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
Linear Priming (painted shutters only)
Components of our painted maple shutter are primed in lineal form. By priming in lineal form we can ensure an even coating of primer, up to two mill thickness on each part of the shutter. A high quality prime helps the shutter take finish coats well.
Wood Grading (painted and stained shutters)
Not all components make the final cut for a Kirtz Shutter. All of our components are inspected before they reach the production line and undesirable sections of wood with flaws are marked as not suitable for a Kirtz Shutter.
Prep Work~ Where the Magic Happens
Even the best quality wood has some imperfections. To get a smooth finish involves a high level of attention to detail during prep work. Imperfections are fixed during 2 different stages of manufacturing.
The Production Line — Filler is applied to the any noticeable flaws in the wood and sanded out smooth.
Brown and Sand — Shutters enter this area after they are built, and before they enter the finish room. High intensity spotlights shine down upon the shutters, highlighting any slight flaw that might show up in the final product. These minor flaws are fixed with putty and sanding, and then the finish sanding begins.
Finish sanding is done by hand, with very fine sandpaper. Every inch of the Kirtz Shutter is finish sanded, including the top of the tilt rod, an area that few manufactures take the time to address. After final inspection, they are ready for finish.
shutters are inspected for flaws under hign intensity lights
any small flaws are fixed before finish is applied
During finish Kirtz Shutters are hung from a track system on cars that allow the shutter to rotate completely. This makes sure, whether painted or stained, each shutter receives an even amount of paint/stain on all parts of the shutters resulting in a smooth, even finish from any angle.
plantation shutters in the paint finish room
Painted Shutters receive two coats of lacquer paint finish on top of the primer. In between coats, shutters are quality inspected. All our paint has UV inhibitors in it to help keep your custom shutters looking great, even in the most intense sun.
Stained Shutters are sprayed with your stain color, typically a custom mix done just for you. Each shutter receives two coats of stain. In between coats, the shutters are taken down off the track, hand wiped and lightly sanded This step is the differential between standard finish and a truly furniture quality finish. Without it the shutter color would appear a bit opaque, what some people call “muddy” . To finish up, we put two coats of clear finish on the shutters to protect the wood and bring up the beauty of the grain. We use a 20 sheen, which gives a nice luster to the wood and provides the finish with depth.
After finishing is complete, Kirtz Shutters sit overnight to let the finish have time to cure. Depending on the time of the year, painted finishes are given extra curing time in a cool room.
While each area of our factory plays a key role in making the Kirtz Shutter a bench quality product, the finish department plays a critical role in making the work of all the other departments really shine.
First, all parts are cut to length according to the exact specifications for your custom shutter. After parts are cut, they are placed onto a cart with job sheets that details each opening in the order.
At Kirtz we take a few extra steps during assembly before the panel comes together to make sure that your shutter is built to the highest of quality standards.
Each tilt rod is given personal attention. We shape the top of the tilt rod in a machine we designed to give the rounded top that is unique to a Kirtz Shutter. Then, the top of each rod is sanded smooth so it has the same quality finished look as other parts of our shutters.
After shaping it is sanded smooth
Before the shutter is put together, each louver end is burnished with a sander. Again, this extra step allows the ends of the louvers to accept the painted finish better, and eliminates the rough ends you would typically find with louvers that are cut, but not sanded.
Burnishing louver ends
Next, the louvers and tilt rod are fed through a machine that attaches them together with staples and puts pins in the end of each louver, and your shutter panel is ready to be put together.
Joinery of a Kirtz Shutter
At Kirtz we use dowels to join the stiles and rails of each shutter together. Wood glue is put into each hole that will be receiving a dowel. Then we use dowels that are slightly larger than the hole they are inserted into. This requires the use of a hydraulic clamp to put the stiles and rails together. After the shutter has been clamped together, small pin nails are applied to the backside of the shutter through the dowels, giving it an extra dose of reinforcement.
This method has been used by Kirtz for many years, and we confidently stand behind the joinery of a Kirtz Shutter for a lifetime.
The shutter comes together on the clamp table and is pin nailed for extra strength
Framing
Just like a door hangs in a frame, many times your hardwood shutter will be in a frame. We have several framing options at Kirtz to accommodate a variety of decors and types of windows. After your shutters have been assembled, the frames that surround them are built.
