Plantation Shutters - Which type is best?

This is one of the most common questions we get. Each product type has its advantages and disadvantages:

Wood Shutters Solid wood shutters (poplar, basswood, oak, etc.) If you want stained shutters, go with wood. If you want particularly large shutters (say over 30" wide), go with wood. It is lighter than the solid poly shutters and you can make wider panels. Downsides include less durability (particularly from water damage or humidity).

Solid Poly Shutters Solid Polyvinyl (extruded components) is very durable. It works and looks very much like a painted wood shutter. It is paintable and can be trimmed like a wood shutter giving a lot better options for an installer to make the installation look its best. We have a poly shutter and a wood shutter in the same window in our showroom; it is very difficult to tell the difference. Downsides include that it is heavier than wood and has limits on width (around 27"). You can take it up to about 35" wide using aluminum inserted louvers. However, this usually takes the price to well above wood shutters. I would probably pay more for a solid poly shutter (than wood), but you can usually get it cheaper than wood.

Composite Shutters Composite shutters are composed of a high density fiberboard with a vinyl wrap. They look very good (similar to wood and solid poly). They have limits on their width (usually 24" to 30"). They cannot be painted or trimmed. That is probably my biggest issue with them...they limit the options an installer has to make the shutter installation look good.