news, product info and features

Precise Designs Regardless of Circumstance


One of the great things about being an O'Hair shutters dealer is our OrderWizard2 online design and ordering system. While at first glance this may not mean much to homeowners, it is actually very important. The reason is that O'Hair shutters truly are built specifically for each individual opening and our proprietary design system has been created specifically for this level of precision.

Most homeowners do not realize this, but it is fairly normal for seemingly identical window openings to differ slightly. If you have ever seen anyone frame a house, you know that the framer lays out the position of the studs (the vertical "two-by-fours") by lining them up with pencil marks on the wooden bottom plates. In many cases, they"toe-nail" them by putting their boot against the stud and using a nail gun to put two nails in one side and a third nail in the other. During this process, the studs are often bumped just a touch out of place or slightly twisted. Most building inspectors don't care if a stud is an eighth of an inch off. This means that the studs on either side the windows can be slightly off as well.

By the time the sheetrocker puts up the drywall and the surface texture has been applied, you can have a notable difference between window openings. This is particularly true with inconsistencies in the arch of curve-top windows.

By combining the careful measurement of individual window or door openings, and then using the artificial intelligence that is built into OrderWizard2, your O'Hair Shutter professional is able to design shutters that are perfect for each and every opening.

And there is one more thing – OrderWizard2 is supported by a comprehensive online help system combining text, illustrations and videos, as well as a fully-staffed hotline, providing your O'Hair Dealer with immediate and exacting design information. This means that, unlike the seat-of-the-pants method used by many other "shutter guys", even the most obscure and unusual design challenge can be easily handled by an O'Hair shutter professional. The result is a set of custom-designed, custom-built shutters that far outshine the competition.

Shutters With Drapery



Ornate drapery has become a popular style of window covering these days and to many people, the more ornate the better.

In some cases, drapery designs can be quite extreme, with awnings, jabots, banding, ropes, tassels and layer-upon-layer of fabric. In fact, some designs we've seen are so extreme that one would swear they had been copied from a Dracula movie. We've even seen designs that incorporate fishing nets, cane poles, rusty license plates, and bulb horns. (No kidding!)

The problem is that the more ornate the drapery is, the less functional it becomes, which means that you need to add some form of manageable light control. While romans and decorative pull-down shades are often employed, they tend to add visual clutter rather than actually showcase the drapery. In many cases such treatments tend to make the drapery look overdone or out of place.

An ideal solution for this is the use of a hardwood shutter. When color-matched to the trim and baseboard or other elements of the décor, a well-made, perfectly finished wooden shutter serves to integrate the drapery into the overall design of the room.

The Voice of Experience




As stated by the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."

This insight into the value of experience is something that we take to heart because, to be perfectly forthright, if people choose our shutters over competing brands and they did not like our shutters, we would not be in business. It is the experience of the customer on which we have built our success.

To be more precise, our business depends on people liking our shutters for the _right_reasons_. These reasons do not include such things as being cheap, commodity products for basic do-it-yourself home improvement projects.

They prefer O'Hair shutters because of the engineering, the precision craftsmanship, the sturdiness of the design, the quality of the hardwood construction, and for our Transferable Limited Lifetime Warranty™. These are all key factors that differentiate an O'Hair shutter from the crowd. Even so, the most common comments are about the beauty of an O'Hair shutter.

We invite you to drop by our customer comments page at ohair.com and see what everyone is saying about O'Hair shutters. These comments are totally unsolicited and the majority come from online reviews from sources such as Angie's List. There is nothing like the voice of experience. Pay us a visit and see how our customers' minds have been stretched by the experience of an O'Hair shutter.

http://ohair.com/OhairQuality/consumercomments.html

Made in America


There's a lot to be said for American quality, but with some shutters this claim can be somewhat misleading. For example, there are a number of shutter manufacturers that use the term "made in U.S.A." but leave off the part, "from Chinese materials".

O'Hair shutters are the real deal. They are made from sustainably forested American timber. They are made from solid hardwood – no cheap plywood or particle board cores. They feature precise computer millwork and ultra-stong traditional reinforced joinery, and they are exceptionally sturdy. Their custom matched finishes are also quite exceptional.

When a shutter is made in America by O'Hair, the term "made in America" means exactly what you want it to mean. It is quite simply the best-made shutter you can buy.

Design Your Own


Our exclusive shutter design and ordering system makes it possible for O'Hair dealers to generate instant previews of your shutters right in your home at the same time that they are measuring them.

Visitors to our site can experience a taste of this magic by generating their own basic designs via our online interactive shutter designer. This provides an interactive preview of a full range of rectangular panels, including choice of size, louver spacing, midrails, color, window trim, wall color, and even the view out the window. Give it a try and then call your local dealer for an appointment.

