the case for SHUTTERS

Shutters may look relatively fragile but older wood shutters were built to withstand decades of weather, bearing up through hurricanes and hail, intense heat and piercing cold.

- MARY ELLEN POLSON

Before houses had glass windows, they had shutters. Built with either board-and-batten or stile-and-rail construction, the shutter quickly evolved to become a sophisticated layer of protection for the window, complete with specific and unique hardware fittings. Understanding how shutters function and operate is essential to choosing and mounting pairs that are appropriate to the house and look as though they could be closed at a moment's notice.

THE PRO TIP

After working on shutters with caked-on paint, ditch your work clothes and take a shower before picking up children or pets-and before eating. Sawdust is one thing. Lead dust is quite another. Consider wearing a mask. -NATE SKILES

Need to match an existing shutter?

Several manufacturers will replicate new shutters from an original. Repairing shutters yourself requires some skill but much of the work is repetitive: stripping paint, patching with epoxy, repainting to keep them operable.

Beyond their many practical uses, shutters add architectural relief and balance to a house when they're properly sized and hung. The oldest types include board-and-batten (used as rudimentary window coverings when glass for windowpanes was not available) and fixed-louver shutters, which allowed for privacy while admitting light and air.

Board-and-batten shutters are composed of long vertical boards secured by cross members. Variations include tongue-and-groove with interlocking planks. In louvered shutters, slats slanted at an angle are held in place by stiles and rails, as with door construction.