These damaging rays can eat away at protective coating over time. Once the coating is gone, the sun can damage the paint and cause it to turn yellow. Regular cleaning will help keep your shutters looking their best. But once they start turning yellow, there isn't much you can do to fix it.
Blinds and shutters turn yellow due to prolonged exposure to the sun's UV rays.
Fill a bathtub with cold water and 2 or 3 cups of bleach. Completely submerge the yellowing blinds in the bath. Soak the blinds in the bath for 10 minutes. After soaking, wipe each slat with a cloth.
The paint or PVC may easily yellow, or fade in a hot window. The cheap paint they use on cheap Plantation Shutters can have harmful VOC's in the paint. Things like phamadahyde and lead.
There are a variety of vinyl restoration products available on the market, but the best I've found is 303 Aerospace Protectant. Just spray it on, wipe with a soft cloth, and your shutters will look (almost) as good as new.
Exterior Shutters—Aluminum, Vinyl, and Composite
For speed cleaning, start by brushing all loose dirt off the shutters. Hose down the shutters first and then scrub them with soapy water and a mop. Rinse immediately so the soapy water doesn't dry. Follow by wiping them dry with a clean microfiber mop.
MYTH: PVC Shutters are the Same as Vinyl Shutters
However, when it comes to making exterior shutters, PVC far outlasts and outperforms vinyl. It's far more dense than vinyl and also considerably more attractive.
PVC vs Aluminium
Both are durable plantation shutter materials however Aluminium alone is prone to corrosion and PVC will not rust or corrode, making it ideal for any room in the home.
PVC shutters usually comes with 10 years structure warranty, as its very stable material – barely no reaction with heat and mositure, even through paint does fade off eventually but the whole shutters – every parts will fade off other than one or two piece, so unlikely you will see difference.
When your blinds are originally white, this generally means they turn a murky yellowish color that is unattractive and undermines the appearance of an otherwise clean room. Whitening yellowed blinds is easy, but a little time consuming.
Place the blind in a bathtub filled with warm soapy water and allow to soak. Use a mild laundry detergent rather than soap or dishwashing liquid as this will be the kindest to your blind's fabric. After an hour, check your blind for stains. Examine both sides and spot-clean where necessary using a cloth or sponge.
Why Plantation Shutters Turn Yellow
The sun's ultraviolet rays are responsible for giving you painful sunburns. They're also responsible for discoloring your white plantation shutters, especially if you have cheaper or overseas-made shutters. These damaging rays can eat away at protective coating over time.
For the vast majority of jobs, the entire process of getting plantation shutters, from the initial consultation to installation, takes about 4-6 weeks and depends on multiple factors.
Longevity of Shutters
We discovered that windows made from aluminium have an expected life of 45 plus years whilst UPVC windows require replacement around the 25/30 year mark. Aluminum is a favoured building material as it is highly resistant to corrosion, supremely strong for its weight, and 100% waterproof.
Whilst it is common knowledge that aluminium conducts heat, it has excellent reflective properties that make it a widely used solution for thermal insulation as it reflects the suns rays back to the atmosphere. It reflects about 97 percent of radiant heat and also prevents unwanted heat loss in the cooler months.
Basswood is now the most popular wood for shutters, outpacing pine and poplar. These can be painted and stained, and are light, flexible material that makes them good for a variety of designs. However, they're not moisture resistant and they cost more than synthetic shutters.
For long-lasting, custom wood shutters, you're better off working with a specialty store. Expect to spend $20 to $45 per square foot for a custom job. Wood shutters will run you $200 to $350 per window, while composite shutters cost $80 to $200.
Hollow Vinyl shutters are easy to spot, due to unfinished edges, which are often “capped”. Vinyl shutters lack durability, as the connectors to their tilt rods are held together by plastic, which tend to break with use. Vinyl shutters also have a “plastic” appearance and tend to yellow over time.
While Exterior Solutions shutters come closer to being totally maintenance free than any other vinyl shutter on the market today, you may have found yourself wondering why your exterior vinyl shutters have faded and discolored. Eventually anything outside for an extended period of time will fade.
Yes, you can repaint plastic or vinyl shutters. If they are new, check with the manufacturer to see if they need any special cleaning and follow their painting instructions. If the shutters have been around a while, you'll need to clean them before painting.