We are occasionally asked, “Can an interior shutter be painted one color on the front and another color on the back?” The objective is to present one color that matches the home interior and another that blends with the exterior of the house.

The short answer is, “No.” Here are the reasons:

1. If nothing else, this process of painting shutters or staining shutters would be extremely labor intensive. The first color would be applied. Paint finishes are applied with a spray gun. Each component would need to be taped and covered on one side to avoid the secondary color to overlap the primary color. The excessive hours would be cost prohibitive.

2. The execution of painting one shutter two colors is difficult. It is obvious that the face of the stiles and rails could be painted the first color and the backs the second. The inside and outside edges of these components would probably be finished with the interior color. The louvers present the biggest problem because they rotate. The bottom side of the louver would probably be finished using the inside color so when the louvers are closed the shutter would appear all one color. The top of the louver would then use the exterior color. As the louvers rotate the exterior color would then become the most visible inside the room. There would also be an unattractive definitive line on the edge of each louver separating the two colors.

It is best to coordinate interior shutter colors with the inside of your home. The proper exterior accents will make the shutter color less of an emphasis to the outside viewer.