Plantation Shutters in Cedar Rapids: An Old-House Guide

If you own one of the older houses around Mount Vernon, shutters are still a good bet, and they're still in style. Plantation shutters fit the tall narrow windows in older Cedar Rapids-area homes like they came with the house. They do have real downsides. The panels swing into the room and never fully clear the glass. They won't make a bedroom fully dark. And an old frame that isn't square takes careful measuring.

Why plantation shutters fit old houses around Cedar Rapids

The streets around the Cornell campus are full of houses built from the 1850s into the early 1900s. Lots of them still have tall slim windows and real wood trim. Shutters sit inside that frame and read like part of the woodwork.

They've stayed in style a long time because there isn't much to them. It's a painted or stained frame and a row of louvers, and nothing about that follows a trend. The details do change. More people pick wider louvers now for a cleaner look. A hidden tilt rod gets rid of the bar down the middle of the panel. White is still the classic. With dark original trim, though, I'd look hard at a stain that matches it.

What to know before you order

The panels swing into the room, so you need clear space in front of the window. A bed, a desk or a tall chair can block them. Check before you order. Even wide open, the panels and frame take up some of your view. A shade that lifts away clears more glass.

Shutters also won't make a bedroom fully dark. Light slips in around the louvers and the panel edges. A bedroom for someone who sleeps late needs a room-darkening shade or lined drapes too. And shutters feel permanent. That's great if you love them. It's still a bigger choice than a shade.

On the plus side, there are no cords at all. They wipe clean with a damp cloth, and you can fine-tune light and privacy one tilt at a time.

In a big old house, I'd start with the rooms people see from the street. Usually that's the front living room and the dining room. That's where shutters do the most for the look of the house and where privacy matters most. Bedrooms upstairs can wait or get a softer shade instead. Our post on Pucker Street homes and newer north Marion houses shows how that mix plays out in older homes.

Materials and louver sizes

Our plantation shutters come in real hardwood, faux wood, vinyl, composite and hybrid. In an older home I usually point people to real wood for the main rooms and bedrooms. It takes paint or stain well and looks right beside old trim. For the bathroom or a kitchen window over the sink, I'd switch to composite. It's a polymer, so steam won't make it warp or peel.

Louvers are the slats. They run from a little under 2 inches up to about 5 and a half, depending on the material. Smaller louvers look more traditional and suit narrow windows. Bigger ones give you more view between the slats and a more modern look. They need more room to tilt, though. On a shallow frame they can hit the glass or a window lock. A tall slim window from the 1880s usually looks best with small or mid-size louvers. A wide picture window from a later remodel can take the big ones. I'd keep one louver size within a room.

For a house where people walk past all day, full height or café is often the bigger choice. Café shutters cover only the lower part of the window, so the top glass stays bright and the bottom stays private. Near a college, I like them on the front rooms. Add drapery panels if you want the whole window covered at night.

Fitting a frame that isn't square

Old houses settle. A frame that was square in 1890 may be off a bit now, and it's worth checking before anything gets ordered for it. Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom. Then measure the height on the left, middle and right. Then measure both diagonals, corner to corner. Two different diagonals mean the frame has gone out of square.

There are two common ways to handle it. An inside mount sits within the opening and keeps all your trim showing, but an out-of-square opening can leave uneven gaps around the panels. A mount on the face of the trim covers the edges and hides those gaps. Which one your window needs depends on how far off it is. The good part is that old frames are often deep, which gives louvers plenty of room to tilt.

If new windows are part of the plan, hold off on shutters until the windows are in and trimmed. Our post on when to measure after new windows explains why the order matters.

You're welcome to take those measurements yourself, but we'll take our own at the free consultation. Our own installers hang every shutter. We don't leave until each panel swings clear and the louvers turn the way you want. Our local page has more on plantation shutters in Cedar Rapids and Mount Vernon.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving the Cedar Rapids and Marion area.