The short answer
Shutters are simple mechanisms, and most faults are tension, alignment or a single worn part rather than a failed panel. Knowing which is which saves you replacing something that needs ten minutes of adjustment.
- Most common fault
- Louvres drifting under their own weight
- Second most common
- Panel catching from a dropped hinge
- We repair
- Our own installs and, where parts allow, others
Louvres that will not hold position
Louvres are held by friction, usually a tension screw in the stile or a nylon pin arrangement. Over years the friction eases and the blades sag. On most panels there is an adjuster in the side stile, a quarter turn is often enough, and over-tightening makes the whole bank stiff.
If the blades are loose only at one end of a wide panel, the divider rail or a broken pin is more likely than tension.
Panels catching or dropping
A panel that rubs the frame at the bottom outer corner has usually dropped at the hinge. Shims behind the hinge leaf or a hinge swap corrects the line. On tall panels, check the frame is still true, a settling wall can move a fixed frame slightly and the panel simply follows it.
Magnets that no longer catch are typically a case of the keeper plate needing repositioning after the panel has moved, not of a failing magnet.
What we can and cannot fix on other people's shutters
Adjustment work, tension, hinges, magnets, alignment, we can generally do regardless of who fitted them. Replacement parts are the limit: louvre pins, tilt rods and hinges vary by manufacturer, and imported systems often have no supply route in the UK.
We will tell you honestly on the phone whether a repair is realistic before booking a visit, rather than turning up and charging for the trip.
Preventing the common faults
Open and close panels from the stile, not the tilt rod or a louvre, that single habit prevents most louvre damage. Dust with a soft brush rather than pushing blades hard, and avoid hanging anything from a panel or using it as a door stop.
Common questions
Can loose louvres be tightened without new parts?
Usually yes. Most systems have a tension adjuster in the stile that restores friction. If the blade is loose because a pin has snapped, that needs a part.
Do you repair shutters you did not fit?
We take on adjustment and alignment work on other installations where we can. Part replacement depends on whether the original system has a UK parts supply, we will check before committing.
My panel rubs the frame at the bottom, is it broken?
Almost always a hinge that has settled. Shimming or replacing the hinge brings the panel back onto its line. The panel itself is rarely at fault.
How long do plantation shutters last?
A well-made hardwood or ABS installation is a long-term fitting, with the moving parts, hinges, pins, magnets, being the items that may need attention over the years rather than the panels.