Shutters - aluminium or wood?

[fromage]

Hi

I am about to buy shutters and cannot decide between aluminium or wood.  The traditionalist in me would like to go for wood but I am keen to keep maintenance to a minimum and I have been told that aluminium requires no maintenance.  If anyone has aluminium shutters then I would appreciate the benefit of their views on them.

 

• Do they sound "tinny", particularly if it is very windy?

• Do they feel solid/substantial when opening and closing?

• Do they really require no maintenance?

 

Any advice would be appreciated, particularly as the costs that we have been quoted are pretty much the same for both so the choice really is down to aesthetics.

 

Thanks in advance.

[BIG MAC]

We have the steel predecessors to the ally ones....they are ancient and rusting in places (ally shouldnt do that) well made and no problem at all. If I had the money I would replace them with the same in ally in a heartbeat

[idun]

Don't the aluminium ones need painting?

 

We had metal ones in our first two flats, they were solid and no problem and well constructed. Where we lived though, I would always have wood, good insulation in winter and IMO better at keeping the sun out in summer. I used to varnish mine every three years. I have seen UPVC ones, even coloured ones....... maybe they'll be lowest maintenance.

[fisherman]

We have steel stutters. In the summer they keep the sun out but act like radiators and radiate heat into the room. In the winter they provide no insulation properties at all.

They have a bit of rust and need painting but are in generally good condition so I don't plan to replace them.

If I was to replace them then I would probably go for wood for its insulation properties. If you use a quality paint system, perhaps marine paints rather than general household paint then maintenance should not be too onerousness, however I stand to be corrected on this point.

[fromage]

Thanks for your replies.  I hadn't realised that the metal shutters would heat the room in summer - not really what I want!  The other factor that that is swaying me towards wood is that I understand the aluminium shutters have plastic handles/levers, whereas wooden shutters have metal ones.  The plastic levers in the shop were very flimsy and just didn't feel very nice at all.

Any other views/thoughts are welcome.

Thanks again.

 

[BIG MAC]

Our metal shutters get white hammerite...lasts about 4 or 5 years before you get the odd bit of rust. They definitely 'reflect' heat in the summer and radiate it away ...not in!...As for insulation I hadn't given it a thought  but with double glazing and heavy curtains...and liking the daylight in winter...I dont see a significant advantage in wood other than aesthetics.

They shutters dont rattle and you may occassionally hear heavy rain hit them....(One of the loveliest things about France..the smell and sound of a summer cloudburst!)

In the Uk we rarely have shutters on our homes...I wonder why

[Cendrillon]

"In the Uk we rarely have shutters on our homes...I wonder why ?"

quote BigMac

Answer: because our windows in U.K. open outwards (mostly!)

I love our wooden shutters in France. So I vote for wooden shutters. Yes I know they have to be painted.

[fisherman]

Ours are a muddy brown and hence absorb the heat.

When you touch them when the sun has been on them you could burn your fingers.

Mac's white would do a far better job of reflecting the heat.

We also have single glazing, good windows so I don't plan to change them. So in my case insulation would be an issue.

[just john]

[quote user="Cendrillon"]"In the Uk we rarely have shutters on our homes...I wonder why ?"
quote BigMac

Answer: because our windows in U.K. open outwards (mostly!)
[/quote]

But the shutters open out too . . .

Didn't we have shutters internally, certainly the Georgian house's did

I've always thought that the French needed more protection from the reflection of the Sun and voleurs![:D]

[quote user="Cendrillon"]
I love our wooden shutters in France. So I vote for wooden shutters. Yes I know they have to be painted.
[/quote]

Me too, I painted our wooden shutters three years ago with paint left by the previous incumbent and they still look as good as then, (the paint was a lovely shade of sage, and on opening the tin there appeared to be about an inch of oil floating on the top, stirred it in and brushed it onto the original coat of undercoat which had been exposed for three years prior)

 

[Cendrillon]

"But the shutters open out too . . ."

