If you are interested in installing plantation shutters, you may be interested in ordering plantation shutters online. Unfortunately, it does not seem that you can order Home Depot Plantation shutters online, but there are plenty of other places to order online shutters from.
Usually you will find that the more expensive shutters, such as those made from premium hardwood or Alderwood and those that are designer shutters are able to be custom made to size, whereas often the basswood shutters, or those made from vinyl come in stock sizes. There is a large difference in price, depending on both design and material that they are made from, with the stock vinyl plantation shutters being the cheapest you can find.
Also, the stock sized, cheaper shutters do not usually come with the offer of installation and they are, for the main part, made to be self-installed. They are quite easy to install, and if you have someone around who is a bit of a handyman or who can at least drill a hole and wield a screwdriver, you should be fine. Fortunately they are often sold with offers of free shipping, so you can definitely save when buying on line as you can find cheaper prices for the actual shutters and you will get free shipping.
One other interesting option for those of you who are able to do your own home improvements is the possibility of purchasing unfinished wood shutter panels. These are great if you are hoping to save money and you do not mind investing a bit of time into finishing them yourself. You can order each panel by exact size, so they can be used for standard or custom windows. I saw some online recently that were made from Poplar hardwood that was unstained and unfinished. They are great for either staining or for painting over, depending on your preference. You do have to add a little more if you want a stain finish, around $12 per panel.
The stock sized wood shutters, usually made from Basswood, are the cheapest wood shutters you can buy. They still look great, it is just that they are made from less quality type of wood and you have to have standard sized windows to buy them. They do come in variable heights, up to 40″ though the louver size and slat size is usually set. If you are living in a location that is hot, and where there is bright sunlight during the summer months you may want to take a look instead at the faux wood shutters, or even the vinyl shutters as both of these stand up better in hot climates.
On the other end of the spectrum, designer plantation shutters are usually made from the best hardwood available. Western Red Alder is a popular choice of wood as the grain and the finish are fantastic. Usually you can custom make these to any desired width and height and you can also choose the stain that you want on the shutters. You can also custom design the shape of your window so that they can be used in any shape window, even those with an arch. Naturally, you should expect to pay quite a bit more from these type of shutters.
When ordering online, especially if you are opting for the more expensive, custom designed shutters, you should be able to receive an actual sample of the wood that the shutters are made from so that you can check the quality and even decide on the stain and color of the wood used. You should also aim to have these installed by a craftsman who is very knowledgeable about what they are doing as you would not want to damage then during the installation.
There are many different options for ordering shutters online, and prices vary greatly from store to store. If you look around you should be able to easily compare prices and the quality and services offered and find one that is just right for you in terms of pricing as well as look.