Plantation Shutters with Concealed or Regular Tilt Rods?

Our shutter shop offers simple, easy ordering. While we offer a range of different design options, we don’t charge lots of different prices depending upon the options you choose. We want your shutter purchasing and design decisions to be based on what you like the look of, not on your budget. Inline with this ethos, you can choose your shutters either with a regular front facing push rod to tilt and adjust the slats or a concealed bar which runs down the back of the slats, offset to the side. Effectively the concealed push rod system cannot be seen from inside the room.

Which option you go for is very much down to personal choice. There is no right, no wrong, no better, nor worse. The best option for your windows will, to a large extend, depend upon which choices you’ve made when following the previous design tips. For example, you will have created a much simpler, less busy look if you have matched your panel configuration to the framing of the window.

Generally speaking a regular front facing push rod is a more traditional looking shutter. Plantation shutters have typically had this design, where the rod links all of the slats together on the front of the shutter panel however the concealed pushrod system has gained in popularity in the past 5 years.

The concealed rod gives a slightly less fussy look to the shutter panels. If you have leaded windows this design is our recommended choice as it avoids having an additional vertical line through the glazed area, which could make the window look a little fussier. Also, if you opt for a shutter design where you have a large number of panels (for example, tier on tier shutters on a typical Victorian bay window might have as many as 16 panels), concealed push rods may work better if you are looking for a simple look.

In order to allow us to manufacture Open Sky concealed slats which close effectively, we need to adhere to the following height limitations;

1. 47mm slats, maximum height including rails is 920mm
2. 64mm slats, maximum height including rails is 1220mm
3. 89mm slats, maximum height including rails is 1500mm
4. 114mm slats, maximum height including rails is 1500mm

Any shutters ordered outside these parameters will have their Open Sky rod automatically cut in half as illustrated.  You will still be able to set all your slats to the same angle. This way we are able to ensure the functionality of the slats when they are open and closed. 

Proceed to the Shutter Parts Explained advice page.