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Guide to Fixing Broken Louvres in an Interior Plantation Shutter

by Rodney Cook

Plantation shutters can give a real feeling of traditional, stylish chic to your rooms.  However, accidents do happen, and sometimes the louvres can become damaged.  Here's how to fix broken slats on plantation shutters.

What you'll need

  • 1 piece of wooden dowel
  • wood glue
  • sharp knife
  • toothpick
  • drill with drill bit (a little larger than the dowel)
  • screw eye (one for each missing staple)
  • pliers
  • needle-nose pliers

How to do it

Before you start, note that you will need to fix the missing louvre before you repair any missing staples.  This is so that you can reinstall the louvre more easily.

  1. Start by drilling a hole into the louvre where the original stud was.  The hole needs to be drilled down along the centre of the louvre to a depth of roughly 1cm.  
  2. Now cut a piece of dowel, roughly 2cm long.  
  3. Place a little dab of wood glue into the louvre hole, and insert the dowel piece into the hole so that a small section is left protruding.  
  4. Next, slide the undamaged end of the louvre into the hole in the shutter's frame, and line up the broken end with the hole on the opposite side of the frame.  
  5.  Using a sharp knife, push the dowel out of the louvre and into the hole in the shutter frame.  
  6. Allow the glue to dry completely.  
  7. Now you can move on to fixing the missing staples.  To do this, take one eye screw and fix it into the area where the staple is missing.  
  8. Take a second eye screw and open it right up; you will need to use pliers to do this.  Clamp the pliers down onto the threaded part of the screw, and then use your needle nose pliers to open up the eye.  
  9. Take the screw with the open eye and screw it into the shutter opposite the first one.  Push the open eye through the closed one like a hook, and then use the needle nose pliers to close the open eye.  
  10. Repeat steps #7, #8 and #9 until all the missing staples have been repaired.  
  11. All you need to do now is to check that you can easily operate the push rod to open and close the louvres.

In conclusion

Sometimes louvres in your interior plantation shutters can come loose or become damaged.  Follow the guide given above to make the necessary repairs, leaving your shutters as good as new.

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