When ordering new interior doors having the correct measurements is very important.  Just as important is to also let us know the type of opening.  The type of opening can be either "Rough" or "Finished". 

What is a Rough Opening?

A rough opening is where the wall studs are exposed along the edge of the opening.  You will see a rough opening when you are building a new wall (like you would do when refinishing a basement) or knocking out a wall to put in a new door.  The rough opening still needs to be framed out so that the opening is square and flush with any drywall.  In the picture to the left you can see how the opening has the exposed studs along the edge.

If you plan to install bifold doors or sliding doors you can square and frame out the rough opening with drywall.  However, if you are going to be hinging the doors to the opening you will need a solid wood jamb.  The reason for this is that the screws that hold door hinges need to be sunk directly into wood.  For bifold and sliding door hardware the screws that secure the track are long enough to go through the drywall and into the studs.

What is a Finished Opening?

A finished opening is where the opening has been framed out and is ready for paint or stain.  If you were to go through your home and look at existing closets doors and doorways you will be looking at examples of a finished opening.  The opening can be finished with drywall, wood, metal or any solid, smooth surface.  The idea is that the finished opening is ready for doors.  Just be mindful that the hardware you want to use can be attached to material used to finish your opening.  If you decide that you want to hang a hinged door on an opening that is framed with drywall ( or stone as shown below ) you would first need to install a wood jamb.

What is Overlap Rabbeting?

Overlap rabbeting on exterior shutters is a groove along the vertical edge that allows one shutter to overlap the shutter next to it.  An overlap rabbet is very much the same as what is termed as a shiplap joint or half lap joint.

Overlap rabbeting can be found on all functional exterior shutters and for a very good reason. With an overlap rabbet the shutters will close over one another eliminating any exposure in the center leaking rain, light or air . The overlap rabbet also creates a solidness to a closed pair of shutters locking them tighter together to eliminate any "shuddering" for better storm protection.

Is Overlap Rabbeting just for Exterior Shutters?

An overlap rabbet is just as important for interior shutters.  With an overlap rabbet UV rays are blocked from damaging your room furnishings   as well as providing a tighter seal over the window giving better energy efficiency.  If you are using your interior shutters as blackout shutters for a bedroom or a media room overlap rabbeting is a must. 

Overlap rabbeting is decorative, as well as functional, giving a neater and more finished appearance.  If you look at the picture to the right you will see the half-round bead detail.  This is shaped into the wood shutters to give a more uniform look to the face of the shutters.  This type of rabbet is referred to as a beaded overlap rabbet.

When should I use shutters with overlap rabbeting?

A good rule of thumb, for both interior and exterior shutters, is to have an overlap rabbet if your shutters are meant to be functional or at least look functional.  It is an option that adds very little to the cost but greatly increases their value.

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Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Interior doors of any style can be mounted as a sliding closet doors; all that it takes is the correct type of sliding door hardware!

However, there are a few options that you need to consider when it comes to the hardware:

How do you plan to use your Sliding Closet Doors?  Before we look at any of the options you want to take a moment and really think about how you will be using your sliding doors.  Are they for a closet or utility room, a free-standing wardrobe or will the doors be separating two living spaces?  Will you be opening them every day or just once in a blue moon?  When you do open the doors will you need them to slide far enough apart to remove a heat pump or just wide enough to grab a clean pair of socks?  Will it only be you using these doors or will it be your kids or will the doors be used in a public space?  Knowing how you will use your sliding doors will help you in deciding which type of sliding door hardware will best suit your needs.

Tilt In OR Top Latch?  This is referring to how the doors get installed on to the track.  Lighter weight sliding door hardware is designed so that you can just tilt the door at an angle and have the rollers catch on to the track.  Unfortunately the opposite is also true meaning that all you (or your children or large pets) have to do is knock the door up and at an angle a bit to have the door come off the track.  For this reason we do not even offer this kind of hardware.   Instead we use commercial grade Johnson hardware that has a latch system (shown at left).  The wheels have a post hanging straight down that slips in to a bracket on the top edge of the door.  This bracket has a white latch that closes and secures the door to the wheels.  This not only makes for a much safer design but it also makes it easy to remove the doors if you should ever need to pull something very large out from behind the doors. 

Do you want a Bottom Guide Track?

