I knew that I didn't want to buy new shutters - even though the opinion of several acquaintances and friends were to just go out and buy them, they are "cheap" they said. I did find a website online to buy all 5 pair including hardware for about $150, but I didn't trust the quality or color without seeing them in person. If I were to go to Home Depot, and find the color we wanted, we'd be looking at about $250. I also didn't want to have to worry about lining up new holes with old ones or drilling new ones to install new shutters. So I decided to repaint my existing shutters which were in great shape. Assuming you have paint brushes, mineral spirits, soap, and other standard tools and supplies, this project can be done for the cost of a gallon of paint and shutter hardware. (For my purpose, I bought primer since I was going with a new color. I think I could have gotten away with about a half gallon of primer and a half of the paint. Either way, there is extra paint and primer left over. We will use this on a later project.)
So here are the steps:
1) REMOVE SHUTTERS FROM HOUSE
2) PREP SHUTTERS FOR PRIMING AND PAINTING
3) APPLY PRIMER
4) APPLY 2 COATS OF PAINT
5) REINSTALL SHUTTERS
Here are the steps in more detail:
1) REMOVE SHUTTERS FROM HOUSE
Some shutters are just screwed in while others are attached to the house with "Shutter Locks." Mine were attached via shutter locks and needed to be "cut" off in order to get them off the house. I followed a tutorial on YouTube to learn how to do this. It can be found here. As we took each shutter down, we marked its location on the house with a piece of painters tape. They read something like "Left, Living Room, directional arrow up" This way we knew the top from the bottom, and where exactly to put it back on the house to match up to the previously drilled holes.
2) PREP SHUTTERS FOR PRIMING AND PAINTING
In this step, I spot sanded a couple areas where I had dug in a little too much with my 5-in-1 tool during removal. Then, Jess wiped all of the shutters down with mineral spirits to help remove all grime and oils on the shutters. After that I scrubbed them with soap (I used OxiClean) and water. We rinsed them and let them dry overnight. (We started late in the day, so air drying them was no big deal. If I was working on more of a time crunch, I would have dried them with a towel)
3) APPLY PRIMER
The next step was to prime the shutters. Make sure you use a primer rated for exterior and vinyl/plastic applications. We used Sherwin-Williams Multi-Purpose Latex Primer. Jess did this with a paint brush while I power washed the front of the house. I figured now would be the best time without the shutters up. We followed all application and drying directions listed on the paint cans. You will also need to prime and paint all of the shutter locks, so I would recommend standing them straight up in a piece of cardboard so you can hit all the tops and allow them to dry. See pictures in the next step.
4) APPLY 2 COATS OF PAINT
Painting was next. Be sure to use an exterior ACRYLIC LATEX. Once again, we went with SW and chose their Emerald line of paint. We goofed up and ordered a blue that was lighter that we expected, but SW was happy to re-tint until we got the color we were hoping for.
(This was much brighter that what we wanted. This mistake cost us a couple hours.)
(I drilled enough holes plus a few extra into a box to stand up the shutter locks. I would recommend painting a few extras as back ups.)
5) REINSTALL SHUTTERSThe final step is done by tapping the shutter locks back into place. Make sure each shutter goes back to the same spot it was hanging before it was taken down. I wrapped blue "shop towels" around the head of my hammer with a rubber band to protect the button heads. I couldn't find my rubber mallet and didn't see the purpose of buying another one - so this would have to work. After the shutters were hung, we went back and touched up a couple buttons that chipped during the install.
(I think this picture best represents the color, "Naval" from SW)
(Ignore the front porch!)
So overall I am very happy with the end result. I feel like the navy blue shutters make the house look 20 years newer! If Jess and I were able to do it, absolutely anyone can. I would rate this an easy project, with a big bang for your buck. If you have two people doing it, and you have all of your supplies and proper paint colors, it can be done in one day.
Our next step for updating the front of the house is the porch. You can see the railings and a few boards are already up. I want to reinstall new railings and refinish the deck surface. Once this is done, along with some landscaping, we will be on our way to one of the best looking houses on the block!
