Open the windows of opportunity with some new shutters
Your home’s windows have a way of subtly expressing your style—for better or for worse. New shutters can add charm to any home while also offering several benefits, like protecting your windows from dangerous storms and helping to insulate your home in the winter. The best part? It’s easy to swap out old shutters or install new ones for the first time, so stay tuned to learn how to attach shutters to vinyl siding to show off the windows to your home’s soul.
There are many types of exterior shutter styles and materials. Which shutters you buy can influence the appearance of your home and the functionality of the shutters, making it important to know which shutters work best for your location. Some shutters are nonfunctional and solely for aesthetics, while others serve as protection from the elements come summertime, winter, or storm season.
If you live in a cold climate, wooden or composite paneled shutters may be the best choice for insulating vinyl siding. Meanwhile, if you live in a coastal area, steel hurricane shutters may be a better option for withstanding Mother Nature.
If you have old shutters in place, you’ll need to remove the shutters before you can install the new ones. Most wooden or metal shutters use screws, so simply use a screw drive or cordless drill to remove them.
Some shutters have shutter Loks—a fastening system that looks like plastic nails—and can’t be removed using a drill or screwdriver. In this case, you’ll need to use the claw of a hammer or a chisel and a hammer to gently loosen the Loks an inch or so from the home. Once you’ve loosened all of the Loks on your shutter, use a hacksaw or cutting snips to remove the head of the nails. Keep a close eye out for wasps, bats, and spiders as you remove the shutters.
Repeat this process until you’ve removed all old shutters.
Choosing the same sized shutters as your old shutters ensures that the new shutters line up with the existing holes in your vinyl siding. The easiest way to get an accurate fit is to measure the old shutters using a measuring tape and purchase new shutters in the same size. Doing so can avoid the hassle of getting on a ladder or step stool and taking new measurements come time to mark the mounting holes.
However, if your old shutters weren’t quite the size you want in a new shutter installation, then you’ll need to measure the windows for a new fit. Some shutters are even with the windows, while others are up to several inches taller. This is a stylistic preference that comes down to your personal aesthetics. As you measure the shutters, don’t forget to check the measurements between windows to avoid ordering or purchasing shutters that can’t fit side-by-side.
Also, if you have custom windows, then you might need to use a saw to cut the shutters to size or order custom shutters for the right measurements.
Now it’s time to mark the fastener placement. If you purchased the same sized shutters as your existing ones, line up the old shutter on top of the new one and tape them together using painter's tape to secure them for the next step. For slightly different-sized shutters, you may find that they require more fasteners to install. Likewise, if you’re installing shutters for the first time, then you’ll need to mark new fastener placements.
First, use a stud finder to locate studs. Then, use a pencil and measuring tape to measure and mark the holes for your fasteners. You should install a fastener in each corner of your shutter—2 inches from the top right corner, top left corner, bottom right corner, and bottom left corner. If your new exterior shutters are 44 inches or longer, then they may need six fasteners, with an additional fastener directly in the middle of the bottom and top fasteners.
Before you get down to drilling, it’s always a good idea to double-check your fastener measurements to avoid making mistakes that leave unnecessary holes in your shutters. Use your measuring tape to double-check the pencil marks you made for the fastener placements if you’re using new measurements. For identical shutter sizes, make sure that you’ve properly lined up the old shutters with the new ones.
If the new shutters are the same size as your old ones, this step is very straightforward. On a flat, drillable surface, insert a 1/4-inch drill bit into the existing holes in the old shutters. From there, drill into the holes until the drill goes through the new shutters.
To drill new fastener placements for a different-sized shutter, line your drill up to the pencil markings from the previous steps and drill holes into the shutters.
Your new shutters will likely come with mounting hardware. Check your shutter's specifications to ensure that the mounting hardware is suitable for vinyl siding and requires the same depth and hole size as your old shutters—if you have any.
Then, line the shutters up to the vinyl siding. It might be helpful to have an extra set of hands on standby to hold the shutters. Use the level to make sure the shutters are aligned correctly, and check the placement of the shutters so that they’re also aligned with the windows.
Once lined up, use the 1/4-inch drill bit to drill through the holes in the shutter until the drill bit is 3 1/4 inches into the vinyl wall. If you need to, use a piece of tape on the drill bit to reference the correct depth. Do this for all shutters until drilling all of your pilot holes.
Now it’s time to attach your exterior shutters to the vinyl siding. There are several types of mounting hardware, including shutter Loks and metal screws. To install them, hold the shutter in place, insert the fastener, and either use a hammer for the shutter Loks to gently push the fasteners into the vinyl wall or use a screwdriver to manually tighten each screw, being sure to not overtighten. Repeat this step until all shutters are installed.
Though optional, hiding the screw heads on your shutters can vastly improve the appearance of your newly installed shutters. To create a seamless look, use screw covers in the same color as your shutters to conceal unsightly screws.
Painting your shutters is entirely optional but can add that extra pizzazz that makes your shutters really stand out. Choose a complimentary exterior paint color that works with the shutter material you chose. For example, if you installed vinyl shutters, you’ll need exterior paint for vinyl surfaces.
Installing shutters to vinyl siding can be a fun DIY project for beginners. However, it’s not for everyone. If your windows are high up and you don’t feel comfortable installing them yourself, working with a window shutter company near you can make the process smoother.
Hiring a professional shutter installer costs an extra $65 to $100 per hour and can take around two hours for a typical home with eight windows, putting your total extra cost at $130 to $300. Your installation could take longer if you have a two-story or three-story home, more than eight windows, or hard-to-reach windows.
Yes, you can mount shutters to vinyl siding. Depending on the weight and material of choice, you may need more fasteners or larger fasteners to secure the shutters onto the vinyl surface. It’s also important to locate studs or drill into the window frame when installing heavier shutters to best hold the weight of the shutters if you opt for composite or wood shutters.
Whether you should use shutter Loks or screws depends on the type of shutters in question. Vinyl shutters work best with shutter Loks, which are more forgiving and less likely to damage the material, while wooden or metal shutters typically use metal screws.
Shutter Loks are also better for masonry surfaces on your home’s exterior or in coastal regions where screws are more likely to rust, but they are harder to remove and more permanent. Meanwhile, metal screws are more versatile and work best for most other surfaces.
