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Tips for choosing plantation shutters
Plantation
shutters are the perfect window covering for hospitals, hotels,
restaurants, office buildings, and other commercial applications. For
superb style, durability, and versatility there is no better choice.
Plantation Shutters are quickly becoming the clear choice for all types
of commercial applications and are enjoying widespread popularity in
commercial buildings of all types. This article will give you some tips
and insights into why they are becoming such a popular commercial window
covering.
We sell many different types of plantation shutters. Some are made from
wood (many different types), some are made from engineered wood, while
others are made from synthetic materials. Be sure to view our On-Line
Catalog for details. However, we feel that PolyCore in particular is
fantastically suited for commercial applications and even carries a fire
rating. Be sure to reference our page on PolyCore Plantation Shutters in
Commercial Applications after you read the article below.
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Style
Plantation shutters are one of the most stylish window coverings
available. They are a clear, classic choice. Class never goes out of
style. Plantation shutters are not a fad that will enjoy popularity
for a while and then serve to make your building look dated. They have
been in style in one form or another for over a hundred years and will
not go out of style in the future. With a big, bold look, they are a
perfect match for commercial applications.
Window coverings are a major decorating element for restaurants and
hotels. The beauty of plantation shutters is that they go with ANY
décor. They can be dressed up to go in the best five star restaurants
or dressed down to blend with a casual motif. Most restaurants and
hotels ignore the decorative element of window coverings. If they do
not ignore it, they certainly do not capitalize upon it. Plantation
shutters give you that opportunity. They allow you to set apart your
establishment in a way that wood blinds, mini blinds, roller shades,
and other window coverings can not. Additionally, prices have been
steadily falling as improved manufacturing efficiencies are put into
practice.
Durability
Plantation shutters are one of the most durable window coverings
available. They stand up well to years of use. There are very few
moving parts to wear or break. There is no cloth to tear, rip, stain
or soil. There are no cords to break and no thin slats to bend or
snap. In order to see out of the windows, simply tilt the louvers
open. For privacy, tilt them closed again.
Repairability
Although plantation shutters can take a lot of abuse without breaking,
if a part should ever become broken, they are repairable. (PolyCore in
particular is exceedingly repairable.) The most common parts to be
abused and broken are the tilt rod and louvers. If a tilt rod or
louver ever breaks, you can simply order a new one and replace it
yourself.
For more severe issues such as a broken rail or a stile, a replacement
shutter panel will need to be ordered. This is not the case with
PolyCore plantation shutters since they utilize a screw together
format and therefore individual parts such as stiles and rails can be
easily replaced. Please see PolyCore Plantation Shutters in Commercial
Applications for more details. If a replacement shutter panel is
needed, they are easy to replace. Just unscrew the old panel and
attach the new one.
Cleanability
One of the best features of plantation shutters in commercial
applications is their ease of cleaning. Simply dust them off and that
is all that is usually needed. Since plantation shutters are either
painted or stained, they are no more difficult to clean than any other
furniture. They resist stains and oils and never need to be dry
cleaned.
Versatility
Plantation shutters are highly versatile. They can go on standard
windows, French doors, and even sliding glass doors. They can cover
odd shaped windows such as arch tops, slant tops, or hexagons and
octagons. The bottom line is that if you have a window, it can be
dressed in a plantation shutter. Even more, if a standard paint color
or stain is not suitable, custom paint colors and stains are
available. Custom finishes are probably the most popular option on
plantation shutters. Best of all, no matter what window or door you
dress in them, you know it will always look great and never go out of
style.
Cost
The cost of plantation shutters has been steadily dropping in recent
years. This is not to say that quality has been decreased. In many
cases, quality has steadily increased. Pricing has dropped due to more
efficient manufacturing processes. They are more affordable now than
they were several years ago plus they are a higher quality product.
Types of Plantation Shutters
There are many different types of plantation shutters. They can be
made from woods such as basswood, cottonwood, alder, or engineered
woods. Synthetic plantation shutters have come a LONG WAY since they
were first introduced. Although there are still some poor quality
synthetic shutters on the market, a high quality synthetic is now one
of the best commercial shutters available. Shutters come with many
different louver sizes ranging from around 1-7/8 inches wide up to
4-1/2 inches wide. Most are offered with standard inside or outside
mounting and frames (if needed). For a great comparison tool be sure
to check out our Detailed Comparison.
How Plantation Shutters Compare to Other Window Coverings
Here is where we get a little opinionated. Yes, some of our strong
opinions probably stem from the fact that we are a plantation shutters
dealer. However, I believe you will agree that many of the points in
this section are true. Before you read the next few paragraphs, please
ask yourself, “What commercial window coverings have I ever noticed
and thought them to be outstanding?” If you can not think of any, then
you are in the same boat that most all of us are in as well. However,
plantation shutters put a whole new angle on this dilemma.
Compare the timelessness of plantation shutters to any other
commercial window covering. For example, consider draperies. Drapes
are OK, but who wants to spend a lot of money and then have their
building look just OK? Is OK a worthy goal for your building? Plus,
draperies tend to lend themselves to being faddish in either color or
design. You can try to design non-faddish draperies by picking a
neutral color so that the fabric does not look dated in a few years,
but inevitably this leads to boring drapes. Conversely, if you pick a
color or pattern that is a bit more bold and stylish, as styles change
they will look dated in just a few years. Draperies also present a
design challenge. Typical commercial draperies are simple pinch pleats
on a traverse rod. Who really gets inspired by that? If you try and
pick a more up-to-date design, then in a few years your drapes look
dated again as styles change. Commercial draperies end up costing a
lot of money for something that is really just plain and functional.
They neglect a major decorating element and turn a great opportunity
into something that no one is really excited about.
Your other choices for window coverings are not very engaging either.
For example, you can dress your windows in mini blinds. Those are
surely one of the ugliest window coverings conceived by mankind. I
have seen some commercial roller shades in restaurants that do not
look too bad, but just like draperies, no one wants window coverings
that reach the high standard of “not too bad”. Even if you consider
faux wood blinds or vertical blinds, you are still in the realm of
unexciting.
Plantation shutters are the clear choice for the savvy buyer. They are
classic, durable, and versatile. They are the perfect match for anyone
considering commercial window coverings for hospitals, hotels,
restaurants, office buildings, or the like. Please Contact Us with any
questions at all.......
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