At Kirtz we customize many of our frames so that they fit around window cranks and lever locks. By doing these notches in the factory when possible, the notch receives a finish coat of paint instead of touch up in the field.
For more information on notches, see my post about plantation shutters in casement windows.
This completes your shutter assembly, next stop finish department!
Hardwood shutters by Kirtz start at our factory as raw lumber. We typically buy direct from the best lumber mills across the country, with a great deal of our lumber coming from the Northern US.
A load of lumber for Kirtz Shutter, before sorting
Lumber goes through the following process to become parts for your plantation shutters.
All lumber is tested upon arrival for proper dryness. Using lumber that has been wet, or is not properly kiln dried could result in warping. Obviously, this would be bad news for a shutter, so each load is tested immediately upon arrival to be sure that it meets the criteria for furniture quality use.
After unloading, lumber is sorted and it is determined what component part each board will be used to make. Next, the lumber is fed through our Weinig molder and shaped into the different parts needed to make your shutter order. As lumber is shaped into parts, each part is quality checked to see that it does not vary from our standard, which are +/- 5000 of an inch, a more exacting measure than industry standard, which is +/- 10,000 of an inch.
lumber being milled into components for plantation shutters
Verifying the milled parts meet quality standards for Kirtz Shutters
Since we use so many different types of woods in our shutters, the milling department must constantly calibrate the machine to handle the varying density of each wood. Although this is a time consuming process it is the only we can maintain the rigid quality standards of a Kirtz Shutter.
After the louvers are molded they are run through a specially designed sander. The belt of the sander is contoured so that it follows the shape of our elliptical louvers. As the louver passes through the oscillating belt provides a random orbital sanding, the industries highest standard. The louvers are now ready for the assembly line.
Sander designed for elliptical shaped louvers for custom shutters
At Kirtz we like to do things different, not just simply for the sake of being different, but because we want to bring something above average and a little special to our customers. In our painted plantation shutter, that something special is the wood we use.
The founder of our company was a woodworker, in fact he got his start in the industry as a trim carpenter until the economy and life took him a new direction (I’m sure a few of you can relate given the world’s present state). So when he decided to make shutter, he picked the wood that from his experience, would the best wood for a plantation shutter– MAPLE.
Why Maple? In one word, STRENGTH.
Maple is about twice as dense as shutter industry standard woods such as basswood and poplar. What does that mean for the you, the buyer? An awful lot in the long run. Your shutter is put together with fasteners, staples that hold the louvers into the tilt rod. Time and use of the product stresses these fasteners. In softer woods, such as basswood and poplar, they often come loose over time. The result is that the shutter does not function as it was originally intended. A Kirtz Shutter is guaranteed never to have this problem, and if it did, it would be covered by our warranty.
Have you ever had a piece of pine furniture? Did you notice how easy it was to dent the wood if something accidently bumped or banged into it? The same is true of a poplar or basswood shutter, they can easily dent and ding at the slightest impact, thus increasing the look of wear and tear on the shutter.
The strength of maple also gives us ultimate FLEXABILITY IN DESIGN.
In Height: The Kirtz Shutter does not need a midrail (also called a divider rail) until after 96″ in height. Industry standard is 72″. That means you can have two more feet of unobstructed louver space by using a custom shutter by Kirtz out of maple.
In Width: With shutters warrantied up to 38″ in width, customer’s have the ultimate flexibility in designing their shutters for the best fit to their space without the constraints of industry standard shutters.
Often I meet with customers who are confused with the variety of materials that a plantation shutter can be made from and the variety of pricing that goes along with them.
My advice to them, and to you, is this –
Plantation Shutters are one of the largest financial investments in window treatments that you can make. They will provide beauty and protection for many, many years. All shutters are NOT created equal. In an economy where every dollar counts, we all want to make sure we spend our money wisely.
Choose the plantation shutter that will provide you the best product experience over the life of your shutter, not just in the beginning. And just as important, choose a company that you can trust to provide you great customer service, both before the sale and years after your shutters are installed. That, in my life experience, is true value that pays dividends long after the check has cleared the bank.
