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We recently posted a before-and-after remodel featuring our custom wood exterior shutters.  While interior and exterior shutters and doors are a mainstay for us we also make other millwork items upon request.  The pictures below on the left show how the original wainscot stairwell at this train station was very dated.  This customer updated the look with a simple but elegant panel wainscot we fabricated according to his sketch.  The pictures on the right show the dramatic transformation that the new wainscoting has made.  Do you see anything else missing?

What a nice change!

Not even Kestrel Shutters can keep cupid out of your home!
Happy Valentines Day.

Best Wishes to all in this New Year 2-0-0-9

Happy Thanksgiving

     from all of us at Kestrel Shutters & Doors

Photo: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA

I can hear the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “A date that will live in infamy.” The world was with us in sorrow in the days to come after that day. What Mr. Roosevelt said in 1941, to our dismay, applied to that horrific day in September. On this day, now seven years later, we still feel our losses in both life and in our monumental accomplishments. We also obtained a back of our mind fear that was created on that day. America was changed forever.

When I see the American flag I think of 9-11 but I also see much more. I see the strength of a nation and the hope she has and the ability to overcome just about anything found in all of us. The flags design is simple but is absolute beauty. The colors and the layout are strong and full of meaning and full of history in which 9-11 will forever reside within. I see in her the foundations many of which were painful in which America was built upon. And I see in her America’s strengths and character in which brought many people from around the world here where they knew hope could be found and a better life.

I liked this gazebo bird feeder so much that I gave two out as gifts this past Christmas.  Very easy to install, these feeders are made in Pennsylvania and are a welcome addition to your garden. Dimensions: 21″H x 12.5″D

21″ Tall Gazebo Feeder $115.50 Click here to purchase

4″ x 4″ Cedar post not included.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. We have all heard this numerous times in our life and yet we still let ourselves be surprised when something is not as it seems. It is that mouth watering piece of moist, dark chocolate cake that, sadly enough, turns out to be some bizarre experiment in carob meets soy paste. Recently it was Aqua Dots, a cool looking toy and craft for small children that has since been recalled because it contains a variation of the date rape drug. Whoops!

Sometimes it is mass produced shutters, many made in China, that are finished with what we assume (and hope!) is a non toxic paint and sold on web sites and in American home centers. Granted they do look nice but then again, what wouldn’t? How many curb appeal type shows have we all seen where they stress putting on fresh coats of paint to hide poor workmanship just to make it easier to sell your home. Because it looks shiny and new doesn’t mean it was made well.

When buying shutters, whether they are for the interior or exterior of your home, spend some time “kicking the tires” so to speak.

Is the wood a solid hardwood or finger jointed drop off?
Is the joinery traditional pegged, mortise and tenon or do they cut corners by using dowels and screws?
Are the operable louver self balancing so they stay in any position you place them or do they rely on a mechanical tension screw that you need to adjust every time the humidity in your home changes?
Do the fixed louvers and panels float to allow for expansion and contraction?
Are the operable louvers attached with solid brass screw eyes that cannot fall out or do they use staples that will, sooner or later, fail?

Really, the idea is to try to learn as much as you can about your shutters before you buy them. Get samples from each company and compare. Does the shutter feel substantial in your hands or are you afraid that one good sneeze might tear it apart? Look behind that pretty white paint and golden oak stain and see for yourself whether your shutter is really a shutter, or is it just a lemon.

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