Factory Priming -- The Best Way to Protect Your Exterior Wood Shutters

Published: September 17, 2020

Preparation

Exterior wood shutters take a beating from the elements, that's why we take special care with our factory finishes to make sure that your shutters will have a long life of trouble free use. After each custom shutter is completed, it is machine sanded, and then hand sanded to prepare the surface for the final finish. After inspection and hand sanding, the shutters are blown off with high pressure compressed air and moved to our environmentally controlled paint rooms.

Priming

Most exterior wood shutters are made from cedar, and depending upon the species that is being used, cedars have a high level of tannic acid that is ideal for preventing fungus, mould and insect activity, but can be create difficulties in painted finishes. As such, we use a specially formulated oil based primer that has stain blocking features. The primer is designed to be absorbed into the wood grain and to give an excellent surface for the finish coats of paint.

Scuffing

After the shutter has been primed, the primer's action will slightly raise the grain of the wood as it is absorbed into the dry wood fibers. The next step in our process is to lightly scuff sand all surfaces of the shutter to remove the raised grain, and to provide a flat smooth surface for the optimal adhesion of the top coat. After the scuffing, the shutters are again cleaned with high pressure air before moving into the painting process.

Note: For customers who are ordering shutters factory primed, but who plan on applying the top coat on-site, Estate Millwork does not scuff sand the shutters prior to shipping. This allows the shutter to remain sealed for transit, and protects the wood from absorbing moisture which will cause problems later in the life of the shutter. It is a simple matter for the customer to quickly scuff the primer prior to painting. Each primed shutter will be carefully wrapped prior to shipment.