Most high end sliding track hardware is designed so that the full weight of the door is supported by the top track and hangers.  This makes it easier for the doors to slide back and forth and reduces stress on the door.  Because of this some sliding door hardware will only need the simple door guide shown to the right.  This is installed on the floor where one door overlaps the next.  This guide prevents the doors from swinging front to back.  Optionally, you can replace this guide with a full guide track.  These arelittle " U " channels that mount onto or into your floor.  The full guide track is helpful if you are concerned about a lot of force pushing the doors back and forth like you might have with children, large pets or commercial applications.  For sliding door hardware with more than 2 tracks and for very heavy doors the bottom guide track is a standard to remove the chance of doors swaying front to back.

Where would you like the Doors to Slide?

When it comes to sliding door hardware there are 3 places where the doors can slide.

   Option 1. The doors can slide back inside the walls. These are called Pocket Doors.  Pocket doors are nice in that they can slide completely out of the way to allow full access to the closet.  They are also great where full swing doors do not have room such as in a kitchenette area.  The down side is that if you are retro-fitting an opening you will need to rip out the walls so that you can install the hidden tracks but for new construction preplanning a pocket door is easy.

   Option 2. The doors can slide along the face of the wall like barn doors. These use wall mounted sliding door hardware.  Like the pocket doors these will offer you full access to your closet.  However, keep in mind that anything mounted to your walls, like shelves or light fixtures, will need to be removed so that the doors can slide.

   Option 3. The third way, which is the most common style of sliding door hardware, is where the doors can slide back and forth within the opening.  Since the doors stay within the opening this means you will not have full access unless you remove the doors.  This is the most popular style we see utitilized and what we quote as a standard.

If you will need full access on a daily basis then pocket doors or wall mounted sliding doors (options #1 and #2 above) will be your best options.  If you will not need full access other than a once a year spring cleaning then the standard sldiing doors (options #3 above) will work fine. 

How Many Sliding Door Tracks would you like?

In many closets you will see 2,3 or 4 sliding doors.  Often the doors are mounted on 2 tracks, one in front of the other.  When there are 2 doors in the opening this means that 1 of the doors can slide behind the other to give you access to either the left or right half of the closet. (see Figure A below)  With 4 doors on tracks (as shown in option #3 above), you also have the option of sliding the doors to the edges so that you have access to the center of the closet. (see Figure B below)  With 3 doors on 2 tracks there is the problem that access is only to a third of the closet at any one time.  (see Figure C below)   One way around this is to have each door be on its own track.  This allows the doors to slide anywhere within the opening and be stacked together, one behind the others. (see Figure D below) For 3 or more tracks you will need enough depth on the header to allow you to mount the multiple tracks.  If your opening does not have enough depth you can always mount a wide, solid piece of wood as a new header.

Regardless of how you will be using or installing your sliding closet doors there are things to consider when it comes to the type of sliding door hardware.  If it does get a bit confusing please do not hesitate to contact us be it email, phone call or live chat.

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice - Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Summertime and a porch go hand in hand.  It's that inviting outdoor sheltered area to relax for a moment, recline and rest our feet, and maybe even watch a casual passerby.  It is also a place to read in the best lighting, gather with friends and family for refreshments such as lemonade and even just doze off in a chaise lounge.  Prior to indoor air conditioning a porch was the place where everyone including the family dog could escape stifling indoor heat.  It is easy to see the charm in a porch and why so many historic homes have at least one.

If your home has a porch but you find that it could use a tad bit more privacy to enjoy your outdoor space or maybe you could even use shade from a hot sunny afternoon here is a clever solution.  You can build a privacy screen with exterior louvered shutters between the porch posts.  With operable louvered exterior shutters you can create a visually pleasing partition.  Since the louvers are fully adjustable you won't even need to give up a summer breeze passing through.

Exterior shutters really do enhance your home by adding depth and detail to every window and door.  Here are other examples of exterior shutters on homes that have a porch:

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Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Even though our exterior shutters are made to be authentic and fully functional there are times when they are installed for decoration.  Most decorative shutters are mounted to either side of a window, often using real shutter hardware to give the look of truly functional exterior shutters. 

But what do you do when you have no windows?

The customer above solved this by mounting fixed louvered exterior shutters directly to their home.  This not only added curb appeal and interest to the front of their home, but it also gives the illusion that there really are windows behind those exterior shutters.

