Frames Guide
Shutter frames,
explained
Almost every shutter hangs from a frame, and the frame decides where the shutter sits and how neatly it meets your window. There are three you'll usually hear about: Insert-L, Camber Deco and Z-Frame. Here's what each one does, and why we fit the one we do.
The three frames at a glance
Inside the recess
Insert-L
Our standard frame. Usually fitted at the front of the recess, on battens where it's needed.
On the wall, around the recess
Camber Deco
For windows that open inwards, where there's no room for a shutter inside the recess.
Inside, with a lip on the wall
Z-Frame
Common across the industry, and only suited to square-edged recesses. We rarely use it, and we explain why below.
The drawings on this page look down on the left-hand side of a window from above, with the room at the top and the glass at the bottom.
Our Standard
Insert-L
This is our workhorse, and the frame we use most. It fits inside the recess. It was intended to sit right back against the window frame, but there's a catch: fitted that far back, the panels can only open until they touch the edge of the recess. So our usual position is at the front edge of the recess, where the panels can swing open freely.
An Insert-L is designed to fit up against something solid. Where it's needed, we first fit a three-sided batten inside the recess, a square 40mm by 40mm timber that sits behind where the frame will go. That batten does the clever bit. It's fitted closely to the sides of the recess, however square or out of square they are, so the Insert-L we fit in front of it can be perfectly rectangular, three-sided or four-sided. Any gap between the batten and the recess wall that needs sealing, we seal.
Between the front edge of the frame and the wall there's a small shadow gap, which can vary where the recess isn't square. It can be caulked if it needs to be.
In some homes the window allows the Insert-L to sit right back against the window frame with no batten at all, and when that's the case, that's what we do.
Inward-Opening Windows
Camber Deco
This is the frame we turn to when your windows open inwards. If the window swings into the room, there's simply no space to put a shutter inside the recess, so the Camber Deco sits on the outside edge of the recess instead. It comes three-sided or four-sided, and it adds about 51mm all round to the size of the shutter.
Widely Used Elsewhere
Z-Frame
This is probably the most widely used frame in our industry, and the one we use least. A Z-Frame sits inside the recess, with a lip that rests on the wall at the front. It's only appropriate on square-edged recesses.
It looks as though it hides gaps, and from inside the room it does. The trouble is that the gap doesn't disappear, it just moves behind the frame, and it's usually bigger than the gap our method leaves. From outside, looking in through the glass, it can be seen.
Why we do it our way
Fitting a batten first and then a perfectly square Insert-L gives you a straight, crisp shutter, with only a small shadow gap at the front, not a bigger one hidden behind the frame. In our experience it's a far better installation, and it's the reason we rarely reach for a Z-Frame, even though many in the industry do.
So if you live in an older home and your windows aren't perfectly straight, there's nothing to worry about. That's the job the batten was made for.
Frame questions
My windows aren't straight. Do I need a Z-Frame?
No. Many older windows are a little out of square, and that's exactly what our battens are for. We fit a batten inside the recess that follows the recess, lean and all, then fit a perfectly rectangular Insert-L in front of it. You get a straight, square shutter.
Who decides which frame I get?
We do, at the survey, after we've measured every window and checked how it opens. If your windows open inwards you'll usually need a Camber Deco. For almost everything else it's an Insert-L, with or without battens depending on the window. We'll always explain what we've chosen and why.
Do you always fit battens?
No, only where they're needed. In some homes the window lets the Insert-L sit right back against the window frame with no batten at all, and when that's the case, that's what we do.
Why do you usually fit at the front of the recess?
So the panels can open properly. If an Insert-L is fitted right back against the window, the panels can only swing open until they hit the edge of the recess. Fitting it at the front edge lets them open freely.
Does a Camber Deco make the shutter bigger?
Yes. Because it sits on the wall around the recess rather than inside it, a Camber Deco adds about 51mm all round to the size of the shutter.
Is the frame an extra cost?
The frame is included in every shutter we price, and it's never a separate line on your quotation. A Camber Deco makes the shutter a little larger, and that's reflected in its price.
Last reviewed: by David Browne, Project Director
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