The first and most popular style is the louvered shutter. Quite simply, this style of shutter consists of horizontal louvers running along the length of the shutter at regular intervals. The best thing about this style is that the louvers can be adjusted to allow as much or as little light into your home as desired. This functionality cannot be achieved by any other style of shutter, and this is the reason why it remains the favorite.

This is the board and batten type of exterior shutter.

The second type is the board and batten. This is where you place a number of vertical boards together, quite often using a tongue and groove joint, and then reinforce them with a batten at the top and bottom of the shutter, and optionally along the middle as well. This style has a very rustic appeal, and is great in country style houses, as it looks a little bit like a barn door.  This would work well with some rustic lighting as well.

The final style is the raised panel. This is generally a single length of wood with some panels attached. It is completely solid, and therefore provides the best protection for your home. This is the style many people choose if they live in areas that are known for heavy storms and hurricanes. With the recent worries about climate change, more and more people are starting to realize that they need to do more to protect their homes, and shutters are a great place to start.

Any one of these types of shutters is going to cost you a fair amount of money to purchase and get installed, and you are going to want to ensure that you are happy with your choice before laying down the money and purchasing your shutter. If you want to see a full range in order to ensure you don’t miss the perfect solution for you, then I would suggest you do some research online. Don’t forget that amongst the three types of exterior shutters mentioned here, there are both vinyl and wood solutions, and a huge range of colors and shades.

If you need to match your exterior shutters with a roman blind or some other type of window covering, then a bit of research should uncover the perfect style for your needs.  For more styles of patio shades and blinds, you can search our category section.

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Your average sized patio will need multiple blinds if you want complete protection and privacy. Most patios have somewhere between 4 and 8 openings, and each one will need its own blind. The beauty of this is, you can decide which ones you want open, and which ones should be closed. You can still block out that harsh heat (or that neighbors sticky beak), while benefiting from that southerly breeze from the other side.

Bamboo is one of the best materials that you could use on your patio, as it is incredibly durable, and environmentally friendly. This is why bamboo flooring is so popular and versatile.  Many people don’t realize just how strong this material is. As a matter of fact, bamboo, in

An example of an outdoor bamboo blind.

many cases, is even stronger than wood, has the ability to withstand the extreme conditions that a patio is subjected to, without having to constantly treat the blinds to keep them in good condition. From an environmental standpoint, the best thing about bamboo is the fact that it is such an incredibly renewable resource. Bamboo grows many times faster than wood, this means a higher turnover for the farmer, a smaller price tag for you, the customer, and the crops are replenished in a fraction of the time, when compared to wood. With all the talk you hear about global warming and holes in the ozone layer, the less old growth forests that are used in our homes the better.

One of the biggest benefits of having a patio is that it allows you to relax in comfort, while still enjoying the outdoors. Many people don’t realize until it’s too late, that installing fabric, vinyl or steel blinds or shutters on their patio can quite often ruin this characteristic and turn your patio into just another room of your house. Bamboo, with its natural grains and organic look, creates the privacy and protection you are looking for, without taking away from the joy of being outdoors.

If you are on a tight budget, then bamboo blinds are the perfect option. You will find that there is no cheaper material to be found in the world of patio blinds, and you can save even more by doing your shopping online. Because web based stores have fewer overheads, they will more often than not pass these savings on to you. Not only will they save you a packet in the initial purchase, but they are extremely easy to install. This means that you can save even more by grabbing your drill and screwdriver out of the garage and installing them yourself.

Once they are installed, you will need to keep in mind that they should be rotated on a regular basis. I like to rotate mine every three months or so. The reason for this is that one side of the blinds will see a lot more sunlight over time than the other side, and the blinds will start to fade over time. Flipping them around on a regular basis will ensure that the fading happens more gradually and evenly over the whole blind.

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Related posts:

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