Things to Know Before Taking on Custom-Made DIY Plantation Shutters

Ambitious DIYers looking to save money may consider custom-building their own plantation shutters rather than purchasing them. But before taking on extensive custom shutter construction as a DIY project, there are important things to understand about the undertaking. This article covers key factors to assess sincerely before attempting custom DIY shutters. We’ll look at challenges faced, skills required, and whether alternatives like working with pros make more sense depending on project scope.

Assess Your Skill Level

Constructing quality custom plantation shutters from scratch requires proficient skills in multiple areas:

Precision wood joinery using specialty tools to cut joints, rabbets, and grooves capable of supporting shutter panels once assembled. Complex cope and stick joining is usually required.
Knowledge of weatherizing techniques like sealing end grains and structural strengthening required for exterior shutters.
Finish carpentry skills to install mounting systems and modify framing if needed.
Familiarity with hanging and adjustment intricacies to achieve proper fit and operation.
Ability to apply finishes like stain, paint, polyurethanes with control and artistry.
Patience and planning for glue, joinery, and finish coats to properly cure before continuing.

Realistically assess if your existing woodworking and carpentry skills match the expertise needed to successfully execute quality custom shutters.

Acquiring the Right Tools

Owning or acquiring specialized tools is imperative for professional-level custom shutter construction:

Table saw – for precise cut-to-size ripping of stock lumber to exact slat widths.
Band saw – allows curved cuts for arched windows plus resawing thicker stock to thinner slats.
Jointer – flattens and straightens lumber on adjoining faces for stability.
Planer – smoothes and refines wood texture between major steps.
Router – forms joints, rabbets,louvers, and hardware cutouts accurately and evenly. Especially useful for soft woods prone to splintering.
Drill press – bores perfectly perpendicular pocket holes for anchoring joinery. Prevents twisted off-angle holes.
Biscuit joiner – secures alignment of jointed slat panels using glued wood wafers.
Jigs – guide tools during repetitive operations like cutting uniform louvers or dowels.

Investing in suitable high-quality tools, or lacking key equipment, impacts results.

Stability and Durability Challenges

Particularly for exterior use, DIYers face inherent longevity challenges:

Accounting for wood expansion and contraction through properly engineered joinery and spacing.
Achieving water-tight mitered frame corners that won’t open up and leak over time.
Applying protective finishes able to withstand sun, rain, and extremes in temperature.
Sourcing decay-resistant woods like cedar able to endure outside conditions long-term.
Preventing warp, cupping, and twisting with rails, braces, grain sealing, and sufficient thickness.
Managing environmental factors like moisture correctly throughout the fabrication process.

It takes applied expertise to construct shutters able to remain structurally sound and weather-tight season after season.

Sourcing Quality Materials

Unlike professionals with lumberyard accounts, individuals face hurdles acquiring suitable shutter-grade lumber:

Finding appropriately wide stock planks to rip slats from without defects. Avoid glued smaller pieces prone to separating.
Accessing quality sustained yield harvested woods rather than questionable sources.
Properly acclimating and storing wood before use to stabilize moisture content. Preventing mid-project warping.
Buying adequate quantities for the entire project. Inability to source matching wood again causes problems if more is unexpectedly needed.
Transporting and storing heavy lumber without damaging.

Material limitations can lead to settling on less ideal wood properties and board quality.

Achieving an Ideal Finish

Novice DIYers often struggle with properly finishing raw wood:

Stains not fully saturating porous new wood but rather sitting on the surface. Results in uneven blotchy appearance once sealed.
Improper sanding scratching surfaces and preventing a smooth finish coat.
Applying finishes without enough dry time in between, trapping in moisture and uncured layers.
Inability to spray large sections results in brush strokes visible under clear sealer.
Lack of dust-free environment causes contaminates to embed in curing finish.

Professionals have finishing rooms with climate control and spray equipment to achieve immaculate results.

Recouping Time Investment

While DIY custom shutters may cost less in terms of money, the time investment is substantial:

Days to weeks to properly construct quality custom shutters depending on number needed. Requires large blocks of dedicated time.
Time spent learning techniques, making jigs and setting up tools lengthens the process further for beginners.
Troubleshooting mistakes, redoing bad joints, waiting for finishes to cure properly all increases timeline.
Working slower due to lack of experience and fatigue from unfamiliar tasks drags out time to completion.

Calculate total hours needed before committing. Factor in loss of weekends and evenings spent fabricating.

Hidden Expenses Add Up

Upfront cost of materials underestimates true total expense:

Tools like routers and drill presses, limiting jigs, project-specific blades and bits all add up.
Wood selection is compromised to species and grades available locally at a reasonable cost.
Finishes are bought in small quantities. Buying partially used cans as needed gets very costly over an entire house.
Travel and transport costs tally up making numerous lumberyard and hardware store trips.
Glues, sandpaper, hardware and consumables often exceed initial estimates. Their costs add up.

Foreseeing peripheral expenses helps prevent cost overruns that diminish savings from DIYing.

Result Uncertainties

After investing serious time and money into DIY custom plantation shutters, the end results are uncertain:

Final assembled product may have flaws affecting functionality that require redoing major components.
Looks, finish quality, color consistency may not meet expectations looked ideal in one’s mind.
Operation once installed may not be smooth if assembly tolerance or clearances are off. Could require fully disassembling to fix properly.
May realize mid-project that certain tools or skills needed for steps down the line are lacking.
Imperfections like warp or joint gaps impossible to see until finish is applied may necessitate starting over.

With DIY the risk exists of expending substantial efforts only to need replacing the finished product if quality is subpar.

Potential Resale Value Loss

DIY custom shutters likely won’t increase home resale value like professionally made additions. Prospective buyers may view them as amateurish detracting from appeal and be reluctant to pay more. Value might only be added if competitively priced with quotes for replacement with commercial quality shutters.

Conclusion

This honest assessment of considerations helps determine if realistically one has the skills, time, tools, budget, and temperament for successfully managing a major custom shutter construction project. While doable for some, for many homeowners the challenges and uncertainty outweigh potential cost savings. Partnering with an expert shutter company provides assurance of professional quality with less demands on you. Our experienced team handles custom shutter fabrication including measurement, installation, materials, and finishing – giving you peace of mind along with windows perfectly outfitted. Contact us for a free quote!