Materials

Plantation shutters are commercially available in a variety of hardwoods and softwoods. Good cases can be put forward for using each of the differing materials. We here at Signature Shutters have made the decision to supply shutters in 3 different woods. Each wood has different characteristics and dependent on your particular requirements for your shutters, we believe from the 3 products we’ve chosen we’ll be able to provide a solution that meets any criteria.

Basswood

Basswood is an American, sustainable sourced hardwood and an important specialised use is in the construction of venetian blinds and shutters*. It has ideal mechanical properties and evenness of grain ensuring consistency of finish, strength and rigidity.  To prevent warping our Basswood shutters are made from a top grade, kiln dried, laminated basswood.  The lamination process gives extra strength and integrity to the shutter that won’t be found in shutters that are manufactured from entirely solid sections.  Furthermore, of all the hardwoods, basswood is one of the lightest in weight making it ideal for shutters that need to span particularly wide openings.

* Source: Hardwood Information Center

Lockwood

Our Lockwood shutter is manufactured from a timber called Hemlock.  A less expensive alternative to Basswood, it is however no less inferior.  Like the Basswood shutter, the Lockwood product is also made from kiln-dried, laminated timber.  Hemlock has an attractive grain structure and is particularly hard wearing.

Craftwood

Our Craftwood shutter is manufactured from Light Density Fibreboard (LDF).  LDF is strong and has excellent dimensional stability, however it is heavier than timber and therefore there are constraints on its practical use – most notably, it is not suitable for particularly wide window or door openings.  Our Craftwood shutter is finished in a tough, water resistant poly coating and is resistant to scuffing, staining, cracking, chipping and fading!  Being moisture resistant the Craftwood shutter is ideal for humid rooms such as bathrooms.