Wood Shutters For Sliding Doors

Caring For Wood Shutters For Sliding Doors

Wood shutters for sliding doors offer several benefits for the homeowner. Sliding doors offer space savings in the home and when made of wood they require only the sliding panel, unlike a sliding glass door which requires an additional stationary frame. It is usual to find sliding doors in the interiors of homes.

However, they can also work as the patio door. Shutters offer the benefit of providing privacy as well as insulating the interior while filtering in light. Wood shutters are always elegant when done this way especially in patio sliding doors.

Wood shutters are of different types. The popular styles are raised panels, louvers, board and batten plus combinations of all of these. They can be made in folds, hinged, sliding or curved. The number of styles available when working with wood shutters make each installation unique. They are generally classy and when combined with sliding doors can be quite distinct, even exotic.

Should you use faux wood for your sliding doors, you can hope to maintain it less often. By its nature, wood requires constant care to stay in good condition. This is especially so if the use of wood shutters are for doors leading outside and so exposed to the weather. For those who love the brilliance of wood though, this should not be too much trouble.

Of course, wood shutters for sliding doors have their own advantages. For one, they remove the need for cords and so are more kid-friendly. In addition, curtains are needless for doors dressed with wood shutters.

Sure, you can still install curtains to complement your decor but wood, on its own, suffices. Faux wood may be less expensive than real wood but it is also less stylish and durable. However, if you should have young children, faux wood may be a better bet as it cleans quicker than real wood.

Wood Shutter Cleaning Tips

Cleaning wood shutter require dry cleaning. Water and strong cleaning solutions will only cause irreparable damage. Vacuum the dust off the surface of the wood or remove them with a duster. Get in between the slats by tilting them and use a toothbrush to get to nooks. You can use a mild cleaning agent to remove stains but you should only apply this to a cleaning cloth and not directly to the wood.

To bring out the sheen of the wood shutter, clean with a soft cloth and use a non-wax polish. Regular dusting will also save you from frequent big-day cleaning. Ideally, you should get a finished wooden shutter rather than a rough wood. If the shutters are painted, you will also need to re-paint them as soon as this is needed so as to keep on a coat of protective paint and a healthy appearance.

Special attention should be paid to wood shutters in high-moisture environments e.g. the patio sliding door, in the kitchen or the bathroom. These will attract mildew faster and you need to scrape the growth off before they spread and permanently discolor the wood.

You may also need to spray the wood with an insect-repellant. When termites eat into wood, it becomes irreparably damaged and may require you to change some shutters.

Wood is great when it is in top condition. If you maintain the wood shutters very well, you can keep the elegance of the sliding door for a long time. Remember, for shutters, nothing says stylish more than wood.