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Why You Should Get Solid Shutter Louvers In New York

October 04, 2019

When you start shopping for window treatments in New York, you might discover that there are plenty of interesting budget plantation shutter options. While they may look nice at first, a more detailed look can reveal that they save money by making their shutters with materials like plastic or vinyl. They may also outfit their shutters with hollow louvers, which gives you a lighter and less expensive window treatment. Superficially, these look like there’s no difference, but there is still the question: what’s the big deal between hollow and solid louvers?

Of course, you should insist on plantation shutters with solid shutter louvers if you need your window coverings to maintain their shape, color, and energy-efficient properties forever. Hollow louvers just can’t hold up to the quality of our solid-louvered Polywood® Shutters, and here’s why:

Solid Shutter Louvers Will Uphold Their Shape

Plantation shutters by flowers in New York 

Whether it’s summer or winter in New York, your rooms heat up or cool down, and so do your plantation shutters. Hollow louvers trap air inside the louver. So when your treatments widen and condense because of the natural course of the day, it's challenging for the shutters to keep their shape. This results in a louver that is warped or split, and a window treatment that can’t shut properly.

hollow shutter louver 

Solid shutter louvers, especially those made from a quality faux-wood composite, will keep their shape basically forever. Because of the inflexible structure, your coverings will completely shut every time, and you won’t have to wonder about outside light or air seeping through due to misshapen louvers. The warranty of our Polywood shutters even guarantees that your louvers will never bend or warp for the lifetime of the product. Most likely you won’t find a warranty like that with a shutter that uses hollow louvers.

Solid Shutter Louvers Have Better Energy Efficiency

Interior Shutters in New York Living Room 

Hollow louvers may offer some energy-efficient features, but they don’t hold a candle to solid louver shutters. Part of it is that hollow louvers generally are constructed with plastic or vinyl -- materials that aren’t thought of as energy efficient. These components are absorbent and pliable than a faux-wood composite and may catch heat within the hollow center. This allows a hollow louver to bow or crack.

Then as your shutter louvers warp over time and don’t shut properly, your energy efficiency is gone. Heat loss is a problem, and air will start to flow through unencumbered, making your room warmer or cooler. Now, all you are left with are flimsy, misshapen shutters that let in both light and air.

Solid shutter louvers are more densely packed and are more effective at blocking heat loss/gain through the window. Quality faux wood shutters are better at energy efficiency, as their construction is made from a impervious material that won’t expand or contract. The treatment will never bend, giving you an easy way to control the heat loss around your windows. 

plantation shutters in New York with weatherstripping 

Our Polywood shutters have been held as the pinnacle of energy-efficient window treatments in New York, as they have an extra layer of weather stripping. With the stripping, every louver will “lock” into place and completely secure the window from the elements. It’s been shown that with our faux wood composite and added weather-stripping, Polywood shutters are 70% more energy-efficient than real wood plantation shutters and up to 1600% more effective at blocking air flow than aluminum blinds.

Reach Out To Sunburst For Polywood Shutters With Solid Louvers

When you want to install plantation shutters that will hold up against heat and cold, just contact Sunburst Shutters New York. We’ll demonstrate our line of Polywood shutters, and how they can improve your window’s energy-efficiency and style. Just call 631-246-3930 to schedule your in-home consultation.