How to Remove, Paint, and Install Vinyl Shutters So Easy!

After many years of sun, snow, wind, and rain the vinyl shutters on our house are faded. Instead of replacing them, I’m going to spiff them up so they look better than new.
Can you paint vinyl shutters? 

Yes you can! Here’s everything you need to know.

 

I don't mind heights and was taught how to walk on a roof safely as a kid. If you are not confident with heights or ladders please hire a pro. Either way, keep reading this tutorial so you know what is involved in this simple DIY project! Save this tutorial to your Pinterest Boards for later! Share it with your friends! 

How to Remove Vinyl House Shutters

One of my neighbor repainted his shutters by leaving them on his house and attaching Kraft paper behind the shutter with painter’s tape before painting. That isn’t going to work for my two story house or allow me to clean the spider webs, cocoons, wasp nests (I didn’t have any but apparently wasps LOVE making a home behind shutters) and other yuck on the shutters and house.

You will need the following tools to remove house shutters:

Painters tool – a painter’s 9 in one tool looks like this 

Hammer

Wire cutters

Pliers

Ladder if needed

Marker

(Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

Step by Step How to Remove House Shutters Tutorial

1. Put the sharp edge of the painters tool behind the shutter button that holds it to the house. 

 

Once upon a time that shutter was a nice, deep forest green.

2. Give the painters tool a couple of good wacks with the hammer until you cut through the button.

 
Tip: Some of my shutter buttons were harder to remove using the hammer than others. For those buttons, I slipped my wire cutters under the gap the painters tool made and used them to cut front of the button off.

 
3. Slip the shutters off the shutter button posts. 

4. Remove the shutter button posts by pulling them out of the holes with the pliers or cut them flush to the house with the wire cutters. Don’t worry, we can still reinstall the shutters when you cut them flush to the house. 

If you are going to be up on ladders and or the roof, I recommend wearing a tool belt during this project! You don't want to keep climbing up and down to fetch tools and supplies you can wear in a tool belt.

5. Use the marker to write on the back side of the shutter its position on your house. Some folks use numbers. I’m literal and went with Living Room Left, Living Room Right etc.

How to Paint Vinyl Shutters

You can paint vinyl shutters with either a brush or spray paint. The key to success is using the correct type of paint – one that is made to coat plastic. 

 

Spray paint is going to be much easier when it comes to quickly painting the nooks and crannies of the shutters. I took the slightly more time intensive route and  painted my shutters with a foam roller that looks like this  and foam brush like this kind to eliminate the streaks you can sometimes get with a brush because I also planned to paint my front door to match the shutters and only wanted to buy one can of paint instead of cans of spray paint and door paint. It takes about a can and a half of spray paint to put two coats of paint on a pair of shutters.

You do want to use a primer coat to give your paint an even finish and deep color. 

 

I save myself a step and spend a little extra money to buy a spray paint + primer like Krylon Fusion. This isn’t a sponsored post or anything, Krylon doesn’t even know I exist but it’s the paint I’ve been using more of lately because it is also UV fade resistant which means I shouldn't have repaint my shutters for a long time. You can learn more about my favorite Krylon Fusion All-in-One Spray Paint here. 

You will need the following tools to repaint vinyl shutters

Shutters

 
Cleaning supplies – detergent (I used a sploosh of dish detergent in a bucket of water,) bucket, water, sponges, old rags, power washer, etc. 

Paint formulated for plastic

 
Drop cloths

 
Paint risers, saw horses like these, etc.

 
Optional: paint brush and tray or paint sprayer

 

Step by Step How to Repaint Vinyl Shutters Tutorial

1. Clean the shutters with your favorite outdoor cleaning supplies and allow the shutters to dry. 

2. Protect your work area with drop cloths and put the shutters on saw horses or some sort of paint risers (I also used paint cans from my paint stash. So fancy!) This will allow you to easily see what areas still need painting.) 

3. Apply one coat of primer allow it to dry and then paint to the shutters using your favorite method. If you are using spray paint I recommend using a spray paint trigger handle like this one  because it is a much easier way to paint an even coat without finger pain. 

 

 

I popped in my earbuds and approximately 2 one hour podcasts later I painted six shutters with a roller and brush. I power washed the yuck that was behind the shutters  on my house while I waited for the paint to dry.

 

4. After the first coat is fully dry. Apply a second coat of paint and allow it to dry completely. 

5. You are now ready to reinstall the shutters!

How to Install Vinyl Shutters

The most difficult part of reinstalling vinyl house shutters is making sure you are installing each shutter in its original place and lining up the shutter buttons with holes in the house. That’s why we labeled all of the shutters when we started the project. Clever, huh?

You will need the following tools to reinstall vinyl shutters

Vinyl shutter buttons – you can buy shutter buttons to match the paint color of your shutters here

 
Drill and drill bit that matches the size of your shutter buttons 

Rubber mallet

 
Ladder if needed 

Step by Step How to Put Up Shutters Tutorial

1. Use the drill and appropriate size drill bit for your shutter buttons to re drill the original shutter button holes if needed. Personally, I had some buttons that I fully pulled out with the pliers, some I had to cut flush to the house, and a few that were there for show and not attached at all. 

2. I found it much easier to line the shutter and buttons up with the original holes (especially when I was on the porch roof) if I slide all of the buttons into the shutter holes before lining it up with the holes I drilled in the house rather than holding the shutter in place in one hand and sliding the button through the shutter and into house. 

3. Use a rubber mallet, hammer, or the heel of your hand to push the shutter button shaft into the corresponding hole in the house. Some buttons slid in easily using the heel of my hand. Others needed a couple of extra taps with the rubber mallet and a few did not cooperate until I smacked them with a hammer. 

 

Pretend there is a shutter in between the front of the shutter button and my house. I need both hands to hold and install the buttons and shutters and didn't have any hands left to take a photo.

 

4. Look back, relax, and enjoy a job will done! 

 

 

One shutter down, 5 more to go!

 

Looking for more shutter and home improvement project ideas? Check out the following options – and more! - below!

 

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