This trick has long been used in commercial interiors where make-believe windows are strategically place to make a more comfortable lighter airy feel to a store's layout rather then the four walls of a mall.  The Hollister Store is certainly astounding with the many interior Plantation Shutters, many of which are made by us, installed throughout their stores.   

With a big focus in recent years towards basement remodeling this trick can also be used with interior shutters.  Just by installing a boxed window casing fitted with interior shutters on any wall you will make windows appear before your eyes for a lighter more natural feel inside under-the-ground.

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Often when we think of exterior shutters we think about how they add curb appeal.  Improving the exterior of our home.  Sometimes, though, they can be part of a much greater transformation.  

The building shown above, located in Chièvres, Belgium, started out as a stable.  During WWII it had the unfortunate location of being right next door to the local Nazi headquarters.  Local legend has it that these stables ended up being used to hold and interrogate prisoners.  After it was delivered from such a use by the Allied forces in the Fall of 1944 it eventually fell in to disrepair.

Finally it was puirchased in the early 1990's.  We were told how " This old place was not so comfy 15 years ago, it was a deserted stable and chickens were roosting in the hay loft. It was so run down there were gaping holes in the roof and you could look up and see the sky from the inside. "

Over the course of those 15 years the new owner took this shell, turned it in to a house and finally, with lots of hard work, made it in to a home.  " The shutters are the last project and it will be restored to its original condition, thanks to you folks. You don't know how many people in town ask about your shutters, and even more astonished that they were made in the good old USA. "

It is an honor to have our shutters and doors chosen by a customer.  In this case we are stirred with rememberence knowing that our exterior shutters helped transform this building with a dark past into a comforting home.  It is a Memorial set in stone.  

The style of exterior shutters used this home is our 7145 Board & Batten Shutters with Breadboard Top and Diamond Cutouts

     A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

The most common shutter dog used on exterior shutters is the "S" scroll. 

The scroll shape, a volute, has been used in architecture for thousands of years.  Found on the capitals of  Ionic and Corinthian columns, scrolls are a comforting contour that nature creates all by herself in fiddlehead ferns, snails, seashells, and in flowers as the petals unfurl into bloom.  Maybe it's this natural subtle sliding (twisting) form that prompted someone long ago to carve them into architectural features including stair rails and in string instruments such as the top of a violin and cello.

Scroll, or "S" curve, shutter dogs have been made for over two hundred years.  Hot Iron shaped in two spirals, one reversed mirroring another forming the common "S" design, was an easy to make item for a blacksmith.  However, I do understand that it used to be The Blacksmiths Test of readiness since it was only easy for a good blacksmith to make the repetitive "S" shapes that would match.  

Eventually casting and stamping steel replaced the Old World Blacksmith's hand forged "S" curve leading to the number of variations available today.

We sell a half a dozen "off the shelf" cast, stamped steel and cut steel type.  While these shutter dogs all share the common "S" shape, the differences in each are in appearance and material :

Below are close-up pictures of each ot the shutter dogs shown above, listed from left to right.  All of the shutter dogs below except the first one ( HE7-201 ) are fully functional.  The plastic shutter dog is the only design that is for decorative uses only.

	Item Code : HE7-201 Material : Exterior Grade Plastic Size : 2.1/2" x 6.7/8" Price : $9.99 / pair Made In Pennsylvania, USA
	Item Code : HE3-254 Material : Cast Iron w/ zinc phosphate and black powder coat Size : 2.3/4" x 6.3/4" Price : $18 / pair Made In Taiwan, ROC
	Item Code : HE3-257 Material : Cast Iron w/ zinc phosphate and black powder coat Size : 2.5/8" x 6.3/4" Price : $18 / pair Made In Taiwan, ROC
	Item Code : HE6-409 Material : 304 grade Stainless Steel w/ black powder coat Size : 2.1/2" x 6.7/8" Price : $34 / pair Made In China
	Item Code : HE2-76 Material : 3/16" Steel w/ zinc phosphate and black powder coat Size : 2.1/2" x 6.7/8" Price : $20 / pair Made In Pennsylvania, USA
	Item Code : HE1-851 Material : 304 grade Stainless Steel w/ black powder coat Size : 2.1/2" x 7" Price : $22 / pair Made In Pennsylvania, USA

If an S-design is not for your home's style or even your personal preference we offer many other shutter dog designs to choose from -  Thirty-seven shutter dogs in all !

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Looking for a simple way to personalize your interior doors?

