Kirtz Shutters will be exhibiting at the Tulsa Home Show in Tulsa, OK. At this show you can examine the premier quality of the Kirtz Shutter, and visit with Don Watson, our Tulsa representative at BOOTH 841.
In our booth will be displaying our NEW motorized shutter. A perfect solution for any hard to reach window, TLC motorization is exclusively available on the Kirtz Shutter.
SHOW DATES AND TIMES
Thursday March 11th 5pm-9pm
Friday & Saturday March 12,13 10am-9pm
Sunday March 14 11am-6pm
This weekend Kirtz Shutters will be introducing our new remote controlled shutter, TLC, at the home and garden show in Wichita, KS. A motorized shutter is the perfect solution for hard to reach windows such as those over bathtubs, high windows in rooms with two story ceilings, or any situation where light and heat is best controlled with the touch of a button.
The Wichita Home and Garden show provides an excellent opportunity for homeowners, designers and builders to see the quality of the Kirtz Shutter first hand and visit with our Wichita area sales representative. In addition to the motorized shutter, Kirtz will display a many hardwood shutters in a variety of shapes, woods and finishes.
Kirtz will be located in the Expo Hall Booth 502/504
The show hours are as follows:
Thursday Feb 4: 1pm-9pm
Friday and Saturday Feb 5,6: 10am-9pm
Sunday Feb 7: 10am-5pm
Another unique custom shutter to move through our facility recently was an ellipse shape that was destined for a home in Florida. There are a few features that made this plantation shutter stand apart from the rest.
1) Solid Walnut Plantation Shutter 2) Special 7″ deep framework served as an extension jamb designed to work with European style windows made by Tischler Und Son windows. 3) Unit size was 136 1/4″ wide by 39 1/2″ tall
This walnut shutter spanned over 136" wide
We are proud to introduce TLC, or technical louver control, our new motorized shutters from Kirtz Shutters.
In development for over two years, this motorized feature is now available on Kirtz plantation shutters. It can also be retrofitted to existing Kirtz plantation shutters.
TLC is unique geared system of motorization that offers drastic improvements over the technology that has been available before today.
The SYSTEM
We use a patent pending right angle gearbox contained in the stile of the shutter to adjust the louvers. Premium quality brass gears resist corrosion and offer excellent durability.
A small, 6-Volt motor drives the gear box that turns the louvers. The
4 AA Lithium batteries that power the motor insure a long life of operation and are easily replaceable for minimal maintenance.
The motor operates with Radio Frequency transmission. This allows transmission from up to 65′ away from the motor, making motorized shutters a perfect solution for second story, difficult to operate windows.
AVAILABILITY
TLC by Kirtz is available on shutter panels that at least 12″ tall, and up to 120″ tall.
The System is compatible with standard tilt rods and the hidden tilt option, it is truly a versatile product.
Click on the following link to learn more about our Motorized Shutters
Or watch a video of our motorized shutters here:
For more information on how our motorized shutters work, see the detailed information available on our website or call us at 800-416-6455.
Sometimes, over time, louvers on plantation shutters cease to stay in the position they are set. Fortunately, there is a simple fix to this problem.
Wood is a porous material, even with a finish on it. This means that it will slightly shrink and swell as the humidity of a room changes. The is most noticeable during season changes, from winter to spring and summer to fall. This expansion and contraction changes the amount of space between the louvers and stiles (vertical piece of the shutter) thus changing the amount of tension placed on the louvers to hold them in their set position.
On many shutters (and always on the Kirtz Shutter) there is a hole in the side of the stile. Inside this whole is a screw, usually a Phillips head, and a tension system. By simply using a screw driver and adjusting the head you can tighten or loosen how easy it is to adjust the louvers. It is important to note: This adjustment will be 1/4 of a turn to one full turn. By over-tightening you can strip the screw.
A turn clockwise will tighten, and a turn counterclockwise will loosen. Remember to adjust the screws on both stiles, opening side and hinge side. Many times just adjusting one side will not be enough.
In all likelihood the screw that adjusts the tension has been stripped out, and is no longer pulling tighter when you make adjustments. To fix this you will need the following:
To repair, follow the steps below:
The toothpicks give the screw something to grip into, allowing you to tighten an loosen your tension once again.
Homeowners who choose to build or buy log homes have one thing in common. A love for wood! Naturally, custom shutters are a great fit for log homes.
Plantation Shutters by Kirtz Shutters can be made from rustic woods such as knotty pine, knotty alder, western red cedar, cypress or reclaimed wormy chestnut.
Since all Kirtz Shutters are custom built to order, a homeowner can choose the wood that best compliments his/her scheme and have Kirtz custom match the finish used in the home, or even match the flooring!
