Doors are different
Doors can be shuttered, but not with the same hinged panels used on windows. Sliding patio doors and bifolds are best dressed with tracked shutters, where full height panels hang from a top rail and glide or bi-fold to one side, leaving the doorway clear. French doors that open inwards can take hinged panels fixed to each door leaf. In either case the survey has to account for handles, thresholds and how you actually use the door every day.
Why window shutters do not simply scale up
A hinged shutter panel over two metres tall and over half a metre wide is heavy, and every time you walk through the door you would have to swing it out of the way. Hinges alone cannot carry that weight without the panel dropping over time. So for doorways the panels are hung from a track above the opening, which takes the weight, and they either fold in pairs (bi-fold) or slide past one another (by-pass).
Tracked bi-fold shutters
Bi-fold tracked shutters fold in pairs and stack neatly to one or both sides of the opening. They suit bifold doors and wide sliding doors where you want the whole opening clear in summer. The stack takes up wall space beside the door, so the survey checks there is room for it without blocking a light switch or radiator. Because the panels are tall, 89mm louvres suit the proportions and give the best view when open.
By-pass tracked shutters
By-pass panels slide in front of one another on a twin track, so they never project into the room and need no stacking space to the side. The trade-off is that at least one panel always covers part of the glass. They suit sliding patio doors where you only ever open one leaf, and rooms where there is no spare wall beside the door.
Hinged panels on French doors
French doors that open inwards can take conventional hinged shutters, one panel screwed to each door leaf so the shutter moves with the door. The critical measurement is the handle: the panel must sit far enough off the glass to clear it, or a cut-out is made around it. Outward-opening French doors are easier still, because the shutter can be frame-mounted to the reveal like a window.
When a blind is the better answer
Shutters on doors are a premium job, and there are days when a vertical blind or a panel blind, both from around £85 fitted, does the practical work just as well. If the door is used dozens of times a day by children and dogs, if the room is a rental, or if budget is being kept for the front of the house, a made-to-measure vertical is not a compromise. We supply both, so the survey can price each option.
Door shutter questions
Can you put shutters on sliding patio doors?
Yes. Tracked shutters, either bi-fold or by-pass, are designed exactly for sliding doors. Hinged panels are not suitable because of the weight and the constant swinging.
Will tracked shutters stop me opening the bifold fully?
Not if they are planned properly. Bi-fold shutters stack to the side of the opening so the doors behind can fold right back. The survey confirms there is wall space for the stack.
Do door shutters need a floor track?
Usually a discreet bottom guide keeps the panels aligned, but it does not have to be a full-depth track and it is set so it does not become a trip hazard at the threshold.
Are door shutters more expensive than window shutters?
Per square metre they are similar, but doors are large, so the total is higher than a window. A survey is the only way to give you a firm figure because door heights and stacking space vary so much.
What louvre size suits doors?
89mm on most doors. The taller the panel, the larger the louvre can be before it looks crowded, and larger louvres give a clearer view of the garden when tilted open.
Can shutters be fitted to a single back door with glass?
Yes. A single glazed door takes one hinged panel fixed to the leaf, or a small tracked panel if it slides. The handle clearance rule is the same as for French doors.
Will the shutters rattle when the door closes?
Not if the panel is fitted tight to the leaf with the correct magnets. A slam-prone door benefits from a soft-close hinge on the door itself rather than anything on the shutter.