Glossary & FAQ

  1. Stile

    Vertical bar found along either side of a shutter panel.

  2. Top Rail

    Horizontal bar at the top of a shutter panel (with a notch for the tilt bar).

  3. Bottom Rail

    Horizontal bar at the bottom of a shutter panel.

  4. Tilt Bar

    The vertical bar used for adjusting the louver position.

  5. Louver

    Movable horizontal slats contained within a shutter panel.

  6. Mortise

    A rectangular cavity in shutter stile for inserting a hinge.

  7. Hanging Hinge

    A hinge that connects a shutter panel to the window jamb or hanging strip.

  8. Divider Rail

    A horizontal bar that creates top and bottom louver sections.

  9. Rabbeted edge with Interpanel Hinge

    A cut or groove along the edge of a stile between panels.

Glossary
Basswood

Strong, straight, hardwood used for building shutters.

Cafe Type

A shutter unit that only covers the lower portion of a window.

Custom (Custom Made)

A shutter unit that is made specifically for an individual window opening.

Divider Rail (See Image #8)

A horizontal bar that creates top and bottom louver sections. It looks like the top or bottom rail and allows the sections to rotate independently. A divider rail is optional on most units. Traditional shutters require a divider rail in panel heights in excess of 40”, and plantation shutters exceeding 76”.

Double Tier

A shutter unit that has one set of shutters on the top and one on the bottom. Each set of shutters opens independently of the other.

Finish

Paint or Stain.

Frame

Used for mounting full height shutter units to the outside of a window opening (See FOW or FOT measuring instructions).

Hanging Hinge (See Image #7)

A hinge that connects a shutter panel to the window jamb or hanging strip.

Hang (or Hanging) Strip

A vertical strip that extends the length of the shutter unit hinged to the outside stile of a shutter panel. Generally used for cafe type shutter units (See HOW or HOT measuring instructions). The strip is screwed to the wall or window jamb.

Hardwood

The wood of a dicotyledonous tree.

Height

Measurement top to bottom of the window opening according to our measuring instructions. Or, the desired panel height for café type shutters.

Hinge (See Images #7 & #9)

A two-leaf device that connects a shutter to the mounting surface or joins two shutters together. A hanging hinge connects a shutter panel to the window jamb or hanging strip. An interpanel hinge connects two panels together.

Louver (See Image #5)

Movable horizontal slats contained within a shutter panel. Available in a Traditional wedge-shaped profile or Plantation elliptical profile.

Mortise (See Image #6)

A rectangular cavity in shutter stile for inserting a hinge - allowing a tighter fit to the side of the window or hang strip. All hinges, including interpanel hinges, are mortised into the shutter.

Paint

A substance composed of solid coloring matter suspended in a liquid medium and applied as a protective and decorative coating. Most paint colors used are shades of white. We offer 13 standard whites and off whites. Custom color paints are available.

Panel

A single shutter. Most shutter units consist of more than one shutter panel. Two panels are shown above.

Plantation Shutter

Shutter Style consisting of a 1-1/8 inch thick panel using 2-1/2”, 3”, 3-1/2”, or 4-1/2” elliptical louvers.

Rabbet (See Image #9)

A cut or groove along the edge of a stile between panels that allows them to form a joint to reduce light penetration.

Rail (See Images #2, #3, #8)

Horizontal bar at the top, bottom, or across the center (divider rail).

Shutter

A panel consisting of two side stiles, a top and a bottom rail, and louvers in between.

Shutter Unit

Shutter panels and other necessary components (hanging strips, hardware, etc.) that work together to cover a window opening.

Single Tier

A shutter unit that has one set of shutters from top to bottom. A single tier shutter may contain a divider rail, or may be a cafe type shutter unit that covers only the lower portion of a window.

Square

A window is considered square if the difference between the largest measurement and the smallest is no larger than 3/16", and the difference between the diagonal measurements is less than 3/16".

Stain

Coloration produced by a dye that penetrates the wood. We offer 9 standard stain colors. Custom color stains are available.

Stile (See Image #1)

Vertical bar found along either side of a shutter panel.

Style

Plantation style or traditional style.

Tier

The number of shutter panels from top to bottom. See single tier and double tier.

Tilt Bar (See Image #4)

The vertical bar used for adjusting the louver position.

Traditional Shutter

Shutter Style consisting of a 3/4 inch thick panel using 1-1/4” wedge-shaped louvers.

Width

Measurement side to side of the window opening according to our measuring instructions.

Window Jamb

Vertical sides of the window opening. This area will be used to attach a shutter unit using either the INJ or INH mounting methods.

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A shutter unit that only covers the lower portion of a window.
A shutter unit that is made specifically for an individual window opening.
A horizontal bar that creates top and bottom louver sections, allowing the sections to rotate independently.
A shutter unit that has one set of shutters on the top and one on the bottom.
Ornamental wood attached to the wall to the outside of the window opening. Generally used to give the window a finished appearance.
Paint or stain.
Used for mounting custom shutter units to the outside of a window opening and can have either 3 or 4 sides.
A vertical strip that extends the length of the shutter unit hinged to the outside stile of a shutter panel. Generally used for cafe type shutter units.
Measurement top to bottom of the window opening according to our measuring instructions. Or, the desired panel height for café type shutters.
A two-leaf device that connects a shutter to the mounting surface or joins two shutters together.
Movable horizontal slats contained within a shutter panel.
A rectangular cavity in shutter stile for inserting a hinge – allowing a tighter fit to the side of the window or hang strip.
A single shutter. Most shutter units consist of more than one shutter panel.
A cut or groove along the edge of a stile between panels that allows them to form a joint to reduce light penetration.
Horizontal bar at the top, bottom, or across the center (divider rail).
A shutter unit that has one set of shutters from top to bottom.
A window is considered square if the difference between the largest measurement and the smallest is no larger than 3/16 inches and the difference between the diagonal measurements is less than 3/16 inches.
Vertical bar found along either side of a shutter panel.
Traditional or Plantation.
The number of shutter panels from top to bottom. See single tier and double tier.
Vertical bar used for adjusting the louver position.
Shutter panels and other necessary components (hanging strips, hardware, etc.)
that work together to fit a window opening.
Area just beyond the window opening if there is no existing trim.
Measurement side to side of the window opening according to our measuring instructions.
Vertical sides of the window opening. This area will be used to attach a shutter unit using either the INJ or INH mounting methods.