the painted surface
Painting Louvered Shutters
The traditional louvered wooden shutter is a classic shutter for many home exterior styles making it one of the most popular. The individual wood louvers and shaped moldings on the frames retain the details not found on louvered vinyl shutters. Though louvered vinyl shutters may be less costly and need less maintenance they do not match the classic details found on louvered wooden shutters. However, the frame and panel vinyl shutter style will more closely replicate the details of a frame and panel wooden shutter. If you want to know how to paint louvered shutters maybe this article will help.
The louvered wooden shutters featured here are about 40 years old. They are in good shape for their age. Most of the shutters look to have been painted at least once since the initial painting when the home was built. The louvered wooden shutters on the end of the house needed the most preparation work probably because they receive the most direct sunlight or they may not have been painted as often as the others. All of the shutters are protected overhead by the home's wide eave. The home faces north so the front shutters are only exposed to early morning and late afternoon sunlight filtered by trees. This lack of direct sunlight has increased the life of each paint coat and the shutters themselves.
Before painting the shutters each one was scraped and sanded to remove loose and peeling paint. Some were in worse shape than others and all of them needed more work on the lower half due to rain and sun exposure. A carbide scraper was used first to remove most of the loose paint. Scrape with the grain direction of the wood along each slat and around the frame.
Place a drop cloth below the shutters on the ground to protect the landscaping and catch the paint chips. These shutters were installed by nailing them to the brick with masonry nails. Be careful when scraping and sanding to avoid these nails that may be protruding above the surface. The masonry nail will chip the carbide blade of the scraper. Eye protection and gloves should be worn while scraping and sanding. A carbide scraper does cost a little more than a regular steel blade but their efficiency justifies the extra cost. The carbide blade will remove more loose paint, cut smoother, and last much longer. A regular steel blade will constantly need sharpening and soon will be worn out. The carbide blade will stay sharp for a long time and usually is replaced rather than sharpened.
The louvered wooden shutters were hand sanded with a coarse grit sandpaper after being scraped. Grit sizes between 40 and 80 were used. The sanding removed more loose paint, smoothed some rough areas and scuffed the surface to help the new primer or paint adhere. Again, wear eye and body protection when working. The top and bottom edges of the shutters should be prepped also. These are the only places where there is end grain and if left bare is more prone to absorbing moisture leading to peeling paint. If these can be reached they need to be prepped, primed and painted. Before moving on give the shutters a good dusting with an old paint brush or vacuum them if practical. Go to page 2...