I’ll end this (and step off my soap box) after I share my favorite quote. I try to live it every day, in the products I represent to the products I purchase for myself and my home.
“The bitterness of poor quality, lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Oval Windows, sometimes called eliptical windows, are a nice addition to any homes facade. There is often a need to treat these shaped windows when they end up in a closet area (concern with fading on clothing) or in a bathroom (often in powder baths) as they frequently do.
Here is a recent inquiry we received about an oval window, and our response with the customer:
Customer Request– Hi there. I have an oval bathroom window for which I’m looking for shutters the hieght is 30″ and the width is 40-1/2″ I’m not sure if I prefer the fan -like, or horizontal louvre orientation, but would like someone to contact me to see what you guys can do.
Our Reply– Thanks for taking the time to contact us. The oval plantation shutters are among the most beautiful we make. There are a couple of things you might bear in mind regarding your preferences.
As a woodworker I look first at function. Because of the shape and the way the louvers interact with the shape, a horizontal louvered panel should allow for more overall direct light (or sightline) to the outside. We sculpt the back edges of the louvers so that they will open to 90 degrees. There would be a slight ‘glue-in’ piece (typically not more than 1/2 of one louver width) to act as a light stop top and bottom. That means that with the louvers fully opened, there would be a slight appearance of “flattening” of the oval shape top and bottom. Most of the ovals we see are oriented taller than wider. The horizontal louvers in your case would add a little to your cost because they exceed our recommendation for maximum width. We could however orient the louvers vertically. They would either close to the left or the right depending on how you installed it and again should open to 90 degrees. I would opt for either of these if your view to the outside (or maximum natural light coming in) is your goal.
Alternately, a fan shape with all louvers radiating out from a center oval hub has a very nice visual appeal from the interior and exterior, but louver operation is more limited. If you look at the window like a clock, the louvers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 would open virtually fully. The louvers at 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30 wouldn’t open far at all. All louvers would operate independently of one another within the parameters I mentioned. This is perhaps better if indirect natural light is desired, and/or if your view to the outside world is less than stellar. Again, as a woodworker, I think this option is the most beautiful and reflects the architecture of the window itself in the best way, but isn’t as functional as the horizontal/vertical option. Regardless, I would need a template of the opening to build it.
Customer’s Reply– Reading your response, I realized I had the height and width reversed, so ours is taller than wide, which, as you point out, is the norm. Would a tracing of the window frame work for you as a template?
Kirtz Reponse– You know, the thing I really like about fabricating custom shutters is that even after nearly 19 years with Kirtz, I still haven’t seen it all as a lot of architects/designers/window manufacturers/contractors all like to have their own ’signature’ designs. While I have seen some ovals wider than tall, most are indeed taller than wide…just thought I’d make mention of it because it had the potential to affect pricing. Otherwise, there’s no difference in your cost between the options.
A tracing of the opening will work just fine. Most of our window treatment pros do that on ‘butcher paper’, roll it up and send it over in a mailing tube. Some will make their tracing, transfer it to cardboard and put the cardboard in the window to verify before sending it (the cardboard) to us. It’s okay if the template is taped together and folded. We’ve seen templates made from the Sunday comics even!
Oval Shutter with fan shaped louvers
A comment on the fan louvers. Did you notice the size of the hub (center circle)? At Kirtz we keep that in proportion to your opening size so that it complements your window. No short cuts here…… Sure its a bit more work and requires more hand shaping of the louvers, but its worth it in the appearance of the finished product.
Oval Shutter with Horizontal Louvers
This job was running through our finish department and I just had to share! We’ve never done ANYTHING like it before. It is two plantation shutter panels meant to install with the 5 1/2″ louvers running vertically (two firsts for us!). These panels are massive with 2 panels 62″ high x 84″ . They will sit side by side in a wood opening and will be doweled together on-site during installation. Did I mention they are a custom stained red oak?
These go in a funeral home, and the idea is to offer privacy for the family, but still allow them to see out into the chapel where the service is held. We used a hidden tilt bar so that there are no interruptions in the sight line for the family. Notice the two bottom pics. The louvers are set partially open. Notice how one side offers visibility while the other angle privacy?
More photos showing how these look in the room setting will be added once they are installed.