To take our interactive shutter designer for a spin, go to:

To get in touch with a local dealer, visit:

Step Through the Seasons

O'Hair Exteriors™ - The only heat-treated American hardwood all-weather exterior shutter you can buy. It represents the ideal blend of traditional reinforced joinery, computer-milled precision and hands-on assembly, just like our lifetime-warranted interior shutters. In addition to exterior installations, it is also perfect for bathrooms and saunas.

Step through the seasons with our interactive presentation at http://ohair.com/OhairExteriors/exteriorsfeatures.html



An Uncluttered View



The O'Hair Horizon Solo™, with its single side-mounted tilt rod, offers a spectacular view without compromise. Unlike competing offerings, it is available in panels up to 50"x133", with or without midrails, and with either split or full-height tilt rods.

Unlike shutters having rear-mounted mechanisms that can bend in tall panels, the Horizon Solo™ provides full-top-to-bottom synchronization, and our ultra-straight hardwood tilt rods are reinforced with a metal continuous linkage insert for a lifetime of reliability.

As with all O'Hair interior shutters, the Horizon Solo™ is warranted for the life of the home, not just the original purchaser.

For more information, contact your local O'Hair dealer: http://ohair.com/Information/findadealer.html

What do homeowners say?

Check out these customer comments. They are sourced from Angie’s List reviews of our local dealers.


New Horizon Tilt™ Single Tilt Rod Option


The O'Hair Horizon Tilt™ option has recently expanded to include a choice of either the standard twin or the new single side-mounted tilt rod design. Our standard twin configuration, with tilt rods that nest into the stiles and completely block the gap between the louver and stile, offers total light blockage when closed, as well as an unobstructed view when opened. The new single tilt rod option includes the nested design with a sleekness that is enhanced by a tilt rod that is trimmed to the louver spacing.

O'Hair Customs™ - Real American Hardwood Shutters



O'Hair Customs™ are made of real hardwood and made to last - no plywood core or cheap dowel construction. Compare them with Brand X "harwood" shutters.

What's the deal with lifetime warranties?




What's so special about O'Hair's transferable limited lifetime warranty?
Compare it with Brand X: http://ohair.com/Videos/whatsthedeal.html

The O'Hair Sandbrushed™ Finish



The shifting hue and undulating pattern in the grain of a genuine hardwood shutter is a source of natural beauty. The O'Hair Sandbrushed™ finish accentuates the grain by revealing the natural contours of the wood. Unlike the rough, abrasive sandblasted approach used by others, our sandbrush™ system uses rotating fabric brushes that create a smooth, gentle relief, resembling ripples of sand on a pristine tropical beach.
The Sandbrushed™ finish is available  for all shutter styles, including center tilt panels, Horizon Tilt™, Pattern Horizontals™, Quarterburst™, and GrainSelect™. A full range of standard and custom paint and stain colors are also available (see dealer for details).

Doggoned Great Warranty


Did you know that the average "lifetime" shutter warranty is only good for around seven years? That is the amount of time that the average American homeowner lives in one home before moving on. The kids leave the nest or you are transferred to another location - things happen. As a result, the warranty ends when you move, which means that the equity from the shutters is reduced to almost nothing.

The O'Hair Transferrable Limited Lifetime Warranty™ is a whole other story. As it is transferrable, it is good for the life of your home, not just for the original homeowner, which means that the shutters retain their equity.

But this is just the beginning. Not only does the warranty cover the normal things that you would expect, but it even covers minor damage from pets and children. As seen in the photo, some dogs are more into chewing than others. The louvers were replaced. They kept the dog. No doubt, we'll meet again.

We have yet to deal with issues from pet beavers, wolverines or bengal tigers, but we can probably handle baboons and woodpeckers. If you have a pet skunk, that's your problem.

The real cherry on the cake, however, is the fact that O'Hair shutters are so well made that warranty repairs are pretty doggoned rare.

Faux or Haux?


Many "faux wood" shutters are made from a material called MDF. It is wrapped in a thin, glued-on, plastic laminate that is printed to look like wood.

MDF is made of trash wood that is ground up, pulverized, mixed with glue and moulded to a shape. It is highly susceptible to humidity and moisture, which causes the MDF to swell, forcing the laminate to come loose. With a number of manufacturers, this is not covered in the "lifetime" warranty. Beyond this, many imported MDF shutters emit toxic VOCs.

Another issue is that faux wood shutters use a plastic pin inserted into a hole that is drilled into the end of the louver. Because of this, the louvers must be thicker. As MDF has little tensile strength, all it takes to wreck a louver is a bump of the elbow and the pin can break right through.

