Does anyone have a source for oval-shaped louvers like the kind seen on plantation shutters? We are planning to put this type of shutter on all of our windows rather than curtains. It will cost about seven grand to buy the shutters from a retailer. In taking a close look at them, they seem to be pretty simple.
I think I build do them for much less and produce equal or better quality and get the added benefit of personal satisfaction. The only problem I can see is milling the graceful oval-shaped louvers. I know I could use flat louvers with rounded edges, but I think the oval ones are more elegant. I suppose I could make this into a pretext to buy a molding machine, but it seems like there would be plenty of suppliers for this kind of thing. Can anyone offer some advice on how to proceed?
Thanks for the help!
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I am about halfway finished with doing the entire house in shutters. I used the instructions in the link posted by Woodarama as a starting point but my process ending up being different. I did copy his technique and jigs for drilling the slats, and stapling the tilt rods. I bought my louvres from
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(more on this later)
but they only sell the flat style and only offer Basswood and Spanish Cedar. It's roughly $1.00 per linear foot in volume (500 ft).
Having built and installed several sets of these, I can tell you that I don't think the oval profile adds that much to the appearance. From
10 feet away, I don't think anyone could tell the difference. On the other hand, 3.5" vs. 2.5" makes a BIG difference!
If you are set on the oval profile, my guess is that you're going to pay more than $3.00 per linear foot becasue of the extensive millwork required. I got a quote from my local hardwood supplier for the FLAT
3.5" louvres in poplar (they have millwork capabilities) and they wanted about $2.25 per linear foot. There's ALOT more millwork involved in the oval profile. The higher price is significant because the louvre stock is a big part of the cost, but it's still a huge savings over paying someone else. For a special project where I need to use oak to match an existing fixture, I'll suck it up and pay the $2.25.
You might go to a Shutter store and ask who their supplier is. Depending on the size of your house, you're probably looking at 500 -
1000 linear feet of louvre stock. That number was large enough to interest my local guys so maybe a manufacturer would sell direct to you. Even if they're out of state, it's worth paying the shipping if the price is right.
This was my first ever woodlworking project so that tells you it's not that hard to make these. The one's I've done so far are all stained, which is very forgiving because the natural wood hides flaws. My goal was to at least match the quality of what our builder would have put in, and I've exceeded that although mine are not perfect.
It's a very satisfying project and saves a lot of money. I believe my materials cost is 20 - 25% of the installed quotes that I got. I'm very partial to the natural wood look, and putting these up on large window completely transforms the room.
With one exception, all of my remaing shutters will be painted, which is really going to put my routing and joinery skill to the test.
More on Kestrel/DIY Shutters -
I can't find the link on their site for the raw louvre and tilt rod stock. I placed an order just a few months ago so I know they still sell them. Call them and they'll fax you a pricelist. They're very nice to work with and although they quote something like six weeks delivery, both of my orders arrived in just over two weeks.
Good luck and feel free to ping me with any questions. Also, please let us know if you find another good louvre supplier anywhere in the country.
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