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installing plantation shutters on impact windows

16 years ago

I posted this question on the windows forum and have not received any responses. Our new house has a west facing french door, vinyl outside and wood inside. It's rated for category 4 hurricanes (we lost our old house to the 2005 hurricane season). Since this will be a much used door I wanted to install plantation shutters directly on the wood surface for light control. Andersen says it can be done but any damage to the glass or vinyl side will void the warranty.

Have any of you had any experience with nailing the plantation shutter frame directly to a door of this sort? Is there another reliable method of installation? Andersen also says not to use glue or any type of silicone adhesive as this could damage the wood surface. It's too late for us to change to a different door so if you could give me advice I'd greatly appreciate it.

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Comments (3)

sierraeast
16 years ago
You might try suction cup hangers but the weight of the shutters might make them unrelaible.The suction cups might not adhere to the wood but could depending on what finish you have on the doors. Might be worth a shot.
mhanna
16 years ago
All you need to do is build/attach a frame around the glass opening, then attach the shutters to the wood hang strip frame.

This method is used all the time when installing on french doors or around the outside of windows where the shutters can not be mounted inside the window frame.

Here is a link that might be useful: All About Window Shutters
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oruboris
16 years ago
Hmm... I have several of these Andersen doors, I wonder just what they mean by 'damage'.

Obviously, if I put a screw in the wood, I can't then say 'oh look-- it has a screw hole, give me a new door...'

But if I put a screw in the wood and the mechanicals fail [such as the top and bottom latches stop working], I wonder if the unrelated screws would give them an excuse to abandon their responsibilities.

I have 7 of these total, and several have never latched well and leak air badly. The Andersen guys are coming by next week to take a look. I'm not terribly impressed with their quality so far.

Should also mention I'm not sure the lever hardware I chose [you are pretty much married to Andersen's own products for entry sets] would leave enough clearence. The shutters would fit, but your knuckles would hit them every time you open the door.

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