How to free painted shutters.

[Lostgardensof]

Hi. We have moved in and are luxuriating in our cold, beautiful georgian house. I am trying to keep it as warm as possible and am hoping that the shutters will warm it up a bit. However they are painted shut. I have carefully been round the edges with a craft knife to free them and have stripped and WD40ed the hinges but they are still stuck solid. Any ideas? I didn't want to try anything too drastic for fear of damaging them or the surroundings beading.

 

[Lostgardensof]

Photo for added excitement.

 

[JoceAndChris]

How absolutely beautiful. Could we see some more of the house? What date are the stained windows?

Stripping off paint is highly laborious. I would ring Strippers of Sudbury and see if they would sell you an appropriate chemical. Failing that you could do it with a heat gun and a scraper but be careful.

 

[Lostgardensof]

Thanks joceandchris. The house is 1820 but was extensively refurbished in the 1920s so not sure if the window is georgian or more recent. I suspect this one is georgian. I am not wanting to strip the paint yet, just to free the shutters up to keep some heat in. Any other heat retention tips, temporary or permanent greatly received. It is really quite cold here this evening! There are a few more photos on my last post but will try to add some more this week.

 

[Feltwell]

From freeing up lots of stuck sashes, I'd work round the edge with a moulding bar. I've got a little 8in Bakuma moulding bar that is one of the most useful tools I have for freeing stuck things without damaging them! I can't see one online but this is similar:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanley-...180972&hash=item5b4099ca5b:g:abgAAOSwqfpZyt1B

You hammer the curved blade carefully into the joint where the paint has the shutter stuck - do it carefully and sensibly and you won't do any damage. Work slowly and patiently around the edge of the shutter. You've got to break the paint seal, that is almost certainly what is holding it shut, rather than seized hinges - but also examine the shutter carefully to check if anyone has nailed it shut before painting it, it's not unknown! I find freeing up joinery that has been stuck for years incredibly satisfying, I really must remember to get a life one day.....

For a quick fix to make the house warmer though you could try some double glazing film - you may need to make up a quick temporary frame and screw that to the inside of the window to stretch it across.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/StormGuar...hash=item35d137d33e:m:mQkM7Yc8sd8K_vuSk7dOXLg

If you've just got gaps around the edge of the opening sections of the window that are letting in drafts don't underestimate how effective stuffing rolled up kitchen towel into the gaps with a wooden kitchen spatula is!! I did that every winter here for the first 10 years before I got around to restoring our lounge bay window...

Lovely window by the way.

 

[Abi Cott]

Shutters will definitely make a difference but glazing film and even an old bed sheet can make a surprising difference.

 

[88v8]

For prying, also some of these.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11pc-Car-Trim-Door-Panel-Removal-Molding-Set-Kit-Pouch-Pry-Tool-Interior-Van-DIY/142678892434?epid=2261260404&hash=item2138531f92:g:gmAAAOSwmSdadtYF
Or a melamine kitchen spatula.
Or a wallpaper stripping knife.

The thought about them being nailed or even screwed is a good one. Not good from your pov of course. But if you find one or two points of resistance, something to bear in mind.

Ivor

 

[Feltwell]

I meant to say - resist the temptation to pry the shutter open if you can, using the moulding bar as a lever. The aim is to use it more like a very blunt chisel, to go round the edge and break the paint bond until it opens - so the only thing you're hammering onto is the paint, if that makes sense. If it starts to move at the bottom or top only you can gently wedge it open and then continue to work round the rest of the shutter.

If it really won't budge then another technique that will do far less damage than prying at the edge of the shutter is to drive a large diameter screw into the shutter about 1 1/2" from an edge, leaving the head proud - then use a wrecking bar like the below to pull on the screw head and lever onto a block of scrap wood that you hold on the surrounding frame - that way the worst damage that can happen is that you pull the screw out, rather than damaging the edge of your shutter. Leaves you with a little hole to fill but that's it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-1...037665&hash=item5d7586fa59:g:DIsAAOSwlptZ-Jz1

 

[Lostgardensof]

Thank you. I will check again to see if there are any signs of screws or nails and then go round the edge again carefully with a chisel to free the paint.

We are window filming most of the other windows but this one is flush with the frame and the metal is corroded in parts so it will be tricky to get a seal.

 

[Feltwell]

Can you not make up a temporary wooden frame by screwing pieces of timber to the existing frame, then film over that?

I'd love to see the shutters freed but especially with them being open at the top I do wonder how much difference they'll make to the cold problem.

 

[Lostgardensof]

I have filmed part of the window and found a single nail in each shutter holding them closed. It is undersunk and pretty solidly stuck in there. Will try a pry bar and a block of wood once I can get hold of one.

 

[Feltwell]

Without seeing it I'd be tempted to try the screw trick I mentioned above, about an inch or so away from the nail if you can - worst case is it pulls the nail head through the shutter or the screw pulls out, best case is it pulls the nail out clean. Either will give less damage than digging the nail head out. I'd still go round the edge first with a moulding bar or blunt chisel to break the paint line thoroughly.

If by some minor miracle the nail is in a spot where you can reach it from the edge behind the shutter with a blade from an oscillating multitool then you could cut the nail - that's something I've done several times where top sashes have been nailed shut through the sash horns, frees it up with no damage at all if there's enough of a gap to get the blade in.

 

[88v8]

If the nail won't come out you may be able to punch it through. A good set of pin punches.
Hopefully it was put in long ago and the wood has shrunk enough that it will pull out.

Ivor

 

[Lostgardensof]

On closer inspection in daylight there are about 6 nails per shutter! All filled and painted over. I am going to focus on window film for the meantime and sort the shutters out later in the year.

 

[Zebra]

Gah! How annoying for you.