How to install face fit Shutters

Installations can vary slightly from window to window, so please follow these instructions carefully.

Before you begin to install your new shutters, we recommend clearing a large space on the floor near to where you’ll be working. It’s also a good idea to have another person there to help you, should any heavy lifting be required.

The following tools and instruments will typically be required to complete installation safely and accurately:

• Cordless drill with a Philips head
• Rubber mallet
• Pencil & tape measure
• Spirit level (to ensure level installation for correct operation)
• Small step ladder (if required)
• Protective eyewear & gloves (if drilling into masonry, metal or tile)
• Caulk (if required)
• Alternative screws may need to be sourced for your specific installation. For masonry, we recommend 75mm, 8-gauge screws.

Step 1 – Assembling your shutter

Please note, these assembly instructions apply to shutters that have been ordered with more than one panel. If a single panel shutter has been ordered, it will be supplied pre-assembled.

1. Carefully open the delivery boxes and remove all contents. Then, place the panels in the correct order on the floor, making sure they are the right way up, and any rebates match up.

2. The framing pieces must be assembled first; they will be labelled Top, Bottom, Left and Right. Position all the frames face up on the floor with something soft placed underneath.

3. The frame mitres are joined using Hoffman Keys. Place the Hoffman Key on a hard surface (a piece of timber is recommended to prevent damage to the floor and to ensure the key finishes flush with the back of the frame) with the rounded end of the key facing up. Push each half of the mitre onto the key, until the mitre joins neatly and flush. Repeat for each corner.

4. If the opening requires a T-post, identify the top of the post and position loosely within the frame.

5. Place all panels with the frame in their correct order and temporarily insert the hinge pins to ensure all the parts are lined up properly.

6. Square up the frame so that all hinge and clearance gaps are even. Adjust the position of the T-post so that the panel gaps are even. Attach the top and bottom frame to the T-post using the long screws provided. Pre-drill a pilot hole from the back of the frame to ensure that when you insert the screw to secure the T-post, the screw does not punch a hole through the front surface.

7. Remove the frame cover strips, hinge pins and panels from the frame before commencing installation onto the window frame.

Step 2 – Installing your face fit shutter

1. Position the frame evenly around the window opening and lightly drive the first screw into the top left-hand area of the frame but leave the screw head out for now.

2. Keep the top of the frame horizontally level using a spirit level (or if architraves are present, the frame should run flush with the top of the architrave) and lightly drill another screw into the top right-hand frame, again, leaving the screw head out a little. This will temporarily hold your frame in the correct place on the window; the rest of the framing will be secured later.

3. For wide shutter frames, a screw may also need to be inserted centrally into the top frame to prevent it from sagging.

4. If installing into masonry, drill through the frame, marking the wall. Remove the frame and insert wall plugs where marked. Replace the frame and drive in the screws, leaving the heads out at this stage. This will temporarily hold your frame in the correct position.

5. Place the left-hand panel into the opening, lining up the hinge sections in the left L-frame, and then insert the hinge pins. Repeat for all other panels, working from left to right across the opening.

6. Assess the panels for squareness to the frame and each other. If gaps are not even or the panels do not line up to each other at the top and bottom, adjustments will need to be made using Hinge Spacers or other materials.

7. Adjust the bottom frame to the left or right until the gaps are even and the tops and bottoms of the adjacent panels line up. Insert a screw into the bottom of the left frame.

8. Re-check that the panels and frame are still square, and the gaps are even by standing back and checking that the whole opening is sitting square on the window.

9. Additional screws should be placed where necessary inside the frame cover strip grooves. Consideration should be given to the spacing between screws for aesthetic reasons.

10. Re-check the squareness of frames and panels and test the function of the panels. If everything is working as intended, carefully press the frame cover strips back into the corresponding grooves of the outward facing frame to cover the screw heads.

11. Apply caulking around the outside of the frame. Where possible, caulking should be the same or similar colour as the surface, as it will make the window opening appear square. Where this is not possible, the caulking should be a similar colour to the frame.

12. If everything is looking good, give the shutter a final wipe down clean before commencing use!