Plantation Shutters are quickly becoming the clear choice for all types of commercial applications and are enjoying widespread popularity in commercial buildings of all types. This article will give you some tips and insights into why they are becoming such a popular commercial window covering. 

We sell many different types of plantation shutters.  Some are made from wood (many different types), some are made from engineered wood, while others are made from synthetic materials.  Be sure to view our On-Line Catalog for details.  However, we feel that PolyCore in particular is fantastically suited for commercial applications and even carries a fire rating.  Be sure to reference our page on PolyCore Plantation Shutters in Commercial Applications after you read the article below.

Style

Plantation shutters are one of the most stylish window coverings available.  They are a clear, classic choice.  Class never goes out of style.  Plantation shutters are not a fad that will enjoy popularity for a while and then serve to make your building look dated.  They have been in style in one form or another for over a hundred years and will not go out of style in the future.  With a big, bold look, they are a perfect match for commercial applications.

Window coverings are a major decorating element for restaurants and hotels.  The beauty of plantation shutters is that they go with ANY décor.  They can be dressed up to go in the best five star restaurants or dressed down to blend with a casual motif.  Most restaurants and hotels ignore the decorative element of window coverings.  If they do not ignore it, they certainly do not capitalize upon it.  Plantation shutters give you that opportunity.  They allow you to set apart your establishment in a way that wood blinds, mini blinds, roller shades, and other window coverings can not.  Additionally, prices have been steadily falling as improved manufacturing efficiencies are put into practice.

Durability

Plantation shutters are one of the most durable window coverings available.  They stand up well to years of use.  There are very few moving parts to wear or break.  There is no cloth to tear, rip, stain or soil.  There are no cords to break and no thin slats to bend or snap.  In order to see out of the windows, simply tilt the louvers open.  For privacy, tilt them closed again.

Reparability

Although plantation shutters can take a lot of abuse without breaking, if a part should ever become broken, they are repairable.  (PolyCore in particular is exceedingly repairable.)  The most common parts to be abused and broken are the tilt rod and louvers.  If a tilt rod or louver ever breaks, you can simply order a new one and replace it yourself. 

For more severe issues such as a broken rail or a stile, a replacement shutter panel will need to be ordered.  This is not the case with PolyCore plantation shutters since they utilize a screw together format and therefore individual parts such as stiles and rails can be easily replaced.  Please see PolyCore Plantation Shutters in Commercial Applications for more details.  If a replacement shutter panel is needed, they are easy to replace.  Just unscrew the old panel and attach the new one.

Cleanability

One of the best features of plantation shutters in commercial applications is their ease of cleaning.  Simply dust them off and that is all that is usually needed.  Since plantation shutters are either painted or stained, they are no more difficult to clean than any other furniture.  They resist stains and oils and never need to be dry cleaned.

Versatility

Plantation shutters are highly versatile.  They can go on standard windows, French doors, and even sliding glass doors.  They can cover odd shaped windows such as arch tops, slant tops, or hexagons and octagons.  The bottom line is that if you have a window, it can be dressed in a plantation shutter.  Even more, if a standard paint color or stain is not suitable, custom paint colors and stains are available.  Custom finishes are probably the most popular option on plantation shutters.  Best of all, no matter what window or door you dress in them, you know it will always look great and never go out of style.

Cost

The cost of plantation shutters has been steadily dropping in recent years.  This is not to say that quality has been decreased.  In many cases, quality has steadily increased.  Pricing has dropped due to more efficient manufacturing processes.  They are more affordable now than they were several years ago plus they are a higher quality product.

Types of Plantation Shutters

There are many different types of plantation shutters.  They can be made from woods such as basswood, cottonwood, alder, or engineered woods.  Synthetic plantation shutters have come a LONG WAY since they were first introduced.  Although there are still some poor quality synthetic shutters on the market, a high quality synthetic is now one of the best commercial shutters available.  Shutters come with many different louver sizes ranging from around 1-7/8 inches wide up to 4-1/2 inches wide.  Most are offered with standard inside or outside mounting and frames (if needed).  For a great comparison tool be sure to check out our Detailed Comparison.

How Plantation Shutters Compare to Other Window Coverings

Here is where we get a little opinionated.  Yes, some of our strong opinions probably stem from the fact that we are a plantation shutters dealer.  However, I believe you will agree that many of the points in this section are true.  Before you read the next few paragraphs, please ask yourself, “What commercial window coverings have I ever noticed and thought them to be outstanding?”  If you can not think of any, then you are in the same boat that most all of us are in as well.  However, plantation shutters put a whole new angle on this dilemma.

Compare the timelessness of plantation shutters to any other commercial window covering.  For example, consider draperies.  Drapes are OK, but who wants to spend a lot of money and then have their building look just OK?  Is OK a worthy goal for your building?  Plus, draperies tend to lend themselves to being faddish in either color or design.  You can try to design non-faddish draperies by picking a neutral color so that the fabric does not look dated in a few years, but inevitably this leads to boring drapes.  Conversely, if you pick a color or pattern that is a bit more bold and stylish, as styles change they will look dated in just a few years.  Draperies also present a design challenge.  Typical commercial draperies are simple pinch pleats on a traverse rod.  Who really gets inspired by that?  If you try and pick a more up-to-date design, then in a few years your drapes look dated again as styles change.  Commercial draperies end up costing a lot of money for something that is really just plain and functional.  They neglect a major decorating element and turn a great opportunity into something that no one is really excited about.

Your other choices for window coverings are not very engaging either.  For example, you can dress your windows in mini blinds.  Those are surely one of the ugliest window coverings conceived by mankind.  I have seen some commercial roller shades in restaurants that do not look too bad, but just like draperies, no one wants window coverings that reach the high standard of “not too bad”.  Even if you consider faux wood blinds or vertical blinds, you are still in the realm of unexciting. 

Plantation shutters are the clear choice for the savvy buyer.  They are classic, durable, and versatile.  They are the perfect match for anyone considering commercial window coverings for hospitals, hotels, restaurants, office buildings, or the like.  Please Contact Us with any questions at all.