Part of what makes home design so fun is that there are so many decisions to make and so many options out there. This is also a big part of what makes home design feel overwhelming for many homeowners. To help, we are going to take a look at one of these decisions today: should you stain your shutters or paint them?
As with any design decision, there isn’t a single correct answer. The right choice for your home may be the wrong one for your neighbor’s. So let’s take a look at some pros and cons.
The Pros of Stained Shutters
When it comes to shutters, most homeowners want them to be made from wood. This is due to the beauty of wood as well as the durability of it. Staining and sealing your shutters will allow them to last longer than they would if they were unfinished, which helps to extend your investment. Additionally, stains allow the natural grain to show through, which gives your home an organic feel. Since one of the reasons for purchasing wood is its beauty, allowing this to shine through is important.
The Cons of Stained Shutters
While staining and finishing wood shutters does allow them to last longer, it will not extend the life of your shutters the way paint will. If you are choosy about the stain you use, it can come close though. Also, overtime, stains tend to fade more than exterior paint will, but many feel this fading adds to the design of the home. Exterior wood stains encompass a wide variety of shades and colors, but you cannot get the same range as you can from paint. Finally, if you are staining your shutters yourself, it is more difficult to get stains right than it is to get paint right.
What Houses Stained Shutters Are Best Suited For
Since stained shutters allow the wood grain to shine through, they have a natural, even rustic feel. As such, they are better suited to more traditional designs rather than sleek or bold modern ones. However, with the right approach, they can work on most buildings.
The Pros of Painted Shutters
When it comes to extending the life of your shutters, paint will do it best. And if you choose another material besides wood, paint will be your only option. Paint will provide you with the most options when it comes to color, only limited by the selection at stores nearby. This gives you a lot of room for creativity and makes it easy to match your shutter to the color of your door and trim. Compared to stain, exterior paint will last twice as long, which means less maintenance for you.
The Cons of Painted Shutters
The main drawback of painted shutters is that they do not allow the natural beauty of wood to shine through. However, if you are not attached to the idea of showing off the grain of your shutters or you are using another material, this is not a problem.
Which Houses Painted Shutters Are Best Suited For
In truth, painted shutters will work with most any style of home, though they are particularly well-suited to modern and bold designs. However, with the endless options available in styles and colors, there is no building they will not work for.
Aero Shade Offers Quality Shutters
And since we offer them in a variety of shades and colors, you don’t even need to worry about staining or painting. Stop in at our showroom to see the designs we offer and customize your order.