Basswood Vs Poly Shutters in Las Vegas

Wen people in Las Vegas begin shopping for plantation shutters, they are usually looking at how good the product appears in the pictures and how expensive the total job will be.  They may get a few quotes and see that some companies are more expensive than others for the same size shutters and the same number of windows. Usually the pricing differences between companies that do installs is going to come down to a few factors, namely how quickly the installers can do the job and what materials the shutters are made from. When you look at a white plantation shutter that is made from cheap materials or poly, you are probably not going to see much difference between it and a high quality basswood. In the salesman’s hands the products are going to look a lot alike and yet they are going to be very different prices. This is because the quality of the materials isn’t that important to the specific look of the painted components, the real difference is seen over time. A poly shutter and a basswood shutter installed right next to each other might look the same today, bur after being exposed to the Las Vegas sun and heat for several years and you will start to see that the cheaper shutters will start to warp and split on the louvers, as well as having the frame connections start to have gaps showing.  This is due to the fact that the cheaper constructions do not have the ability to withstand the extremes of the Las Vegas sun. In other places in the country where the weather is not as extreme, you may never notice a difference. Here in Las Vegas, the difference will be noticed quite quickly.

Another issue with Las Vegas and shutters is the dryness of the climate. Wood is typically exposed to an amount of moisture that is continually in the air, and the wood expands and contracts as necessary with the temperature differences. In Las Vegas, there is not enough moisture naturally occurring in the climate to keep the wood from getting extremely dry, which then has negative effects when it expands and contracts.  If the wood is not pliable enough then it will split and crack, unless it is a wood that is specifically chosen for it’s ability to remain in it’s shape even in extreme conditions. This is the difference between the high quality basswood that quality shutters are constructed from and cheap woods or poly blends that cheap shutters are constructed from. They may look the same in your hand when the salesman presents them, but the way they age over time will potentially cost you more than you have expected. The amount of time that the installation takes will also dictate how cheap a job will be, and using screws instead of nails will help the shutters to stay in place longer. By compromising quality in exchange for cheaper prices, the home owner will ultimately pay more down the road as the shutters need to be replaced.