Customer Reviews for Ekena Millwork 15" x 79" True Fit PVC Two Equal Raised Panel Shutters, Raisin Brown (Per Pair)

Home Depot listed delivery date as 3 weeks from order date. After 4 weeks spoke with HD, no help whatsover, never checked with vendor. Subesquenly spoke directly with vendor mgt. who stated mfg time alone was 6 weeks. I item arrived 7 weeks post order date; damaged by banding

Let me begin by saying I don't know if I can update this post over time, so this is only a post about my initial impressions of the product. To begin, these were quite heavy, which means the material is a very dense strong material. I was initially very impressed by that. However, I noticed a few very interested characteristics about the material. For one, I ordered mine unfinished as the price for finished ones was a bit over the top. In retrospect, I should have at least ordered them primed. Painting this material was painful, much like the manufacturer does, I used 3 coats of Killz2 primer, and 3 coats of paint (not including the finishing coat once they are up) on both sides. The trouble is, no matter how much you clean the shutters and give it a rough sand for adhesion, paint and caulk, if even slightly sticky, will peel up with the material itself. Meaning the material, as it is a layered material, has layers that may peel off. So advice wise, always give at least 24hrs between coats, even if your paint says less time between coats. Additionally, the material appeared to bow a little bit when wet, so please make sure they are well supported and very flat, luckily if you flip them over and paint, they will straighten out. Second, hanging these was a bear, mostly because of their weight. Mine were 57" tall, so getting them up a ladder about 15ft, into position, and getting them secured was dangerous at best. Here's where things changed, I did NOT use the flimsy plastic brackets they sent. For many reasons, for one, plastic anywhere on the front of my house facing south will not last long, second, using the brackets and screws provided would mean that the shutters would sit an extra 1/4" or more off of my siding, which with my style of siding would mean some 1/2" gaps. That means snow and water behind the shutters, not good. They need to be flush with my siding, so I measured for studs, drilled and counter-sinked screws into my framing. Making for a very strong and flush attachment. Yes, it does mean I have visible holes, but filled them with caulk and will paint over them. All in all, these are well built, and as long as this material holds up against the weather, they will be worth it. But my last vinyl weather resistant ones only lasted 3 years, so we'll see.

Great craftsmanship I thought the primer could have been better

Excellent quality Easy to paint

Product looks great, like it will last a long time, very substantial. We inadvertently ordered the wrong hardware. Once we got the right hinges, everything went up quickly. Pretty simple installation.

I selected the construction material over a natural wood because the its “solid/authentic” appearance AND exterior weather resistance. My only suggestion to manufacturer is that they sand the outside edges to a more “more paint-ready” condition.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Heavy duty quality but be warned that installation hardware is not included.

Some holes in frame. Paint was unevenly and we had to repaint

Other than a few manufacturing mars, they are perfect. For outside they are good, for inside I would have returned them.

These shutters are very well made. High quality that should last for years. Somewhat difficult to install.

A first class product. These remind me of the way things used to be made. A very heavy, solid and sturdy shutter. They should last for many years. These shutters were very difficult to hang but the end result is great.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

The shutters arrived on time and undamaged. They look very nice and were easy to install.

I purchased the primed product to paint myself to match the home decor. The back side came with the composite exposed in a quarter sized section and I painted over that. While paint goes on easily, it is clear they more heavily primed the front side. Also, the paint also easily comes off. I will repaint once I have completed mounting. Mounting is relatively easy, but the composite will definitely have difficulty surviving where the mounting screw holes are placed. As a result, I am caulking all seams and putting 4 layers of paint. We will see how they hold up to the weather. My handyman is worried they will swell and fall apart when rain comes.

Looks great on my house - really updates the look

I am very pleased with these shutters. They are even more substantial looking than I hoped they would be.

The shutters were a perfect color replacement for the original rotting wood shutters (12 years old). Swapping the original hardware was easy. Now, the expectation is to never replace these shutters again. Purchased 2 sets.

Beautiful look and nice heavy wood!

Great Product. Would buy again.

Quality was terrible

The shutters arrived sooner than initially scheduled. So far, I am very pleased with the product. Time will tell if they will undure El Paso's hot summers.

had to return it. was terrible material, terrible paint work, and damaged during shipping

Shutters look great except that one of the shutters had a chip in it. The problem is I paid to have someone hang them on a second story window before the chip was noticed. Now I have to order a replacement shutter(s) and then have them changed out and return the chipped shutter for credit.

The composite and primer finish is very rough making it difficult for a nice smooth painted finish; our painter had to apply many coats to get the shutters to look nice. The plastic braces supplied for hanging are pretty much useless. We had to drill through the shutter into the house to hang.

Quality, solid construction, requires light sanding prior to paint.

I had the shutter installed today. The installer was concerned that the plastic fasteners were not substantial enough to secure the heavy shutter for the long term. Would appreciate feedback from Elena Millwork on this matter.

The shutters look great and came really fast!

Product was far superior than what I was expecting.