Thread: Timber for Plantation Shutters

You could probably do worse than generic hardwood from the Big Green Shed - WA stores stock Karri and/or some Indonesian timber I can't remember the name of. Check out your local timber merchant for a better price though.

Paulownia would be my first choice, lightweight, stable and I believe that a lot of manufacturers use it as well.

Thanks DJ, Paulownia was on my list of options. Any thoughts on where to source it?

Originally Posted by Benno123

I'm after some recommendations regarding the most appropriate timber to use for the making of plantation shutters. We are building a new house and the shutters will be used throughout the house. The shutters therefore need to look good, be of good quality and durable. The timber has to be fit for purpose, easy enough to work with and cost will also be considered. The shutters will be internal but I live in a coastal zone in Perth. My intention is to paint the finished product.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the most critical part of your project is going to be the painting.
Further I'm going to suggest that the most appropriate material is painted MDF -- yes MDF with an appropriate paint.

Woodpixel is our resident expert on paint grade MDF work. Send him a pm to come here and comment.

Originally Posted by Benno123

Thanks DJ, Paulownia was on my list of options. Any thoughts on where to source it?

Sorry no, would’ve said white wood, who is a member here but he has retired but I did find out who he sold the business to, you’d have to check if he is still trading.

Paulownia timber supplier

I have plenty of sawn and dried Paulonia, Californian Redwood and Australian Red Cedar.
All are light weight timbers and ideal for shutters.
We are located in NSW so freight to Perth may be less than attractive, unless you know someone.

Originally Posted by Benno123

I have access to saws, thicknesser and planners so can cut rough sawn timber to size if anyone he as any good ideas on where I might be able to source timber at a reasonable price.

may I suggest that you add a drum sander to the machinery list. If you are processing your own timber there will be kilometers of sanding needed. That's without counting the edges and ends.

drum sander

Rustynail, tried to send a PM but not sure if it went through. Just after your contact details

ive just build some plantation shutters out of finger joint pine
not great success
the frames were ok but the Louvre fluffed up from the router

One of the things to consider is sizing. We've done a few framed shutters over the years and a lot of wooden louvres... and I've previously been caught on the fact that in some places wooden louvres are called plantation shutters hence the note.

If you're doing wooden louvres in prefab frames (instead of glass) you need oversize 6" boards. Thing to remember is that they need to finish at 6" wide to replace the glass so you can't start with 150mm planks.

So far as species anything light durable and stable works. WRC is a good choice widely available though getting expensive now. Locally the favourite was White Beech, but northern silky oak, Satin Sycamore (coachwood)Leichhardt, and plenty others have been used.

A lot depends on finish... Paint is easy and long term low maintenance so what's under it matters little... CLEAR pine should be fine, just stay away from the fingerjointed crap. If you want to varnish you're going to be doing a lot of sanding over the years but.. how good it looks is budget dependant. We did wood louvres in brown Salwood a couple years back... Looked fantastic.

For the cost and time involved, it’s far better to order from a reputable and known supplier, and fit them yourself. I’ve priced them several times, in different Timbers, and the guys who make hundreds every day can knock them out much cheaper.

I agree with riverbuilder. Doing a professional job with the tools you would have would be difficult and very time consuming. I grew and milled Paulownia a long time ago and some of it was used for making shutters. Port Phillip Plantation shutters in Mordialic, Melbourne supplies complete shutters ready to assemble and install. They can be for clear coating or a cheaper version that needs to be painted. I'm sure he would sell you the individual components for you to cut to size and assemble them.
I have installed 2 lots of shutters and found it was cheaper in Brisbane to buy those made of Western red cedar than the Paulownia ones made by Port Phillip Shutters Melbourne. That was quite a few years ago so pricing may have changed especially if you want paint quality in Paulownia.