About Rolling Shutters

Rolling shutters originated in Europe as exterior insulated window treatment. The basic roll shutter design has not changed however the design has been adapted to make the rolling shutter the most versatile, convenient, and user-friendly hurricane shutter available today.

Rolling Shutters can be operated in several different ways. The most popular are with the use of an electric motor or and manual gear. Electric Rolling shutters provide protection from hurricane force winds at a touch of a button! Protect all the openings of your home, business or condominium in minutes or even seconds!

There are many accessories that can be added to your electric shutters which include…Remote control for single and multiple units, wind and sun sensors that will automatically raise or lower you shutters based on users settings, digital timers, security key pads and key switches and can even be integrated into a home automation system allowing the user to operate their shutters from anywhere in the world via an internet connection.

Manual gear operation is an economical way to raise and lower your shutters. With the use of a removable handle you can operate your shutter from inside your home or outside. Larger shutters can be fitted with a tension spring to aid in raising the slats. Manual gear operation is limited though, when the combined weight of the slats exceeds the specifications of the gear and spring then an electric motor must be used.

Both the manual crank and electric motor give the user the ability to raise or lower the shutter to any position. A popular feature of rolling shutters is to leave the shutter in the vented position. Each individual slat is perforated along the male connecting hinge. This allows the user to partially lower the shutter leaving the vents open. The result is instant privacy and relief from glaring sunlight but still allowing a small amount of light and air through creating a unique look and feel.

Rolling shutters can be installed on most buildings with veneers consisting of stucco, vinyl and aluminum siding, wood siding and brick. A retrofit installation is the most common installation. This is when a shutter is installed on an existing structure. A concern with this type of installation is aesthetics. The housing and tracks of a Rolling Shutter can be painted to match the color of the building. If the veneer of the structure is a stucco finish a synthetic form of stucco can be applied to the housing and tracks with a texture and color to match the host structure.

Another common installation is a “soffit mount”. This is where the housing of a rolling shutter is mounted either partially or entirely into a soffit leaving only the side rails visible. For buildings in the design or early construction phase roll shutters can be designed for installation in the exterior wall of a structure thus completely concealing the housing and tracks. For this installation a removable service panel needs to be installed on the interior side of the wall and usually is hidden by a decorative valance.