Welcome back to the Zinga’s Home Solutions blog space. In our last blog post, we started talking about the different considerations that you need to be making before you commit to plantation shutters. We were only able to cover two of them, so our post today will be dedicated to the other two that we think are absolute musts in regards to consideration.

Tilting of Slats

The last consideration that we mentioned in our last blog post was the sizing of slats. Depending on the amount of sunlight that you hope to let into your house, this next consideration could be important as well. The tilting of slats with plantation shutters is a little bit different than most other window fashions, and we say that because the function used to open and close the shutters could change the look of the room, even if it’s only slightly.

Traditional Tilt Bar

The traditional tilt bar is what we are accustomed to seeing on the backside of most plantation shutters. This makes it easy for you to quickly open and close the slats of your shutters without having to open them entirely, but it does also add a texture and look to the shutters that some love, while others hate.

Hidden Tilt

The second option that you have with the tilt is a hidden option. The tilt, for this option, will be right behind the shutter so that you can’t see it at all times. If you’re looking for a clean look, one that is smooth throughout all of your window fashions, then this is a great option to have. With this particular option, you do have to open the panel in order to tilt the slats, but a little extra work can be worth the overall look of your house. Regardless of which one you choose, the functionality will be the same. At the end of the selection process, it really becomes a matter of which one fits into the aesthetic that you’re trying to create.

Mounting

We’ve talked about the overall aesthetic of your plantation shutters, but one thing that we haven’t talked much about are the methods of mounting. This is one of the beautiful parts of plantation shutters because there are a variety of ways to mount these window fashions, but also because they’re pretty unique given the styling of the window covering. The first question that you’re going to have to ask yourself is whether or not you’d like to have your shutters mounted on the inside of the window opening or the outside. As your window professionals, we will almost always suggest mounting inside of the window opening. Here are some of the things you’ll want to look at before making up your mind on this one.

Inside Mount 

If you have a decorative trim around your windows, then your best option is to mount your shutters on the inside. This makes it so that they don’t overlap, but it also allows for the two to compliment one another. If you do choose this, you can expect us to install the shutters inside of the window frame. We can use both an L frame or a hinge to keep your shutters sturdy to the window so that you don’t have to worry about that later on.

Outside Mount

In the case that you don’t have to worry about molding or decorative trim around your window, it’s definitely worth considering doing an outside mount for your shutters. This specific option creates a trim of its own that gives an entirely different look. What we do here is we add an L frame to your window frame and then use the frame to mount your shutters. The bonus here is that you have the additional choice of what type of frame you’d like to add to your window. This gives you a little bit more freedom in the look that you’re going for, and can really complete the look of your windows. If you’re still not really sure what type of mount makes the most sense for your shutters, you can ask the team member that brings the showroom to your home, what they would suggest for the specific window that you’re having shutters installed on.