David Micklem wrote:
My sister has asked me to make up some (internal) shutters for
a couple of her windows. They are intended to cut down on dust
(by getting rid of the curtains - my niece is allergic) and also
hopefully block some noise from the road. I was hoping to tap
your collective wisdom for ideas/warnings over possible pitfalls.

Hmm. Don't curtains tend to collect dust, rather than make it?
Can't she use a non-dusty curtain material?


Each shutter has to have three quite narrow hinged sections
and I'm looking for advice on where to get appropriate hinges
(and what they are called) and also on the best choice of
material for the shutters.

What sort of sindows are they?


I'd originally planned to try to make each section up to resemble
a panelled door

Sounds nice...

but she would prefer a completely smooth appearance.

Um.

So I think the options for materials are either solid sheets of
MDF or plywood or to make up a frame of softwood and skin
it with e.g. hardboard. Any strong opinions or alternative ideas?
My feeling is that the solid sheets will be heavier and may thus be
better for sound insulation?

I'd prefer "proper" timber, but I suppose MDF could do the job,
painted up to disguise it... if you use "heavier" material, it will
also be less likely to jiggle with wind or vibration, which could
be a problem. If you do use redwood or whatnot, take care
of warping!


The hinges between the frame and the first section will need
to be Parliament hinges so that the shutters will clear the trim

Trim? Architrave?


around the window. (Ideally the hinges between the second and
third sections will also be Parliament hinges so that when folded
the third section can sit between the first and second sections_.

Not sure why - I'dve thought this would make them unwieldy.

How big is the window? How deep is the reveal?

be !
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