Real Wood vs. Faux Wood

Plantation Shutters can be made of real wood, faux wood or vinyl. The price and appearance can vary greatly amongst each types so which should you select?

Although vinyl shutters can be the most affordable shutter material, interior designers do not appreciate their plastic appearance and lack of color selection (usually only a few neutral shades). Therefore vinyl shutters should only be used in spaces where they will be subjected to direct and consistent exposure to moisture. Constantly exposing real wood or composite wood shutters to moisture will cause warping and damage the finish.

Real wood and composite wood shutters look and feel nearly identical but real wood shutters can be quite a bit more expensive. To simplify this decision, begin by determining which color your shutters will feature. If you would like a wood stain, choose a real wood shutter. Staining real wood allows you to see the beautiful natural characteristics of the wood like tiger stripping, pine knots and burls.

If you would like a paint finish, use composite wood shutters. Once several coats of paint are applied to the shutter, the natural wood characteristics of real wood shutters are hidden so that the real wood and faux wood options look nearly identical. Using the composite wood shutter can save you a significant amount of money!

Rockville Interiors offers Plantation Shutters in real wood, composite wood and vinyl. Our interior designers will guide you through the selection process to determine the best type of material for your space. Our teams of in-house installation technicians are experts with each type of shutter and will install them to look gorgeous and last a lifetime.

Questions? Email our shutter experts at hello@rockvilleinteriors.com or call 301-424-1900.