JJ

In France you have to open the windows inwards to get hold of the outside shutters to close and lock them, especially on the upper floors. How would that work if the windows open outwards as they mostly do in the U.K. ?

"Didn't we have shutters internally, certainly the Georgian house's did."

Yes some of them did / still do and I would love to have those.

[BIG MAC]

I am going to get some outward opening shutters but as I like the light I think I will order some glass ones ;-)

[jacklindisuja]

"Hey, I would recommend the wooden ones, as aluminium ones are brittle and cannot withstand heavy weather. They are light, less durable and can get noisy.

On the other hand wooden ones add elegance to your home interiors and can be painted the way you like and are also available in different styles.

Wooden ones add a warm feeling to your home interiors and are definitely better than the aluminium one.

1. Wooden ones don’t sound “tinny”.

2. Yes, these are solid and substantial while opening and closing.

3. They really do not require much maintenance and are stable.

"

[Mac]

We have wooden ones-but a neighbour who had metal ones said the noise when there was really heavy rain hitting the shutters was dreadful. Not a problem if you are in an area with little rainfall I know.

[Szymon507]

However, the http://www.teak-art.pl/produkty-3/okiennice-drewniane/ wooden shutters are nicer and give a sense of warmth and security.

[Alan Zoff]

We have metal shutters which are ancient but seem indestructible. I agree though that they are no substitute for wood in terms of insulation. Hopeless in the winter and although the white paint helps to reflect light, they still heat up - quite considerably - so that any air passing through the slats is also heated.

If it wasn't for the cost of changing, and some difficulty in fitting them to our particular windows, I would replace with wooden shutters.

[Chancer]

[quote user="jacklindisuja"]"Hey, I would recommend the wooden ones, as aluminium ones are brittle and cannot withstand heavy weather.  "[/quote]

 

Yeah, right, in a parallel universe maybe.

 

Interesting first posting!

[NormanH]

 An observation.

Freshly painted shutters are often the sign of a British owner[:)]

[Alan Zoff]

So it wasn't the Union Jack design, then?

[alittlebitfrench]

I wonder what happened to 'Just-John' who started this thread back in 2012 ? Back in the UK ?

Do you reckon he bought aluminium or wood ? If he bought wood I am guessing by now they need repainting or lasuring.

I reckon aluminium would have been better. It would have saved him or the new owners of the house a pig of a job.

[PaulT]

Anyone owned an older Rover 2000, 2200 or 3500? They have aluminium bonnets and boots and they corrode nicely under the paint.

Remade all our shutters in summer from wood. Painted them with Valspar paint from B&Q - very very nice to apply.

[Alan Zoff]

You might not get red rust - just a white powder as the ally reacts with water. The mirrors on my first Mazda Xedos went this way - while the steel panels remained rust-free. Same happened to the mirror base plates on my van, causing one mirror to drop off. Mazda changed to plastic mirror covers for the later model of the Xedos, while I have replaced the ally plates on my van with steel.

[Jonzjob]

I would be careful about what colour you choose? Some Mairies are very particular about you changing the colour of gates, shutters, etc. and they have been know to make the owner change back to the original colour.

We have wooden ones and one of them has some rot in the orner, but I will just replace the effected bits.

We find that they are very good at keeping the heat out in summer and in in winter.

A friend has just replaced with aly jobbies and the fittings have pulled the screws out of the aly foil that they are made of and they weren't cheap ones either.

Be a bit careful about using UK paint if you are down south at all. I phoned the dulux tech line a few years back abd asked what the difference is between the UK and French paints is and he told me that they are formulated differently to take the stronger sun index down here. That the UK paints would not last very well and best to buy the French stuff.

But you pays yer money and you takes yer chance init [:-))]

[PaulT]

Three years + ago I brought over a load of Wickes own brand masonry paint and external wood paint (for the shutters) and all still looks as though it has just been painted.