Shutters 101

We manufacture, sell, and install our own hardwood shutters. We manufacture them locally with nothing but the finest craftsmanship and materials available. And because of our volume, you will find we are extremely competitive in price to particle board and plastic shutters made in China and snapped together in your driveway.

There are some things to consider before you invest in shutters for your home or office. Shutters are commonly manufactured from three different materials. Wood, Vinyl, or a Composite of material. We have all three available. We care about the quality of product we install in your home, and we care about your family. So we do not sell product manufactured in China at this time. We are not comfortable with the safety of the material used or the quality in general.
Below is a quick summary of the three different types of shutters.

Vinyl

This type of shutter material is PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), ABS (Acrylonitrate-Butadiene-Styrene) or a combination of the two. There are hollow-core vinyl shutters, sometimes they have aluminum or plywood inserted for stability. The other type of vinyl shutter is a type of blown poly material that is more or less a solid poly material that has been infused with air to make it a little lighter. Vinyl shutters are waterproof and fire proof. The hollow core vinyl shutters are lighter in weight. Some of the solid poly shutters are so heavy they begin to sag on their hinge if left open too frequently. Vinyl shutters are typically only in whites but we’ve seen some “stain” colors. Vinyl is easy to clean and parts are easier to replace when they break. Like most of the composite shutters described below… with the light shining on them… they look… well… like plastic.

Composite

These are made from a composite of wood fibers and resin formed together and wrapped in plastics. There is a considerable amount of composite shutters being made in China today. Again, we here at Arizona Blinds don’t favor this kind of shutter, but there’s a place for them. USA made composites are available, manufactured by Hunter Douglas. We prefer to know what materials and paints are going into your house. We hear too many stories about lead paint and poisonous chemicals to be putting large pieces of it “off-gassing” into our home. Off gassing of resins and lead and other chemicals are of real concern and we want to sleep at night. So don’t ask us to sell you a cheap Chinese made composite shutter, we simply won’t do it. And like the vinyl shutter described above, they too look like plastic furniture hanging in your windows.

Hardwood “Plantation” Shutters

Traditional Plantation Shutters… made from solid wood. This is the highest quality shutter you can put in your home or business. Furniture grade basswood is hand selected to make your shutters. Shutters add value to the appraisal of your home, it’s one of the best upgrades you can do. Be careful though! Not all shutters are created equal. Not even close. We will show you why.

Basswood is from the Linden tree, grown in the Midwest. Basswood is the best wood for building shutters. It comes in 5 different grades. Due to our climate here in Arizona, basswood needs to be kiln-dried to a 7% moisture content. If not done properly, with our climate in mind, they will warp and crack. That’s why Arizona Blinds manufactures our own shutters, right here in Arizona, to the highest specifications in the industry. We’ve been in business since 1993 and we’ve never had to replace shutters because they failed after a few years. Unlike wood shutters made in China, you will KNOW FOR SURE that no lead paints or finishes are used in our production. We will also NEVER use less than top grade woods. No #2 grade and no finger jointed woods are used.

When you buy shutters from Arizona Blinds, you decide the color. You tell us what paint color to use. If you want a stained shutter, you tell us what stain. You want it to match your cabinets, no problem. We also proudly sell specialty custom shutters such as knotty alder. Just about any custom idea you have, we can create. We’ve been in the business for a long time, shutters can be tricky and you’ll get different answers. Do your homework about the shutter quality you are being shown, because they differ greatly. Know who you’re buying them from. Arizona Blinds has been in business since 1993 and we have installed literally thousands and thousands of shutters. So be VERY careful of the guy working out of his garage or post office box.

Do you like the idea of GOING GREEN in your new home projects? Our basswood is from sustainable, fast growing lindenwood trees. We can paint or stain using a special soy base paint and stain formulated for us and is made of 100% natural ingredients that gives you absolutely no off-gassing or indoor pollutants.

WARRANTY:

• All warranties are transferable.
• Lifetime warranty against warping.
• Lifetime on workmanship and labor.
• Lifetime on all moving parts, including louver tension system and staples.
• Lifetime against bleeding.
• Lifetime on painted finishes against yellowing or cracking.
• Three years on stain finish*.

*8 years on stain finish if we also install solar window film prior to shutter installation.