Fitting your shutters yourself.

A calm, prepared start makes everything that follows easier.

1. Unpack and check. Lay everything out and confirm you have the frame sections, all panels, the fixings, hinge pins and any cover strips. Keep the parts for each window together; if you've several windows, don't let their pieces mix.
2. Protect the room. Work on a dust sheet or blanket. Shutter faces are finished surfaces and scratch easily against a hard floor.
3. Read the orientation marks. Frame sections are usually marked for top, bottom, left and right. Note them now so assembly is straightforward.

A helper helps: larger shutters are much easier to hold level with a second pair of hands at the fixing stage.

The frame is built flat on the floor before it goes anywhere near the window.

1. Lay the sections out face up on your protected surface, matching the corners so the frame takes shape in front of you.
2. Join the corners. The sections connect with the supplied corner keys, which locate into the pre-cut grooves at each end. Insert the rounded edge first, then press the joint together until the corners sit flush.
3. Work around the frame until every corner is closed and square. If a mid-rail or divider is supplied, fit it now as directed by the parts.

Protect the finish: if a joint needs persuading, cushion it. A folded piece of card between any tool and the frame prevents marks.

The goal here is a frame that sits perfectly level and square, held firmly to a surface that can take the weight. Take your time, as everything above depends on this stage being right.

1. Offer the frame up. Lift it into the reveal (or onto the wall face) in the exact position you want it. Rest it on packers if needed to hold it while you check.
2. Level and square it. Use your spirit level on every side. Slide thin packers behind the frame at the corners and edges until it's plumb, level and sitting square in the opening. Walls are rarely perfectly true, and packers are how you correct for that.
3. Mark and drill. With the frame held true, mark your fixing points through the frame. Take the frame back out, drill at your marks, and fit the right wall plug for your wall.
4. Fix gradually. Return the frame, line up the holes and start your screws, but don't drive any fully home until they're all started. Fix one top corner, re-check level, then the opposite corner, then work round. Tighten evenly.

Know your wall: solid brick or block holds an ordinary wall plug well. A hollow or plasterboard-lined reveal needs a fixing designed for hollow walls, or a solid batten behind, as plasterboard alone will not hold a shutter frame. If you're unsure what's behind your plaster, stop and check before drilling.

Don't over-tighten: screws only need to be firm. Driving them too hard can bow the frame and throw the panels out of line. Snug, not forced.

With the frame secure, the panels go on quickly.

1. Check which way is up. Panels have a correct orientation: when the louvres are closed upward, the room should darken. Confirm this before hanging so a panel doesn't go on upside down.
2. Line up the hinges on the panel with those on the frame, and slide the hinge pin down through them to lock each panel in place. Support the panel until the pin is fully seated.
3. Work along the window until every panel is hung, checking each swings freely as you go.

A panel not sitting right? Small hinge adjustments or a thin packer behind a hinge can lift a corner that's dropped. Adjust gently until the panels align and close evenly.

The details that separate a fitted shutter from a finished one.

1. Fit the cover strips. If your shutters came with decorative strips to conceal the frame joints or screw heads, clip or press them into place now.
2. Seal the edges. A fine bead of decorator's caulk around the outside of the frame closes any small gap between frame and wall for a crisp, built-in look. Use a suitable sealant in bathrooms and kitchens.
3. Test everything. Open and close each panel, and tilt the louvres fully both ways. Check the panels meet cleanly and any magnets catch. Stand back and enjoy it.

Take your time on the caulk: a steady hand and a damp cloth to wipe the excess before it skins gives the neatest finish.