Vinyl Exterior Shutters - Choosing the Color for your Home

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Posted: Friday, October 12, 2007

by Shad Storhaug
ShutterContractor.com

Vinyl exterior shutters come in several colors, some moulded-through, some paintable. It is important to select the right type depending on the color of your home and the amount of work you are willing to put in.

The main value of decorative vinyl exterior shutters is the color that you choose that will contrast or complement the color of the house itself. The best look is to have 3 colors on your home (other than the color of the roof), the main exterior walls, the trim color, and the shutters.  The front door of the house could match the exterior shutters, but if you end up with 4 colors that is ok too.
One thing that you should decide right away is how much maintenance you are willing (or want) to do. Paintable vinyl shutters can be ordered that will match any house (some brands, such as Alcoa shutters are paintable in any color). Some people order paintable exterior shutters because they want to match a very specific color, and other people order them because they want the option of painting the shutters a different color later. However, you should also keep in mind that the colored paintable vinyl exterior shutters will degrade and need to be painted every few years just like the exterior of your house. Commercial exterior latex paints are formulated for a life expectancy of 8 - 10 years. Moulded-through exterior vinyl shutters never need paint, so there will be less work to do the next time you paint your house. It is recommended that you spray paint the shutters if you go this route.

If you decide not to get paintable shutters, black and White are by far the most popular vinyl exterior shutter colors primarily because together they can match nearly any house. If you want to "go with the flow", order white if you have a dark colored house, and order black if you have a light colored house. However, if your house is white with black (or other dark colored) trim, you may wish to add some more color to the house by ordering vinyl window shutters in a shade of red, blue, or green.

Since you will have more choices for buying vinyl exterior shutters on the Internet than if you buy them locally, the best way to decide on the color of exterior vinyl shutters is to order a color sample. The color sample will contain a "keychain" with all of the available colors for a particular brand, and you can pick them up for as little as $5. Most vendors even give you a credit toward your order so the net cost of the color sample is free. The color sample is made from the same material as the vinyl shutters, so you will be able to touch and feel the material before you commit to a purchase.

Another advantage of ordering vinyl shutter color samples is that they are shaped like miniature exterior shutters. You can step back from the house and hold the color sample at arm's length to see visualize what the style and color of vinyl exterior shutters will look like on your windows.

After you have looked at the available vinyl exterior shutter colors, you will have a better idea of what is available. If you can't find the exact color you need, you can always go with black (for low maintenance), or paintable (for an exact match). Of course, that said it is your house so which exterior vinyl shutters will look best is entirely up to you.
 
For additional information about selecting, measuring, and installing vinyl exterior shutters, visit http://www.shuttercontractor.com/
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