Are DIY Shutters Hard?
Doing home improvement projects by yourself in Cleveland is easier than ever. Since you have a lot of resources easily available to walk you through every step, a lot of once-difficult projects are now very doable.
There are outliers, though – projects that may be unwieldy, tedious, or just too complex to do by yourself. One project that may fall into that category is installing DIY plantation shutters.
These are just a couple of the problems that may come up when you try to put in shutters as a DIY job.
DIY Window Measuring for Shutters
Though it might look easy at the start, getting the correct window measurements for plantation shutters can get somewhat tricky. As one of our installers says, “There are a thousand ways to measure windows wrong, but only one right way54.” 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 looking at and how deep into the window jamb should it go? Which style of frame is best for tilt-in windows, crank windows or sliders?
The answers to each of these questions can have an impact which style of shutters and frame are best for you. That also changes how you measure your windows.
Buying DIY Shutters
The next problem area for DIY shutters pops up during the buying process. Just like the variation in windows, there’s a lot of variation in shutters, and if you’re flying solo, it’s a common mistake to purchase the wrong thing. Here are a few common DIY mistakes:
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Buying shutters made of the wrong material. For example, ordering natural wood shutters to put in a room that should have a waterproof window treatment.
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Picking a shutter build that doesn’t let you open or close your window all the way.
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Getting the wrong type of shutter frame, especially for specialty windows like in French doors.
We’ve also seen some added confusion with shutter terminology. Talking to a shutter company can help clear up any confusion, so you get exactly what you need.
Installing Shutters Yourself
Where DIY shutters can become most difficult is trying to install them, as you might have guessed.
First off, shutter installation needs to be precise, and one small mistake in measuring at the start or in screwing in a bracket can throw a wrench in the whole project. Shutters can also be a little heavy; depending on the material and your window’s position, lifting a shutter can be exhausting and in certain scenarios dangerous.
Many DIYers also don’t realize that it’s fairly typical for shutters to not fit the window frame precisely. This is mainly due to the fact that few window frames are a perfect square. Installing the shutter flush to one edge of the window could result in the shutter looking crooked and making gaps. Caulking a ¼ or ½inch gap is common with shutter installations, and if you’re solo a caulking job could be a little too much.
Last, when you do a DIY shutter project, you don’t have a safety net. If a shutter company installs your shutters for you, they’ll typically guarantee the project with a warranty. But if something goes wrong when you DIY, you’re not going to be covered for damage to your shutter or to your window.
