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Shutter Myths and Legends
Incredibly, after thirty years in the shutter business, we've heard all of the following:
- "Wood will sag, chip, and yellow over time." On the contrary, Basswood is stronger and lighter than vinyl, MDF and other shutter materials and thus is actually LESS likely to sag than these materials. The likelihood of yellowing and chipping, on the other hand, depends on the type of paint and undercoat used. Top quality Basswood is typically painted with acrylic or the best available waterborne paints. These paints are highly chip-resistant and much less likely to exhibit surface damage than most plastic or lower quality painted products. Inexpensive vinyl and finger jointed products are the most likely to have surface issues including yellowing, fading, chipping, and sagging.
- "Plastic is easier to clean and maintain than wood." Both materials are cleaned the same way - with a duster or damp cloth. Both materials are highly stain-resistant. Both materials are ultimately susceptible to damage from fire, stain or caustic materials.
- "Wood attracts more dust than plastic." Plastic shutters may build up a static charge that attracts dust. However, absent static, dust falls on all shutter materials at the same rate, and is removed the same way - with a duster or damp cloth.
- "Sandblasted wood attracts more dust than smooth wood." Sandblasted wood, with its irregular, smooth surface tends to hide dust better than other surfaces, but cleans up the same way. Again, dust falls on all shutter materials at the same rate.
- "Wood will warp." This myth, though repeated, confuses us the most. All of the available evidence, from hundreds of years of fine wood furniture to wood framed houses, wood joists, wood beams etc. indicates that properly prepared and maintained wood does NOT warp. There may have been a time before kiln dried lumber was popular and where green wood was used, that warping would have occurred as the wood cured. However, that time is literally hundreds of years past. Based on the last 30 years of experience with kiln dried Basswood we are confident in guaranteeing that, unless it is exposed to severe moisture, our wood will NEVER warp.
- "Plastic shutters insulate better than wood shutters." This is akin to saying a plastic picket fence corrals more bees than a wood one. The loss is between the pickets, not through the plastic or wood. As a practical matter, when shutters are open, they don't have much insulation value at all. When closed, they're filled with gaps between louvers, gaps between panels and frames, and gaps between frames and the mounting surfaces. The best insulating shutter is the one with the tightest gap tolerances and most accurate installation. A great shutter, installed poorly is a lousy insulator. A cheap shutter, even with the best installation, is likely to be a mediocre insulator, regardless of the materials used. High quality, custom Basswood shutters, installed properly, tend to have the tightest tolerances and best insulation available.
