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Maintenance on your home in inevitable, and upkeep can sometimes be a challenge. You often need to paint the exterior, paint the interior, fix the occasional broken faucet, replace the flowers that died on you, and reseed and fertilize the lawn just to name a few.
A common question people have is about decorative vinyl exterior shutters: "How do I remove exterior vinyl shutters that are installed with Shutter-Loks without breaking the exterior vinyl shutter?".
Shutter-Loks (sometimes spelled "shutter locks" and often referred to as easy-loks, shutter plugs, or plastic nails) are designed for a permanent shutter installation. However, it is still possible to remove decorative exterior vinyl shutters when doing routine maintenance (such as exterior painting or installing new siding) on your home. The bottom line is, you can remove the window shutters, but installing them again will require you to purchase new Shutter-Loks. Keep this in mind before you take them down, because Shutter-Loks generally cannot be found in local stores. They can be purchased online though (see the link at the bottom of this article).
Do not attempt to pull the Shutter-Lok out of the wall, as you will most likely damage the surface of your exterior vinyl shutters. To remove the exterior decorative shutters, you will need the following:
- A small chisel with a sharpened edge
- A hammer
- Silicone
- A diagonal cutter
- An electric drill with a 1/4" drill bit
Turn the chisel so the sharp edge is facing away from the surface of the house and slide it behind the shutter until it rests against the Shutter-Lok. Use a hammer to give the handle of the chisel a sharp tap and the chisel will cut through the Shutter-Lok.
After you have cut through all of the Shutter-Loks, take the vinyl shutter down and set it carefully on the ground. Use a diagonal cutter to shear the remaining piece of the Shutter-Lok so it is flush with the surface. Next, drill out the Shutter-Lok using a 1/4" drill bit. Do not leave the Shutter-Lok inside of the wall because moisture can leak in and it will start to rot.
Now, if you plan to leave the window shutters off of your home, you should fill the hole in with caulking compound and smooth it off so it is level with the surface and you can then repaint to make the hole invisible.
If you plan to reinstall the vinyl exterior shutters after you paint your home, fill the hole partially with silicone to weatherproof it temporarily. After painting the exterior of the house, you can redrill the hole with a 1/4" drill bit to remove the silicone.
To reinstall, rest the exterior window shutter against the surface and align it with the holes, then press the Shutter-Loks into the holes part way to hold the vinyl shutter in place. Then use a hammer to very gently tap the Shutter-Lok until it is flush with the surface of the exterior window shutter. Do not keep tapping, as this will make the shutter start to dimple and you will need to purchase new Shutter-Loks and start over because there is no way to pull them back out. You should leave the Shutter-Loks just slightly loose to allow for expansion and contraction.
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