Help Section

We want to make shopping on the Tudor Shutters website a simple, straightforward experience. If you require any further information about any aspect i.e. payment, delivery, site security etc, you can find the details in this section.

If you can't find the information you need, please call us on 0870 6091793 (Monday to Saturday 9.30am - 5pm), or email us at info@tudor-shutters.co.uk and we'll be pleased to help.



Questions & Answers

What are Plantation Shutters?

Plantation shutters are louvred panels fixed either inside or outside windows and doors. They originated in America and the West Indies and date back to before the American Civil War.

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What are Solid Shutters?

These are panels that have no louvers. They were originally installed in reveal boxes in pre- Edwardian houses and were used a couple of times a year only, when the owners decamped for the season. They were not designed to be opened and shut daily like our present designs and that is why so few remain today.

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Do you offer on-site measuring and installation services?

Yes. click here to book an appointment

Tudor Blinds and Shutters offers a FREE measure and quote service for all of London and the Home Counties. Our quote will include VAT and installation. We also offer a supply only service and can quote accordingly.

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How do I measure my windows and doors?

If you would simply like a quick quote you can take rough measurements of the width and height of the opening and enter these into our quick quote page on the web site. This will give you an approximate price for that particular window.

For those of you who are ordering online or wish to get an accurate quote and are confident with a tape measure you can down load our shutters measuring guide to help you.

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Can I fit the shutters myself?

Yes of course you can. Tudor Blinds & Shutters offer a supply only and online ordering service.

Fitting shutters is fairly straight forward. Some windows are easier than others for example a sash window is quite simple as you can fix straight onto the flat section of the window inside the architrave. An inside reveal window may require a bit more work as you may need to plane the frames a bit if the window is not 100% square, and there are not many of these about.

The key to a successful installation is an accurate measure. Please use our measuring guide or contact us on 0870 6091793 and we will try to answer any queries you may have. The shutters are supplied pre-hinged in the configuration ordered and frames are labelled top, bottom, left and right. Screws, hinges, pins and spaces are all supplied to help you install your shutters. Rawlplugs are NOT supplied for masonry fixing. The shutters have pre-installed magnets which hold the shutters closed. We do not supply any knobs or catches, however you are welcome to source and install these yourselves

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Can shutters be installed on any window?

Shutters can be installed on virtually any window, French door or patio sliding doors. They can also be used effectively as room dividers fitted on tracks. If the hgwindow/door opens inwards they can always be mounted outside of the reveal. Bi-pass tracking allows for shutter to slide past each other and is used where there are overhangs preventing the panels from swinging out.

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What if my windows are not square?

There is virtually no such thing as a window that is perfectly square. If using battens the side battens are 25mm thick and can be scribed to square off the window. You have about 20mm of play with these. If the window slants, the shutters will emphasise this as they are square and we do not advise trimming them lengthwise as when opened will look very odd.

Frames are used a lot now and for reveal edge fixes and outside fixing, frames are the best way to go. Inside reveal fixes are possible as long as the window is reasonably square. The new L frames we use are great and are scribable should that be necessary.

You will always find an optimum position however for the shutters that looks right. If they look right, they are right!

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How many shutter panels do I need in my window opening?

Our smallest panel width is 200mm and widest is 750mm, although with larger louver panels we do sometimes go wider, but void warp warranty with your permission. Generally a window looks best with 4 panels, two opening as pairs either way. A 3 window bay, however, will usually have 2 panels on the smaller side windows and 4 in the centre. All panels will open away from the middle.

There are as many exceptions as there are norms. For instance, a long window with 3 panes of glass, i.e.; 1800mm wide and 1000mm high, would have 6 panels; three folding either way or if you are only going to open them to clean the windows you could easily have just 3 panels. The Americans never open the shutters, only the louvers so design with large panels.

A lot of the time you will have to consider where the panels are going to fold back to and if there is enough room for this to happen. This is also true where you are fitting inside the reveal next to the window and you will not want the shutters, when open, to protrude into the room too much.

We would not recommend hanging more than 3 panels from a single batten hinged together, unless they were not going to be opened apart from window cleaning and were resting on the sill or door step. As the maximum recommended width of our panels is 750mm, you may say that this equates to 4500mm maximum width, but it would be asking a lot of the batten to hold panels of this width and weight without sagging at a later date. So quite a lot of common sense is needed to achieve a good installation. Openings over 2200mm generally need a top track. Even if not using a top track at this width try to use a light panel such as Vancouver or Phoenix.

For partitioning or for large windows where tracking is needed at the top to suspend the panels, you will really need an even number of panels or they will look odd and not hang from the track properly. Ideally 8 panels or 12 panels for very large openings is best, although quite often it is wise to hang even 6 panels from tracking if they are quite large. With the heavier Seattle shutter this is clearly an option to be considered. We do not charge for tracking, it comes in the square metre price for the opening.

In summary, the window will normally dictate the number of panels. If the window is split into two halves you would either have 2 or 4 panels and it follows that if it is three panes, then three or six panels will suffice. The vertical dividers of the windows are where the vertical stiles of the shutters should be ideally.

