Using Fake Shutters?

It’s almost a given that newer homes often come equipped with fake shutters. They’re cheaper to make, cheaper to install, and most these days are made from vinyl or other plastics, making them easier to take care of.

There’s little wrong with your home being equipped with fake shutters, until of course, trouble with the weather starts knocking on your windows. When hurricanes or tropical storms are throwing debris all over the place, the uselessness of those shutters start to become more and more apparent.

So, what do you do?

Taping Windows

That’s the first thought that comes to most people’s minds when large storms roll through- Time to tape up the windows!

Unfortunately, all this is really doing, is giving you a false sense of security, or perhaps a comfort that at least you’re trying to do something to prevent damage from happening. The reality is, a window will break whether it’s taped up or not.

The tape does nothing but prevent your window from shattering into smaller, more harmless pieces. Instead, the tape prevents the shattering, and creates larger chunks that can be carried by the wind, and blasted into your home.

Boarding up Windows

If you’ve got a home that is equipped with fake shutters, chances are, that when trouble comes by way of weather, an effective option to protect your windows is to board them up.

This is a viable option if the following conditions are met:

• You have the money on hand to throw down on some plywood in time.
• You can acquire the plywood before the stores have closed up due to the storm coming.
• You have all the stuff you’ll need to get them to be sealed properly.
• You are handy/physically capable

Then after all is said and done, you need to go around and remove all of the plywood, and find a dry, out of the way place to stack & store them. Then, what do you do about the new screw/nail holes? Previously threaded screw holes become unreliable after a couple of times, and the alternative is to make new holes. After a while, your window frame will begin looking like swiss cheese!

Real Shutters

When your house is equipped with real, working shutters, all of the aforementioned issues that arise are dealt with in a much faster, simpler way. Just close them, and you’re ready to wait out the storm. When the storm’s over, open them back up, and continue on to other things.

Your windows will be protected, there’s no extra work involved (at least concerning your windows), and aesthetically, they can make a bland building look like a warm home.

This post is focused on function – Real shutters also look amazing!