Decorative Faux Colors for a Window Shutter & Vinyl Hardware

Antique Glaze

• A simple glaze treatment over a basecoat of off-white paint gives the impression the window shutters are decades old. Mix together clear glaze and a dark coffee brown latex paint. Brush on the glaze mixture to the window shutter's surface. Pat with a terry towel, sea sponge or crumpled trash bag to manipulate and move around the glaze. The towels and sponge will also remove some of the glaze to give a very light finish. Besides off-white, most creams, light beiges and yellows give an aged look.

Black with Metallic Accents

• A more modern finish is dark with a hint of shimmer in metallic paint. Paint your window shutters black. You may need to applying more than one coat of paint. Ensure all areas are covered. Mix together glaze and metallic paint. A variety of metallic paint colors are on the market today and available at most local paint stores. Besides silver, gold, copper and bronze, metallic paint is available in purples, reds, blues and greens. Brush on the metallic glaze and soften by patting with a towel.

Hardware Paint Techniques

• If your shutters came with vinyl hardware, you can quickly give the illusion of a more expensive finish by adding paint. Using spray paint, apply a solid base coat. Use bronze or other metallic colors to give the look of high end metal. Use a bright color also used elsewhere in the room to coordinate your home's interiors. Apply more than one layer. Once dry, brush on glaze mixed with paint. Dab with a sea sponge to mottle paint.

Protective Layer

• To protect your window shutter's and vinyl hardware's new paint job, spray on water-based polyurethane. Oil-based clear coats eventually yellow as they age. If your shutters and hardware are outdoors, several coats are required and you will need to respray once or twice per year. Each coat should be thoroughly dry before the next coat of paint is added.