A Done with That® Project by Koper, America’s #1 Connected ContractorTM, Free Augmented Article©
Shutters add charm to a house, and they can be practical as well as pretty. When time and weather damage your shutters, it is easier to repaint than to replace them. Regular painting keeps shutters attractive, protects them from insects and prevents wood rot.
Whether your shutters close for protection or are just for decoration, they are an important part of the appearance of your home. Choosing a tasteful color combination for your house and your shutters can dramatically improve the look of your home. Functional shutters — those that open and close — are hung
on special shutter hinges next to each window. They are usually held open at the bottom by an S-shaped iron shutter dog attached to the wall. Decorative shutters are simply nailed to the wall of the house and cannot be closed, but they may have hinges and shutter dogs for looks.
Use a good quality exterior paint for shutters. They are most often painted with alkyd paint, because it dries more slowly than latex paint and does not show brush marks. If you are repainting and are not sure what was used before, always use alkyd paint, which bonds well with other finishes.
If the paint on your shutters is in good condition, it will need only light sanding as preparation. More heavily damaged shutters may require structural repairs. They should then be scraped, sanded and primed before they ar ready for a finish coat.
Typical wooden shutters consist of a solid wood frame that encloses and supports a set of louvers, which may be either permanently fastened at a predetermined angle or pivoted to open and close. Because shutters are made of many separate pieces of wood, they must be primed and painted with care, so that rainwater and dampness cannot reach any unpainted surfaces or joints.
Keys to Success
Functional shutters may have hinge widths that vary from shutter to shutter. When removing hinges, label each one so you can put it back on the window it came from.
Coordinate your shutter color with the trim of your home. White shutters look good on dark shingles or brick, while dark shutters and trim are traditional for white or light- colored clapboard or siding.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Tools
1. Bucket
2. Sponge
3. Soft brush
4. Wire brush
5. Trim brush
6. Sash brush
7. Small paintbrush & Cloth
8. Safety goggles
9. Sanding block and sandpaper
10. Parquet scraper
11. Shave hook scraper
12. Screwdriver
13. Dust mask
14. Rubber gloves
Materials
Alkyd paint
Drop cloth or newspaper
Rust-resistant metal primer
Rust-resistant exterior enamel
PLANNING
Before you paint, set up a work area outdoors or in your basement or garage. Use sawhorses or bricks to prop up shutters.
Cover the area with a drop cloth or newspaper.
STEP-BY-STEP
1. Remove shutter hardware.
2. Prepare shutter surfaces for painting.
3. Paint joints first, then louvers from ends to middle.
4. Paint frames with two coats.
5. Clean and paint hardware.
Finding a work location
Painting shutters does not require much room and can be done indoors if the weather is cold or damp. If you are working indoors, make sure you have enough ventilation to get rid of paint fumes.
Shutters can rest on wooden saw¬horses (left). If you are using bricks instead of sawhorses, rest the shutters on wooden laths to prevent scratching the wood (right).
Painting shutters fits easily into the rest of your house-painting schedule, since you can work on one shutter while other shutters or parts of the sid¬ing or trim are drying.
Preparing surfaces for Paint
1. Remove the hardware from each shutter with a screwdriver. Replace any stripped or rusted screws.
2. Scrape away all old, flaking and peeling paint on the shutter frame with a parquet scraper.
3. A triangular shave hook scraper will reach between the louvers of the shutter to remove old paint.
4. Sand along the grain on all surfaces of the frame with a sanding block and sandpaper.
5. Brush away all the sanding dust and paint shavings to ensure a smooth, even painting surface.
6. Wash the shutters with trisodium phosphate or detergent and water. Rinse well.
Repairing cracks
Use a putty knife to fill cracks or small holes in the shutters with wood putty.
Clean out areas of dry rot by cutting or digging down to the sound wood. Pack large holes with clean wood chips, then finish filling with wood putty. Sand the surface smooth after the putty dries and be sure to remove all dust.
TIPS
If hinge screws are loose, fill the old holes with ‘vooden plugs and wood glue. Cu off the excess with a sharp chisel and sand flush with the surface. Drill new holes for the screws near the old ones when the glue has cured
To replace a missing louver, cut a paint-stirring stkk to fit. Taper the ends to fit into the old slot and glue in place.
Refinishing Hinges
1. Use a wire brush to remove all I rust from the hinges. You may also have to sand with fine sandpaper.
2. Coat the clean hinges with a rust-resistant metal primer to protect them from weather damage.
3. Paint the hinges with rust-resistant exterior-grade enamel to match or contrast with the shutters.
APPLYING THE PAINT
Paint the louver edges first, where I they join the frame. Do not let the paint form puddles in the corners.
Paint the louvers with a narrow trim brush. Work from the edges toward the center to feather the paint.
Paint the frame with a sash brush. Brush first against the grain, then with the grain.
Apply at least two coats of paint. After they are dry, reattach the hardware with screws.
Using a small paintbrush and rust-resistant paint, paint the screw heads, to match the shutter hinges.
Treating knots
Resin from knots can seep through paint, even after several years. Sand knots smooth, then coat them with an oil-based knot sealer.
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