Unlike other window treatment, custom shutters can be built to fit into triangle windows, also called rake windows, to help control light. Below are examples of rustic shutters and shaped shutters made by Kirtz.
Knotty Pine interior shutters compliment this rustic ranch home
This log home used plantation shutters for their shaped windows
Interested in log home design options? Check out this link http://www.stockadestyleloghomes.ca/
Although Kirtz Shutters are primarily interior, at a special request for a previous customer, we recently built Bahama style exterior wood shutters.
There are a wide variety of Bahama style shutters available today. Solid construction methods and quality raw materials are important to get the longest life out of your shutters.
To start with we used cypress wood. Cypress is a great choice for exterior projects. Cypress generates cypressine, which is its own preservative oil. This makes it naturally resistant to insects, decay and other damaging elements. All components were made of solid pieces, including the stiles.
In a traditional shutter, louvers are held into place with pins. These pins allow the louvers to pivot open and closed. A Bahama style shutter has fixed louvers, and no tilt bar. To hold the louvers in place we cut a tenon in the stile to receive the louver. Then the louver is then slid into the stile 1/4″ deep on each side. Next, the stile and rail are doweled and secured with exterior glue. A screw is inserted in between the two dowels for extra stength and the hole is filled.
To finish, the shutters were coated with a marine grade exterior quality sealer so that they are further protected.
Installed with traditional Bahama style hinges and adjustable arms, these exterior shutter provide both beauty and protection.
Bahama shutters provide more visibilty when open, by Kirtz Shutters
Bahama hardware allow these custom shutters to tilt out
bahama shutter block western sun, offer privacy on this deck
Close up of fixed louvers for bahama shutters
We have produced a variety of cafe doors for both public and private use. Interested in cafe doors? Consider the following when designing your doors.
Fixed louvers- typically, all cafe door louvers are fixed. The purpose of these doors is to obscure the view from one area into another and provide easy access, making fixed louvers a natural. If you prefer the look of a tilt rod, it can be ordered as such. You may want to tighten the louver tension so that the louvers are not moved unless that is your intention.
Design- the top of the cafe door can be a simple rectangular top, slightly curved or elaborately designed. See example photos below or submit your own unique design.
Proportion- as with all our custom shutters, cafe doors are built to order. Depending on the level of privacy you need, cafe doors are usually between 3′-5′ high, possibly higher. A good rule of thumb is to take your opening height and order your shutters 1/2 to 2/3 the total height. Also pay attention to where you want them positioned. Are you taller than average? You may want to hinge them higher to obstruct your site line.
Hardware- cafe doors must be installed with cafe door pivot hardware. Unlike a standard hinge that allows 90 degree access, the pivot hardware allows the shutter to rotate a full 180 degrees. For a commercial application, bommer hinges are recommended. These are spring loaded hinges that swing the door back into the closed position after being pushed open. (Please note, width deductions taken on cafe style openings are more than a standard shutter panel. This is necessary for the hardware to operate properly and allow the shutter to swing correctly.)
Installation- Solid wood jambs are the ideal surface to install your cafe doors. If you have only a drywall opening, don’t despair. Order your cafe doors with mounting strips. These square four sided wood strips can be secured to your jamb and through a stud and provide the pivot hardware a solid surface on which to mount.
cafe style shutter, with arch top
Decorative Cafe Doors
Yet another unusual custom shaped shutter shipped from our facility this week. These shutters, were headed to a home in NY and had an insect screen built into them!
How did we do it?
Arched Plantation Shutter with insect screen inserted into custom groove
Trim covers insect screen in this custom shutter
Plantation Shutter (backside) complete with insect screen
The Kirtz Shutter factory has amazing flexability for two reasons. First, the right tools. We do it all in house, from making parts to speciality finishes. Second (and most important), the people. Kirtz Shutters is composed of many skilled men and women in each department who are not afraid to tackle the most unique of challenges when building a custom shutter.
On my recent trip to Italy, I was intrigued with the shutters that are so common on the inside and outside of a Tuscan home. According to Elizabeth, Italians have an intricate system for setting windows and shutters. Interior shutters, called Scuri’s, are primarily designed to provide darkness. Notice how in the photo from her book, the shutter itself is designed to fit snugly in the jamb area of the glass with a bit of overlap, insuring maximum darkness when closed.
Interior Tuscan Style Shutters
If you are looking to bring a little Tuscany to your home, consider customizing your plantation shutter to be reminiscent of the style of a Tuscan shutter. For instance, by adding a raised panel to the bottom of a shutter you can maintain the functionality and light control of a plantation shutter, while attaining the charm associated with a Tuscan home.
Tuscan inspired shutter by Kirtz Shutters
