How to Paint Planation Shutters for the Do It Yourselfer
Plantation Shutters are an expensive window treatment that after a decade or so will need to be repainted. A professional that truly knows what they are doing will charge big bucks to paint them for you. If this is the route you want to take and the money part of the equation is secondary, then do it. But, and I emphasize BUT, make sure they do know what they are doing! House painters will often take this job on for some extra cash thinking it's just like painting a wall, but it's not, and you will end up with a bunch of shutters that are painted shut and are forever ruined. Get references from the person or company you are thinking of using , and look at the work they have done. It's just not worth the chance of flushing 1000's of dollars worth of shutters down the toilet. Enough said.
Now let's get back to the focus of this article. If you follow the steps I will outline in this article, you can save yourself a good chunk of change by painting your shutters yourself with a result as good as the pro's that use expensive equipment and facilities.
The actual painting of the shutters with the technique I describe will not take long at all. What will take some time is the first key to painting shutters. The 6 P's, (Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance).
The first key to a successful shutter paint job is preparing the surface of the shutter. Before painting anything you will want to prepare the surface of your plantation shutters. In most cases the shutters will need to be cleaned. Surfaces that contain dust, dirt, or grease will increase the chances that your paint will not stick. I recommend using a Liquid Sander which can be purchased at your local hardware store. Liquid Sander cleans and degreases the surface of the shutters. The Liquid Sander also chemically sands the surface of the shutters. This is important because paint has a hard time adhering to very shiny or slick surfaces. Using Liquid Sander is a whole lot easier and faster than using sandpaper and elbow grease.
After cleaning and de-glossing, and before painting, I recommend priming. Applying a water based paint on top of oil based paint, or vice-a-versa is asking for trouble. This is why I recommend first applying a water based primer after using the Liquid Sander and before painting your plantation shutters. A water based primer is designed to stick to what is already on your shutters, and create a surface that your paint will readily adhere to (note: use a primer color closest to the color you will be painting).
The next step is where most people make the mistake and ruin their shutters. I DO NOT recommend using a brush to paint your plantation shutters. If you look at your shutters you will notice that there are very small gaps between the louvers and the frame. No matter how careful you are, applying a latex or oil based house paint with a brush WILL fill these gaps. When the paint dries in-between these gaps your shutter will no longer operate smoothly or at all. Now that I have your attention please read on.
