At Millenium Shutters and Blinds, we are dedicated to helping our customers achieve their design goals and making their homes reflect their style.  Here is a breakdown of the different parts of a shutter and some ‘shutter lingo’ that will help you when you are requesting a quote for your home:

Shutters 101

The main part of a shutter is called the shutter panel.  It is the hinged section of the shutter that opens and closes.  The top and bottom rails are what give the shutter its form and structure.  At Millenium we notch our top and bottom rails to allow the push rod to lie flush.  The vertical sections of the shutter panel are called stiles, The louvers rotate between the stiles to control light and privacy. At Millenium Shutters and Blinds we continue to use a mortise and tenon joint (the sturdiest joint possible) on our shutter panels ensuring that they remain strong and square. We custom make each shutter to the exact size, shape and louver size that is required for each window or door.

Some installations require a frame to be made if the shutters cannot be mounted on the existing window casing or if the window is out of square.  In this case, the shutter is hinged to the frame, which holds the panels in place. Our professional installers are experts in levelling your shutters and ensuring (even when a window is not square) that the shutters are mounted and finished perfectly. The frame is either mounted on or inside the window casing. Shutter frames can be two, three, or four sided.

The working parts of the shutter are referred to as the louvers (sometimes referred to as blades or slats) and are the moving components of the shutter mounted between the stiles. They allow privacy and light control. The louver sizes dictate the style of shutter, the amount of light and the view.  Traditional louvers are 1 ½”, California Shutters are 2 ½”. Plantation are 3 ½” and the largest louvers are Ocean-View at 4 ½”.

Depending on your window configuration you may want to incorporate a divider rail into your shutters.  This rail is mounted horizontally on the shutter dividing the upper louvers from the lower louvers.  The divider rail not only gives extra strength to the shutter, but allows separate control of the top and bottom louvers making light and privacy control even more flexible.  Our divider rails incorporate the notch for the push rod to lie flush as with the top and bottom rails.

The push rod (or tilt rod) is the vertical rod that is attached to all the louvers and moves them up and down. The push rod can be mounted in the centre of the shutter or to either side for a more streamlined look.

Each Shutter is fitted with strong magnet closures to hold the shutter in place when closed.  In cases where a fixed shutter is required (cannot be opened because of an obstacle) these magnets are used for mounting the shutter so that it may be removed easily for cleaning or window repair or painting.

We hope that this overview of our shutter construction and the explanation of parts helps you to understand the product a little better.  We would be happy to help you with a quote for your home!