• Overview

  • In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to repair exterior shutters.

    Steps:
    1 Unscrew damaged shutter from house.
    2 Remove loose louvers from the shutter.
    3 Use wire brush to clean away all dust and debris from the shutter.
    4 Loosely set the louvers back into place.
    5 Apply polyurethane glue to the mortise-and-tenon joint of shutter frame.
    6 Place pipe clamp on shutter, and hold louvers in position as you slowly tighten the clamp.
    7 Leave the clamp in place until the glue cures.
    8 Bore two 3/16-inch-diameter pilot holes into the window casing on each side of window; hammer in shutter pintles, on which the shutters will swing.
    9 Hang the shutter by slipping its hinge leaf over the pintles
    10 Hammer a shutter dog into the house beneath the shutter to engage the spring latch.
    See products and services from this episode
    • Difficulty: Easy to moderate
      The job becomes a bit more complicated if you must mill new parts for the shutter.

    Related Content

Ask TOH users about Windows
Discuss

Contribute to This Story Below

Add Comment

    Video Directory

    Selected Topic/Section

      Tools List

      Close
      • drill
        Drill/driver,
        used to unscrew shutter from house
      • ladder
        Ladder
      • wire brush
        Wire brush,
        for cleaning debris from shutter
      • bar clamp
        Pipe clamp,
        used to hold shutter while glue dries
      • hammer
        Hammer

      Shopping List

      Close
      1. Waterproof polyurethane glue

      2. Shutter drive pintle pin,

      for hanging shutter on house



      3. Shutter dog,

      used with spring latch to keep shutter from swinging closed



      4. 3/16-inch-diameter drill bit,

      for boring pilot holes