Guides
Repainting and refinishing tired shutters: what is involved
Shutters can be structurally perfect and still look tired: chipped paint, a yellowed finish, or simply the wrong colour for a room you have since redecorated. Refinishing brings them back without the cost or waste of a whole new set. Here is what the work involves.
By the Shutter Installation team · Updated 10 July 2026
When refinishing is worth it
If the frames and panels are sound, refinishing is almost always better value than replacing, and it keeps the character of the originals. It is especially worthwhile on older and inherited shutters in period homes, where a new set would lose the look you bought the house for.
How the work is done
The shutters are assessed, and any damaged slats or worn hardware are repaired or replaced first.
The existing finish is stripped or prepared back so the new finish keys properly.
They are refinished and repainted in a colour matched to the room or the rest of the house.
Louvres are re-tensioned and panels re-hung and squared so they close flush.
On-site or in the workshop
Lighter touch-ups can be done on-site. A full strip-and-refinish is usually cleaner and better done at the workshop, where we can control dust and finish quality; we leave temporary cover on the windows while the shutters are away.
Colour-matching
Whether you are refreshing the original colour or changing it to suit a redecorated room, we match the finish precisely, so refinished shutters sit right alongside anything we have not touched.