O'Hair shutters are built from solid American hardwood that is bookmatched for superior strength and stability – no plywood or foam cores. Rather than using pins, our louvers have monolithic tenons that are milled from the louver itself. No only is this stronger, but it provides superior strength in a slim louver profile.

Continuous Tilt Rod Linkage



It is an astonishing fact that many shutter manufacturers tell their customers that the tilt rods on their shutters are only for synchronizing the angle of the louvers and should not be used as a handle to adjust the louvers. They tell their customers to adjust the angle by moving the louver, not the tilt rod. This is like a cabinet maker telling a home owner that drawer handles are only for decoration and should not be used for opening the drawer.

The reason for this is that they attach their tilt rods to the louver with a wire staple in the tilt rod. As the tilt rod is not very thick, the staples must to be extremely short. The long staples in the louvers themselves may be reasonably strong, but the short staples in the tilt rod can easily pull out. In fact, this is the most common failure seen in wooden shutters from other manufacturers.

This can never happen with an O'Hair shutter because we use a continuous metal linkage that is embedded into a slot in the back of the tilt rod.

Complete Privacy With a Sweeping View



O'Hair Horizons™ feature twin side-mounted tilt rods that provide an unobstructed view, yet offer total privacy.
The tilt rods are attached to the edges of the louvers and feature a channel that interlocks with the shutter frame, totally blocking all direct light. The metal reinforced continuous linkage tilt rods, as with the entire shutter, are warranted for the life of your home. (see warranty for details)

Ultra Strong Bookmatched Components


The grain pattern of wood is a source of its beauty, but it is also responsible for the tendency of wood to twist and warp over time. O'Hair shutters are made to last, and like a fine musical instrument that is passed down through the generations, the wood from which they are constructed must be highly stable. 

O'Hair Customs ™ and dealer-customized O'Hair Shutters™ retain their shape for generations because they, like a century-old master-built guitar,  are constructed from bookmatched wood. In this process, the wood blank is split into multiple sections that are rotated and then bonded together. The result is a mirrored grain pattern that is not only beautiful, but is structurally stable and arrow-straight.

When you purchase shutters for your home, you want your investment to last. With O'Hair Customs ™ and dealer -customized O'Hair Shutters™, we guarantee it.

Why is a true mortise and tenon joint superior?


Many manufacturers hold their shutter panels together with just a few dowels at the corners and a bit of glue. This means that the actual surface contact area is minimal and the panel can easily break.

The rails (horizontal frame members) of O'Hair shutters are milled with a protruding piece (or "tenon") that fits into a corresponding slot (or "mortise") in the stiles (vertical frame members). Depending on the shutter design, the tenons range in width from just under two inches to over 11" for the largest rails. That is huge! In addition, they are assembled with tenon screws that draw the tenon tight for an unassailable bond.

With some competing panels, if you drop them on the corner, the entire panel can literally fall apart. O'Hair shutter panels are absolutely rock-solid and built for absolute reliability.

For more information, view our Ten Reasons presentation.

Precise Architectural Integration

O'Hair offers the widest range of mounting options available. Rather than simply covering up existing trim or shimming in a commodity frame and concealing the gaps, O'Hair shutters are precisely tailored for each opening so that they can be smoothly integrated into the existing architecture.



View Some Dealer Installations

If you'd like to take a peek at some installations by various O'Hair dealers around the country, pay us a visit on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/ohairshutters/ohair-dealers/


The Features of O'Hair Exteriors™

We have a new interactive animation up for O'Hair Exteriors™ - the most durable and attractive hardwood exterior shutters in the neighborhood. Visit the Exteriors™features page.


The GrainSelect™ Process


The elegance of this formal study is enhanced with stained hardwood shutters from Hofer Wood Interior of Roanoake, Texas.
The natural woodgrain varies from one louver to the next. Rather than assembling the louvers in a random fashion, the O'Hair GrainSelect™ process arranges the louvers in a gradient sequence, creating a smooth transition from bottom to top.

Exteriors Brochure

O'Hair Exteriors™ are the first and only thermally modified exterior hardwood shutter and are ultra-resistant to pests and extremes of temperature and humidity. To learn more, view a PDF of the brochure.




Exterior Folding Panels


O'Hair Exteriors™ are available in a full range of configurations. In this example we see both standard rectangular panels below and arched Pattern Horizontals™ above, with paired panels at the left and right of the balcony and a bi-fold style for the balcony door.
O'Hair Exteriors™ are constructed from thermally modified hardwood and are the most durable exterior wood shutter on the market.

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