Vinyl Shutters Fall Off

[Dan Espen]

I hope you went to the desk to ask. The company that supplies shutters to HD has lots of colors. Only a few of them are in the store.

Most likely. The simplest cure is to replace all the shutters. In my case, I just replaced the shutters on one side of the house with a close match. The shutters on the other side are in different light and look different any way.

My original shutters were hung with screws. The new ones from the same manufacturer have those plastic things. I had enough screws left over that I didn't have to use the plastic.

[JonnieDBA]

My house was built in 1999, and it seems that the builder was sloppy when attaching the decorative vinyl shutters (over vinyl siding). I say this because two of the shutters have fallen off over the past year, and some of the plastic screw-like fasteners on most of the remaining shutters have popped out -- it's obvious that the ends of the plastic fasteners have broken off inside the hole. It gets very windy around my house, and I suspect that has contributed significantly to the problem. I suspect that more shutters will soon be falling off.

There are a total of 10 windows on the front of the house (two of them currently missing one shutter each -- looks terrible). I want to repair the situation, but not sure what would be best...

The shutters that fell off are broken. I'm not sure if I could find an exact match to replace them (no luck at Home Depot or Lowes) -- close match, but not exact. Even if I found an exact match, I suspect there might be a noticeable color-difference (e.g., maybe the existing ones have faded with years in the sun, etc.).

At this point, I'm leaning heavily towards getting all new shutters, very similar to the existing ones (15"x60" Forest Green, like from Home Depot). My biggest question, however, is if I should attach the new shutters using the included matching-plastic screw-things, or would it perhaps be better to use something like wood screws? I'm not even sure what's behind there -- if there's wood to bite into with a screw, or what.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please advise.

[JonnieDBA]

Dan,

Thanks so much for the reply.

When I say that I couldn't find an exact match, I'm not just talking about the color. The color was just *barely* different, but the length of the shutter from Home Depot (Builders Edge brand) as about an inch longer than old ones on my house (I have no idea what brand they are), and the border at the top has a curvy pattern rather than plain-straight.

My gut tells me not to mess around with trying to find a match -- and just get all new ones... My main issue is being unsure about using screws versus the plastic things. From your response, I get the idea that real screws are a legitimate (and perhaps better) choice. Forgive my ignorance, but is it likely that there will be wood back there for the screws to bite into? Any suggestion on exactly what type of screws I should use?

--Jon

[mm]

I have no shutters but there are houses with finish just like you describe around here. If built in'99, maybe the builder is around and could answer your qusestions. (though he may be too "busy" to do so. I don't know." Or maybe you could just ask if they are building other homes in the city, and go see how those are made. You could ask the foreman if they are different from 7 years ago.

When my house was about 5 years old (I bought it when it was 4) I found out who the builder was, from a neighbor and called for the blueprints. The office referred me to the architect, iirc, and he (I talked to him, even though I would have happy with a secretary) had someone send me the blueprints. They only charged me 20 dollars or so including duplicating and postage. They weren't as valuable for my particular need** as I had hoped, and I don't recall if they would answer your need either. I think they were mostly dimensions and little about materials, although maybe there was code I didn't recognize. I only bring the story up to show that the builder and architect was helpful EVEN THOUGH we had no direct relationship. I was not the original owner. How much more so for you.

**I just thought they were somethign I should have, plus I wanted to know where the phone jacks were. The previous owner had hidden the one in his/my bedroom.

Still, you can't call them for every little thing. Asking for blueprints was specific.

[Dan Espen]

I felt the screws were more effective. In my case they go thru vinyl siding, a half inch of Styrofoam and then wood shakes.

I used the screws that came with the first batch of shutters. Aluminum, 2 1/2 inch with a coarse thread. The hard part is that they come with a little plastic cap meant to cover the screw head and match the shutter.

Other than painting the screw head, I don't know what you could use to cover the head.

I've never had a shutter blow off, but a hail storm pretty much destroyed them. They start out pretty flexible but after a few years in the sun, they get pretty brittle.

[JonnieDBA]

I wonder if 2-1/2" deck screws would be a good choice. Like these for example:

Maybe I could even find some in a dark color that wouldn't be all that visible (at least from a distance) against the forest green shutters.

Any thoughts on that?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I used stainless screws and even on my dark green shutters, they are not very noticeable. Check

for fasteners.

[JonnieDBA]

How about these #9 x 3" Green Star Wood Screws?:

Anyone see a problem with using those?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Nope

[Jay]

Jonnie:

Pretty much any 2" or better, aggressively threaded, mechanical fastener will do the job. A Phillips, or crosspoint head of some sort, will make them easier to drive with an electric drill or power screwdriver. Take your pick and happy shuttering!

Jay