Our 6500 series interior doors feature removable trim which can be used to hold glass, mirrors and most any other flat panel from dry eraser board to woven reeds.  We can supply you with clear and frosted tempered glass.  Pantrys, bedrooms and closets alike, even exterior entrance doors, can have a glass or plastic glazing insert.  Glass inserts add an interesting transition from room to room even if it is a closet.

Natural light softly illuminates this closet's storage area.  A double walled poly material provides the subtle opaque quality in these bi-fold doors.

	For this combination medicine and linen closet the homeowner used a heavy banded glass which is perfect for providing just a hint of what is kept on the shelf behind the door.  With the louvered door section below linens will have adequate ventilation to stay fresh. ( Interior Door style 6522 -  Open for glass over 2.1/2" Fixed Plantation Louvers )
Here On this bi-fold door combination, custom Art's & Craft style stained glass inserts were used to give these tongue & groove doors a very unique look. ( Interior Doors style 6160 - Open for glass over Tongue & Groove doors )
	Here the homeowner chose a frosted glass with a pattern of dots.  The glass sits above a true beadboard panel in this double door closet installation. ( Interior Door style 6570 -  Open for glass over beadboard Door )
Here this customer on the Hawaiian Islands did not want to block the view outside their front door so they went with clear tempered glass for the top and a woven insert for the bottom.  The mid-rails on these door frames were custom shaped to mimic an ocean wave.
	These Spanish Cedar Bifold Doors have a clear stain with a "cross reeded" patterened glass.  The glass helps to obscure the contents of the closet while the fixed Plantation louvers in the bottom provide needed ventilation ( Interior Doors style 6522 - Open for glass over Fixed Plantation Louvers )       With a Kestrel 6500 door series glass, mirrors, poly-wall and any other sheet material is a snap to install.  With so many door frame insert possibilities personalizing your door's becomes very easy.

>Shop Now for:

Interior Doors, Closet Doors, Exterior Shutters, Interior Shutters and Exterior Shutter Hardware 

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

Custom Shutters customized by customer?  Try saying this fast a few times!

Not too long ago we manufactured these custom exterior wood shutters in a DIY Shutter kit for this beautiful brick home.  The customer wanted to create the look of a deeper relief to the inner wood panel.  This was achieved by supplying an additional 3/4 inch thick wood stock made to the same widths as the stiles and rails.  The additional materials provided were laminated to the shutter frames by the customer and the extra thickness added gave the deeper recessed appearance that they wanted. 

It's very rewarding to receive these pictures along with this very nice note from our customer:

"Good afternoon,

"I have attached a couple of pictures in regards to the latest project we did using your shutters.  We were very pleased with the quality and workmanship of the shutters.  Assembly of the shutters went very smoothly and the extra pieces that we applied gave the shutters a nice depth for the application.  It was a pleasure doing business with you, and your company was very accommodating with the specialty items that we requested.
We look forward to working with you in the future.

 Thank you"

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com

If you find yourself traveling towards the South Jersey beaches this Memorial Day set aside some time for a little side trip down Route 9.  This will take you right through the village of Cape May Court House where you can see the Cape May County Court House that was built in 1850.

In the 1990's when it came time to replace the exterior shutters of the Court House their maintenance department turned to us for our DIY Shutter™ Kits.   Over 20 pairs of operable louvered shutters and shutter hardware were supplied in our exclusive kits for the department to assemble.  Now, over a decade later, the exterior shutters still adorn this historic landmark for all to see on their way to Cape May.

The shutter style used on the Cape May County Court House is our 1.7/8" Traditional Operable Louvered design.  Since these are  exterior shutters they were made from solid Spanish Cedar.  Frame joints are traditional pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery construction which makes the shutters easy to assemble on-site with a pair of clamps, a bottle of exterior grade glue, and a drill.

 Here is what was used on this project:

Kestrel Exterior Shutters style 1020 - 1.7/8" Traditional Operable Louvered D.I.Y. Shutters kits

Exterior Shutter Material: Spanish Cedar

Kestrel Exterior Shutter Hardware: 

Lift-off Mortise Butt Hinges:  HE1-401, Size 3" x 3"

Shutter Dogs / Tiebacks:  HE2-35, Plate Mount Cast Iron Flower

A naturally beautiful and renewable choice- Wood shutters and doors by

Kestrel Shutters & Doors, Inc.  www.DIYShutters.com  1-800-494-4321 / sales@diyshutters.com