PVC or timber shutters?
This is the choice that changes both the price and how the shutter behaves in twenty years. It is not a quality question. It is a matching question: the right material for the conditions in each individual room.
Side by side.
| Factor | PVC (polymer) | Timber (basswood) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per m2 | $280 to $450 | $380 to $650 |
| Moisture | Unaffected. Wipes down, no swelling | Moves with humidity. Swells, cups, paint can lift |
| Maximum panel width | Narrower. More stiles across a wide opening unless aluminium cored | Wider. Fewer vertical breaks across a big window |
| Weight | Heavier per panel, needs solid fixing | Lighter, easier on old or lined reveals |
| Finish options | Painted colours only | Painted or stained, real grain visible |
| Cleaning | Damp cloth, including scrubbing | Damp cloth, avoid soaking |
| Best rooms | Bathroom, ensuite, laundry, kitchen, damp or shaded rooms | Living, dining, bedrooms, studies, wide feature windows |
Why timber moves and why that matters here.
Timber is hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture from humid air and releases it into dry air, and it changes dimension slightly as it does. A good factory finish slows the exchange dramatically but does not stop it. In a dry, heated, well ventilated living room that process is so slow it never becomes a problem, which is why timber shutters in Melbourne lounge rooms look fine after twenty years.
Sustained damp is a different story. Repeated wetting and drying cycles make a blade swell, then cup slightly as one face moves more than the other, and over years the paint film lifts along the blade edge where moisture sits longest. Once that starts it does not reverse. Most manufacturers exclude or heavily limit warranty on timber in wet areas, which tells you what they expect to happen.
Two local situations make this a live decision rather than a theoretical one. First, Emerald and the Dandenong Ranges, where it is genuinely cooler and wetter, fog sits late, south facing rooms hold damp for weeks and condensation on the glass is a normal winter event. Second, the new sealed estate homes in Officer and Clyde North, where moisture from showers and drying clothes has nowhere to escape and condenses on cold aluminium window frames. In both cases we specify PVC well beyond the obvious wet rooms.
Where timber genuinely wins.
Wide spans. Timber is stiffer for its weight, so a timber panel can run wider before it needs a mid rail or an extra stile. On a three metre living room window that is the difference between two vertical breaks and three, and on a feature window it is the single most visible quality difference between two shutter quotes. Aluminium cored PVC closes some of this gap but not all of it.
Stained finishes. If you want the look of real grain rather than a painted surface, timber is the only option. PVC is painted, always. On a period home with existing stained joinery, as discussed on our heritage shutters guide, a painted PVC shutter can look plainly out of place next to it.
Weight on old reveals. PVC panels are heavier than timber at the same size. In an older Beaconsfield home with lined or tired reveals, a lighter timber panel is easier to hang securely without additional backing.
Close inspection. At two metres nobody can tell. At arm's length, timber has a finer edge profile and a warmer feel. If the shutter is at a front entry where visitors stand right next to it, that matters more than it does on a bedroom window.
Where PVC is simply the correct answer.
- Bathrooms and ensuites. Steam, splashes and no realistic ventilation during a shower. Nothing else is sensible.
- Laundries. Same moisture story, plus the chance of the blade being splashed or knocked.
- Kitchen windows over a sink or cooktop. Grease and steam wipe off PVC with a detergent cloth.
- Shaded south facing rooms in the hills. Persistent damp, no drying, condensation on the glass.
- Rentals and investment properties. Lower cost, tougher surface, less to go wrong between tenancies.
- Whole home fit outs on a firm budget. All PVC keeps a four bedroom home near the bottom of the 9,000 to 22,000 dollar range shown on the cost guide, instead of the top.
Aluminium, the third option.
Aluminium shutters sit outside this comparison because they are an external product. At 500 to 800 dollars per square metre they cost more than either internal material, and they are built to take weather, sun and wind on an alfresco, a balcony or a west facing wall. Do not use them internally on cost or appearance grounds, and do not try to use PVC or timber outside, because neither will survive direct exposure. External options are covered properly on outdoor blinds.
There is also an aluminium cored PVC, which is an internal PVC shutter with a metal insert in the stiles for stiffness. It lets PVC run wider panels than it otherwise could, which is useful when you want PVC's moisture resistance on a large bathroom or laundry window without a forest of stiles across it. It costs a little more than standard PVC and it is worth asking for by name.
Frequently asked questions.
Is PVC or timber better for plantation shutters?
Will timber shutters warp in a bathroom?
Can you tell the difference between PVC and timber?
Which lasts longer?
See both materials in your own light.
We bring real PVC and timber samples to your home and hold them against your existing trim, room by room.