Choosing between wood and vinyl shutters for durability!

Making the choice to add shutters to your home is a great idea. It is an excellent way to add value to the property, as well as improving the look of the building and acting as an additional means of insulation. Once you have made the decision that you want to have shutters fitted, you have to make a choice between whether to opt for wood or vinyl.

You may want to take a look at board and batten shutters, to see the range of stylish shutters you can choose from. From a durability perspective, often people find vinyl shutters provide better value for money in the long term. Let us take a look at booth wooden and vinyl shutters and what they both have to offer.

Wooden shutters

The shutters you see on historic houses are traditionally made from wood. Many people who opt to have shutters fitted like the fact that wooden shutters have this historic feel about them. This does not necessarily make them the most practical choice, from a durability point of view. The main problem with wooden shutters is that they can have a tendency to warp and shrink over time.

This means that you can end up having to invest more money having them repaired or replaced. The paint or stain on shutters can also crack and peel. This can mean you have to spend a considerable amount of time on maintaining their condition; or that you have to pay someone to do the work for you.

Vinyl shutters

The major positive of investing in vinyl shutters for your home is that they do not lose their shape or condition in the way that wooden shutters can. Once you have the shutters fitted you are not going to have to spend extra money on having repair work completed. All you need to do is make sure they are kept clean.

Vinyl shutters also tend to be cheaper to purchase than wooden ones, which usually means they are the more cost effective option from every angle. If you are a traditionalist at heart then you need to remember that at the time those historic wooden shutters were used on homes there was no vinyl option. There is nothing wrong with moving on with the times.

You can see that from a durability point of view, vinyl shutters seem to be the best choice. One time when you may want to consider wood as a material for your shutters is if you want a greater level of customization. It is often easier to get a very specific shade or design if your shutters are made from wood.

This means that you can get a design of shutter that complements the design of your home. That being said you can also often achieve this with vinyl shutters; it depends on what color and design you want. And, at the end of the day, vinyl shutters are not as difficult or as expensive to maintain as wooden shutters.