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Why You Should Want Solid Shutter Louvers In Minneapolis

October 04, 2019

When you start searching for window treatments in Minneapolis, you will find that there are a bunch of enticing budget plantation shutter options. While they may look nice at first, a closer inspection will show that those companies save money by using materials like plastic or vinyl. You can also find shutters with hollow louvers, which allows the covering to be less expensive. Superficially, these look like a good idea, and really what’s the big deal between hollow and solid louvers?

But the truth of the matter is that you should insist on plantation shutters with solid shutter louvers if you need your window treatments to keep 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 Minneapolis 

Whether it’s summer or winter in Minneapolis, your window panes get warmer and colder, and so do your plantation shutters. Hollow louvers trap air inside the louver. So when the shutters swell and shrink because of temperature fluctuations, it's hard for the louvers to keep their shape. This results in a louver that is warped or split, and a window treatment that can’t shut properly.

open shutter louver 

Solid shutter louvers, especially those made from a quality faux-wood composite, will preserve their shape basically forever. Because of the durable structure, your window treatment will fully close every time, and you won’t have to worry about outside light or heat loss slipping through due to misshapen louvers. The warranty of our Polywood shutters assures that your louvers will never warp or sag for the lifetime of the product. Most likely you won’t find a warranty like that with a window treatment that uses hollow louvers.

Solid Shutter Louvers Keeps Air In

Interior Shutters in Minneapolis Living Room 

Hollow louvers may offer some energy-efficient features, but they don’t stack up to solid louver shutters. The main problem is that hollow louvers usually are made with plastic or vinyl -- materials that aren’t thought of as energy efficient. These components are more porous and bendable than a faux-wood louver and may box in heat within the hollow center. This allows a hollow louver to warp or snap.

Then as your window treatments bend over time and leaves you gaps when shut, your energy efficiency is gone. Heat loss is now a concern, and the air will start to flow through easily, making your room warmer or cooler. Now, all you have left are unattractive, broken window treatments that can’t stop light or air.

Solid shutter louvers are more rigid and dense and are more effective at blocking temperature fluxuations through the window. Quality faux wood shutters are better at energy efficiency, as their louvers are made from a impermeable material that won’t expand or contract. That means your window treatment will closes tight every time, giving you an easy way to regulate the temperature around your windows. 

plantation shutters in Minneapolis with weatherstripping 

Our Polywood shutters are known as the pinnacle of energy-efficient window treatments in Minneapolis, as they contain an extra benefit of weather stripping. With the stripping, every louver will “lock” into place and isolate the window from air flow. It’s been shown that with our faux wood composite along with 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.

Call On 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 Minneapolis. We’ll show you our line of Polywood shutters, and how they can improve your windows for years to come. Just phone 952-856-8130 to schedule your in-home consultation.