Shutters are commonly found on homes today. If you are lucky enough to have the classic wood variety, you will want to take care of them. The vinyl/plastic variety are perhaps more popular but lack the detail and style the wood variety offer. If you are really really lucky you will have the functional shutter that can actually close and protect the window. These are increasingly rare.

Over time the wood shutter will wear and be in need of repainting. It is worth the investment to do so and it is not really all that hard to do. The first thing you will need to do is remove the shutters from your home. They will be either nailed or screwed to the face of your home. You will want to be careful because sometimes the shutters will need some repair work in addition to repainting.

After the shutters are removed they will need to be cleaned. You can power wash them or use a hose and scrub brush. Be sure to use a good cleaner like Simple Green. After the shutters have dried it’s time to scrape and sand them. It is always a good idea to test for lead base paint before sanding or scraping. A carbide scrapper will work best. Having a dust brush on hand also helps the process.

It will take time to scrape them because of the detailed nature of the wood shutter. Same for the sanding. If the shutters need repair or reinforcement, now is the time to do so. Do they need to be glued or re-nailed?

Priming is the next step. I like to use Peel Stop on shutters. I usually do a couple coats.

Painting shutters is much easier to do with a sprayer but you can do it by brush. If brushing stick to light coats and watch for drips and runs.  It is time consuming using a brush but you can pay attention to the detail and work the paint into all the seams and difficult to reach areas. Be sure to paint all sides! Shutters look nice with a satin or semi gloss finish on them.