FSC certified Wooden Shutters

Our solid wood shutters are made using only the best quality kiln dried wood, manufactured from either Yellow Poplar or Elm. Equally good in terms of quality, these 2 different timbers give you a choice of grain types for your shutters. All timber used to make our FSC shutters is initially harvested from a sustainable sourced.

Poplar shutters – What is yellow poplar?

Yellow poplar shutters are made from wood harvested from the poplar tree. It has been popular in the manufacture of quality shutters in North America for decades.

The poplar tree is very fast growing and provides a smooth and consistent grain that gives your shutters strength throughout the wood, with no weak points or knots formed within your shutters. Wooden shutters made from poplar have a lovely smooth finish with minimal marking.

Elm shutters – What is elm?

Wood shutters made from elm are very similar in appearance to Oak shutters, with a deep grain detail. This wood option is ideal if you prefer to see and feel a more detailed grain on your shutters. Most customers choosing elm shutters opt for a stained finish, which really shows off the stunning depth of grain when they’ve been installed. If you’re choosing elm, you can select from a wide variety of different colour stains for your shutters.

Poplar shutters or elm shutters? Which material should I choose for my wooden shutters?

It's entirely up to you. There is no right and no wrong, it is simply down to your aesthetic preference and which look you prefer

for your wooden shutters. Both types of wood shutters are equally high quality. Shutters made using Poplar hardwood are chosen by most Shutterly Fabulous customers but Elm Shutters are growing in popularity in the UK, especially for customers buying wooden shutters but opting for a wood stain. Elm shutters are slightly more expensive than poplar shutters but this does not reflect any difference in quality.

Other shutter companies sell MDF shutters. Why don't Shutterly Fabulous sell MDF shutters?

MDF Shutters can be found online from many companies selling shutters, they all buy from the same shutters importer whereas at Shutterly Fabulous we have our shutters manufacturing facility. MDF shutters (also called LDF shutters - light density fibreboard) are marketed under different names to gloss over the fact that the shutters are made from MDF.

MDF / LDF is a great material for many applications - but not (in our opinion) for making shutters. Formed through compressing sawdust, glue and formaldehyde it's an ideal material for solid items that don't have much movement - skirting boards for example - but not for quality wooden plantation shutters. Not only is MDF heavier, but the continual opening and closing of the shutter panels and shutter slats is not conducive to ensuring the longevity of your shutters as over time, joints on the shutters can split. Significantly, MDF shutters are not painted with a regular paint finish but instead are sprayed with a coloured plastic coating (not a true paint finish) which can peel from the MDF after a period of a few years and is not easily repainted or retreated.

Are MDF shutters slightly cheaper than real wooden shutter? Yes - but not by much. Will my MDF shutters last? That's something you can find out for yourself.... Timber is tried and tested and certainly has the credentials of longevity unlike the synthetic products. Buying shutters is an investment which you should do only once, you should not have to replace your shutters after only a few years. That's why Shutterly Fabulous 'don't do' MDF shutters.

What other materials are plantation shutters typically made from?

Shutters in the UK have grown in popularity over the past few years and as such many new shutters companies have entered the market. However if you spend some time looking through these shutters websites and you will find that many of these shutters companies are selling exactly the same shutters.

Shutters companies offering craftwood (MDF or LDF shutters), phoenix wood, locke wood, MDF, basswood shutters - to name but a few - are generally selling exactly the same shutters. We've already mentioned above why MDF is not suited to shutter construction but in our option and research, materials such as basswood (the same wood used to make tea chests) is too fragile for shutter manufacture. Poplar and elm have proved to be extremely high quality wood materials for the manufacture of wooden shutters over our many years of business and shutter manufacture.

For wet rooms or particularly harsh moisture environments, we also offer a fully waterproof polyvinyl shutter product.

Whichever wood you choose for your shutters, be it Poplar or Elm, we assure you our uniquely manufactured shutters are built to look fantastic and last a lifetime.