Built with Solid Cedar and other Premium Materials
Although our exterior louvered shutters can be ordered in a variety of materials, for exterior use we recommend Spanish Cedar, the only Cedar that is an actual hardwood. Known for its durability, strength, and resistance to rot, fungus and insects this premium material is used both in the rail and stile frames of the louvered shutters, as well as the actual wooden louvers. Estate Millwork uses domestic and imported hardwoods from sustainable forests, and has invested heavily in technology and software to maximize the yield and quality of the rough lumber. Our Spanish Cedar is kiln dried to an exacting 6% moisture content, and the process of converting the rough lumber into finished dimensional stock is executed by Estate Millwork craftsmen, giving us the maximum control over the quality of our shutters.
Traditional Shutter Craftsmanship
Once our rough lumber has been processed to the correct dimensions for the final shutter, our craftsmen begin the machining or milling processes that are involved in the high quality construction technique that we use: moritse and tenon joinery. The ends of each rail are machined with a beefy 2" tenon, and the stiles are machined with mortises to receive the tenons, as well as the deep set hardwood louvers. After the computer controlled maching is completed, each louvered shutter is assembled, by hand. The tenons are fit into the mortises with 1/64" accuracy, the louvers are set in the deep louver mortises on the stiles, and everything is held fast with premium wood glues and our special, house made hardwood pegs. The hardwood cedar pegs hold the frame together, and are the strongest, oldest, longest lasting wood joint known to the art of joinery.
Each louvered shutter is then machine sanded, hand sanded, and finished according to the customer's specification: natural, primed, painted or stained.