Painting wooden shutters with sustainable matte paint

Shutters have a long tradition. While wooden shutters nowadays are primarily considered a beautiful decorative element, in the past they served both as sun protection for the window and to darken the room. Due to the constant influence of the weather, however, the color flakes off over the years and the original shine fades. Instead of completely replacing the shutters, it is usually sufficient to repaint or varnish the wood. We have summarized the best way to do this here.

1. For unpainted wooden shutters

   The best surface for our paint is grease-free and (slightly) rough. If the wood is planed, roughen it up by sanding with 80 grit. This is not necessary if the wood is weathered or roughly sawn. Degreasing can be done with, for example, our linseed oil soap.
   
   When the wood of your shutters is completely fresh, it is recommended that you leave it untreated for six months. This makes the top layer more receptive to paint.

2. Repainting wooden shutters

   Clean the shutters with soapy water containing e.g. our Polarsken linseed oil soap. If the paint is flaking, remove this layer first before adding a new one.
   
   To find out how well the old paint is still adhering, use a sharp knife to score a small 1 to 2 mesh grid in the paint. Press tape firmly over it. If more than half of the paint tears off when you remove the adhesive strip, it is not suitable as a base for the new coat of paint. In these cases, it is advisable to sand the shutters thoroughly until all remaining layers of paint are removed. Preferably, sand in the direction of the grain so that the wood fibers are not damaged.
   
   If the paint is well applied and does not flake, you can suffice with a coarse sanding (use grit 80). Sand off the paint layer, up to the chalky base layer.

3. The best paint for your type of wood

   Check the type of wood that is used. Oregon pine, Douglas and Larch are softer wood types that can shrink and expand due to moisture and temperature differences. For painting these wooden shutters, Moose F is recommended.
   
   Harder wood types (meranti, teak etc) remains dimensionally stable, but contains less pores. Our Moose RDM is best used if the wood remains dimensionally stable (no shrinking, expanding or tearing). This is usually the case with harder types woods. Moose RDM requires a base layer. This can either be an old layer of paint that doesn’t flake or a thin layer of Moose F.

4. Painting your wooden shutters

   Now that you have your grease-free and rough surface, it’s time to apply the first layer of paint.
   It is best to use a brush for painting with Moose F, this type of paint does not leave brush marks. Let it dry for a few hours and then apply a second coat.
   
   If you chose Moose RDM, use a felt roller to spread the paint evenly.
   

5. Drying time

   This depends on temperature and humidity. You can use as a general guideline: above 15 degrees and at a humidity of 80%, the paint can be painted over after 6 hours and is hardened after 2-3 days. We strongly advise against painting below 13 °C.

6. Maintenance

   With hard woods you can switch to Moose RDM when adding a new layer in the future. This is more resistant against the weather conditions. With softer woods we don’t recommend this. When adding a ‘maintenance’ layer, grinding is not needed. Simply clean the wooden shutters and add a new layer of paint.