cs6000, I feel the same about the vinyl, wood, and composite. We are looking mostly at composite because they have a nicer look than the vinyl and last longer than wood. Money is tight and we don't want to break the bank on shutters. Does anyone know if there is a way to mount vinyl shutters with real hardware, rather than just screwing them into the side of the house? If we could use vinyl with real hardware, that might give us a better look than just going with vinyl screwed into the side of the house, but at the same time save a ton of money. I am pretty sure we will go with a composite shutter, but it would be nice to have a second option if money becomes more of an issue.

I would always prime, especially if you are going to use a dark color. Otherwise you might end up with 5 coats of paint. If you use a primer (ask that they tint it, you would only need a quart), you would probably paint 2 light coats of a dark color paint. Some paints claim one coat coverage, I guess I am too much of a perfectionist, I cant stand one streak or area that I can see a hint of the other color, I always need 2 coats. But dont cake on the paint, do 2 light coats. Invest in a Purdy brush so you dont get brush marks. Good luck.

Thanks, both of you for commenting. I agree they should go but the owner wants to see if we can paint them first. I can't find anything comparable. We are having them repaint the trim and base house at the same time. A shame it's only five years old and looks like that. Here is a shot when it was new. I don't have a recent one of the entire front Denita. Thanks for weighing in, both of you.

I don’t think shutters are going to work for you. The only windows possible are the garage windows and the one on the porch. Start with your window boxes first and see if that will give you the color you need.