Decorative window shutters are easy to install and can be put up with relatively little trouble. Operational shutters are slightly more difficult, though generally do not require any specialist skills or tools either.

If you have ordered a new set of decorative window shutters, you can pay extra for installation. However, it is quite possible to fix them on the wall of your house yourself, and you will not need any specialist tools or expertise to do so. You should require no more than a power drill and screwdriver.

1. Position the shutters

Decorative shutters do not need to cover the window, since they are fixed to the wall and do not close. This means they generally do not have the same proportions as the window. This is because windows in the UK tend to be wider than continental ones, which are narrow and high. Operational shutters would be extremely broad and unwieldy as a result. This also means that decorative shutters do not need to be positioned precisely, since they don’t have to meet in the middle when they close. Most people prefer to leave a little space between the window frame and the edge of the shutter. The amount of space you leave is a matter of personal taste, though you may like to check your surrounding neighbourhood to see whether other houses tend to follow a particular convention.

2. Mark around the shutter

Hold the shutter against the window in the position you have chosen. (Do not use a spirit level to position them because the window may not be precisely vertical.) Mark the corners of the shutter on the wall with a pencil.

3. Clear the wall

Once you have decided on the position of your external shutters, check that section of wall to make sure you can cover it and drill into it without any problems. Look for any unsound or crumbling brickwork, and any wires or other obstructions.

4. Drill the shutter

Drill a hole in each corner of the shutter, corresponding to the size of the screws that were supplied with it.

5. Mark the wall

Hold the shutter back against the wall inside the original pencil marks. Then mark through the four holes you have just drilled in the corners of your shutter, onto the wall. This will tell you where to drill holes for your shutter spikes or Rawlplugs, since you cannot screw directly into brickwork.

6. Drill the wall

Switch to a masonry bit and drill the four holes. The width of these needs to match the shutter spikes or Rawlplugs that should come supplied with your shutters.

7. Fit the shutter spikes

Push a spike or Rawlplug into each hole. If the holes are too small, you will need to drill larger ones. If they are too large, it is probably worth filling them with plaster and drilling smaller holes slightly to the side of the original ones.

8. Screw in the shutter

You should now be able to screw your shutters onto the wall without trouble. If your shutters are made of plastic like Styrofoam they will be quite light. Real or synthetic wood shutters are heavier, but you can push a nail through one of the corner holes into the wall to take most of the weight while you screw in the other corners. Alternatively, rest the shutter on the top of a ladder to support it.

9. View your work

Remove the ladder and check the overall effect of the shutters from a distance to make sure the house looks right and the proportions of shutters and spacing from the windows are good.

10. Painting and maintenance

Plastic shutters need little maintenance, but if you need to repaint them at some point in the future you should be able to remove them quickly and easily and then remount them after painting using the same screws and shutter spikes. Make sure the holes are clear and you don’t paint over them.