But really ~ have a unique project? Call us! I’m about convinced we can do any type of custom shutter, and make it look good.
View when the 5 1/2" vertical louvers are closed
vertical louvers, family view out to chapel
5 1/2" vertical louvers, chapel side
opening before installation
5 1/2" louvers (aka california shutters) run vertical, hidden tilt ~ open 5 1/2" red oak vertical louvers, closed
5 1/2" red oak vertical louvers, closed
Exterior Shutters are a small segment of what we do, but occasionally someone will want a plantation style exterior shutter and turn to Kirtz for help with their project.
There seems to be some confusion about what makes a plantation shutter exterior or interior grade, so here is a brief explanation of what to look for in an exterior shutter.
Wood Species- exterior shutters that stand the test of time are made of western red cedar, cypress (pecky or clear), or mahogany. These woods naturally repel water and insects, making them the longest lasting most durable choice. not to mention the beauty of handcrafted mahogany shutters!
Fasteners and Glue- Make sure your manufacturer is using exterior grade glue and stainless steel staples (found on moveable louvers). Otherwise, the joints of the shutter will fail and the fasteners will quickly rust. This is especially true if your home is near ocean air, as salt can be very corrosive.
Finish: A marine quality finish is recommended. A good finish will protect your purchase, so don’t skimp in this area. Shutters used for exterior projects made by Kirtz can be ordered with a marine finish, or raw and you can source the finish work yourself.
Even with a great finish, maintenance will be required. Your shutters should have a new protective coat added to them every few years. It varies depending on your climate and their exposure to the elements how often this needs to be done. It is a good idea to look them over ever year for signs of damage.
Below are some picture of exterior shutters we built for a home in Florida.
These louvers are fixed at an unusual angle to allow visability looking out of the home, but obstructing the view of those looking inside
This gorgeous indoor/outdoor space is complemented by these shutters used as doors
fixed louvered shutters by Kirtz, bahama style
Many new homes today have arch windows, often called eyebrow windows. Most often they are used on the front of a home, to add architectural appeal. When the homeowner moves in, they often discover that charming window doesn’t come with any easy solution when it comes to window treatments. One of the best solutions is a plantation shutter. It offers the best combination of light control (louvers are operable) and aesthetics (it compliment’s the shape of the window).
What makes a good quality arch shutter? There are two key areas that make all the difference:
Proportion: Special shapes, like arches, take the greatest amount of skill to build, and it should be evident in the finished product. The top part of shutter, called the rail, should stay the same width as it follows the arch top of the window.
Louvers: These should be moveable into the arch. Do not be misled by manufacturers who take shortcuts, this is possible!
Arch opening, not Kirtz
The photo above is an example of work done by a major manufacturer. This arch shutter has not had much attention to detail. Notice how the top fixed portion of the shutter varies from panel to panel and fails to follow the line of the window itself. The overall effect visually detracts from the arch appearance of the window.
Kirtz Arch Shutter
Notice how the Kirtz plantation shutter arch has full operable louvers and a proportional top rail that compliments the arch of the window. Nice, right?
How do we get this look when so many others do not?
It is really a matter of time and skill. Each louver into the arched area is shaped by hand. This extra step allows the louvers to close tightly into the arch area of the shutter. What about those louvers the tilt rod does not reach? A tilt mechanism (the same as used on our hidden tilt shutters) is applied on the backside of the shutter from the top louver down to the louvers that are controlled by the tilt rod. This allows full operation (and light control) of all the louvers in the shutter panel.
It is all these small steps that culminate in a finished product that provides the best look. Be sure to explore all these details when choosing your shutter manufacturer.
If initially you are not certain that you want to treat the arch portion of your window, but do want plantation shutters on the lower portion of the window, you should discuss this with your sales person. With a little forethought your shutters can be specified to allow you to order shutters for the top section of your arch at a later date.
This photo is an example of a homeowner who took this approach to her windows. The top of the shutter finishes at a nice height for a clean look. If she chooses to add shutters to the top later, it will give a finished look similar to the photo posted earlier in this blog.
Arch windows are beautiful, no doubt about that. They can be even more stunning when properly treated with a plantation shutter that compliments the architecture of the window, and offers light and privacy control that can be so critical in these windows.
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