If you'd rather hire someone, a finish carpenter or blinds installer can fit them; ask on your quote and we'll tell you if we know one near you. You arrange and pay the installer directly.
Near Plainfield
- New Brunswick 9 mi
- Perth Amboy 10 mi
- Elizabeth 12 mi
- Newark 15 mi
- East Orange 15 mi
- Bayonne 16 mi
More about shutters in Plainfield
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Plainfield’s own figures.
Price your windows
Pick your look once, add every window, and see each one drawn and priced. Send it to us and we reply with your quote.