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What are the panel size limitations?
Monaco Range Panel size limitation:
Louvre size Width Height
Min Max
Single Hung Bi-fold or multi-fold Min max
47mm 152mm 750mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
63mm 152mm 750mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
89mm 152mm 750mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
Queensland Panel size limitation:
Louvre size Width Height
Min Max
Single Hung Bi-fold or multi-fold Min max
47mm 152mm 750mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
63mm 152mm 890mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
89mm 152mm 890mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
Pacific Panel size limitation:
Louvre size Width Height
Min Max
Single Hung Bi-fold or multi-fold Min max
31mm 152mm 400mm 400mm 250mm 3000mm
47mm 152mm 750mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
63mm 152mm 890mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm
89mm 152mm 890mm 550mm 250mm 3000mm

If panel size exceeds the limitation above, warranty will be waived automatically.

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How much do shutters cost?

Our shutters prices are calculated on a square metre basis. Our shutters are split into 3 price ranges. Prices are not affected by the number of panels within the area, the size of the louver or the depth of the frame. If you wish to have the hidden tilt rod there is an addition of 7%. Tracking systems add £120.

To get an exact price visit quick quote page or our online shop.

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What louvre size should I choose?

Choosing your louvre size is very much a personal one. A general rule of thumb is that the larger the window the larger the louvre. A larger louver will allow more light into the room. However, we have successfully fitted all sizes onto a variety of window sizes

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What wood do you use and is it eco-friendly?
PACIFIC RANGE

The Basswood Shutter is crafted from kiln-dried grade ‘A’ basswood from managed forests in the United States where only 25% of the growth is extracted each year.

The cedar shutter is made from Western Red Cedar. The timber is very durable and has a most interesting grain. It is very expensive timber but does not need to be laminated to retain stability. It is sourced from The Western Red Cedar Association in Canada. It is either replanted Cedar or taken from designated forest areas where it is a managed forest.

MONACO RANGE

The Phoenix shutter is made from a laminated constructed Phoenix wood, sometimes called Parasol. It grows in sub-tropical areas of the southern states of the USA, China and Japan. It is a very fast growing tree reaching full height in about 15 years. Ideal for farming.

It is a hardwood but very light. We treat it with a special secret process to make it that light but it still has a very hard skin. It weighs in at almost the same as Cedar, making it ideal for shutters where the lighter the better generally applies.

Our Lockwood shutter is made with an engineered core to prevent warping. It is laminated with an American sustainable sourced kiln dried poplar hardwood. Although slightly heavier than the Californian it is very durable and crafted to the same high standard

QUEENSLAND RANGE

The Seattle and Craftwood shutters are our most eco-friendly product because no trees at all have been cut down to make this product. Made from a laminated veneered lumber core (Basswood or other strong frame materials strips that are off cuts not usable elsewhere, laminated together with epoxy making a light, strong core), LDF laid bulk and polymer sealed outer coating.

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What colours and stains are available?

View the colours section of this site for a full list of colours and stains that are available for each shutter range.

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What about maintenance?

Shutters are easily cleaned using a feather duster, damp sponge/soft cloth or run a vacuum cleaner over them. The finish shouldn't need repainting for many years, indeed the Seattle shutters are totally maintenance free and cannot be repainted anyway.

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How long from order will it take to get my shutters?

Shutters are custom manufactured to fit individual openings and are ready for installation in 6 to 8 weeks from the date of the order and receipt of the deposit.

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What are the benefits of shutters?

Shutters have long been the window treatment of choice because they are incredibly functional and can provide great kerb appeal. Shutters with adjustable louvers offer so much more in terms of privacy, insulation, ventilation and light control that most other solutions. What’s more they are low maintenance and unlike curtains wont harbour dust, so good for allergy sufferers too!

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Shutter jargon

STILES are the structural right and left vertical parts of a shutter panel. They house the nylon bushing the louver rotates on.

RAILS are the top and bottom horizontal bits. Its these bits we cut to get the height exactly right.

DIVIDER (MID) RAILS provide additional strength to the shutter panel & allow separate operation of the louvers above & below the divider rail. These are placed approximately every 1100mm. You cannot use these beyond 1600mm or you will waive the warranty.

LOUVERS. Shutters offer choices of 32mm, 47mm, 64mm, 89mm and 114mm Louver sizes. The louvers rotate on a nylon pin in a nylon bush and are connected to a control rod by staples.

CONTROL ROD co-ordinates the rotation of louvers for light, privacy and ventilation. The control rod is mounted on the centre of the louver on the face of the panel. For 3 panels across or more from one hinge point we offset these by 5mm so they don’t hit each other when open. Standard Battens are provided with your shutters to mount and hinge the shutter to. Café The shutters cover only the bottom section of the window, creating privacy at the lower level whilst permitting full daylight to enter through the top of the window.

STANDARD BATTENS are provided with your shutters to mount and hinge the shutter to.

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CAFE

The shutters cover only the bottom section of the window, creating privacy at the lower level whilst permitting full daylight to enter through the top of the window.

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FULL HEIGHT

The shutter covers the window from top to bottom within the opening. Where the shutter exceeds 100mm in height a dividing rail will be added at the mid point. This allows moveable louvre sections above and below the dividing rail, which can operate independent of each other.

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TIER ON TIER

This option allows the top tier to swing open independent of the bottom tier offering the most versatile shutter solution.

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