Rolling Shutter Guide
Applications
- What rolling shutters work for a cabin or seasonal home with no power?A manual shutter or a solar motor. Spring-loaded shutters you push up and pull down need no power, and a manual shutter can take a lock at the bottom on the side you choose, so you can lock up from outside. Solar motors need no wiring but need direct sun; Gaposa rates its solar motor down to 14 F.Read the guide →
- Can a rolling shutter secure a closet, gun room or safe room?Yes. A rolling shutter in or over the doorway puts a locked aluminum curtain across a closet, gun room or safe room. For the most security, choose the 63 mm single-wall slat with end retention and a lock at the bottom. It is a physical barrier, not a rated vault door: it carries no security or ballistic rating.Read the guide →
- How big should an outdoor TV enclosure be for a rolling shutter?Start from the TV's measured size, not its screen size. Add clearance for the clear opening (one example used about 2 in a side; confirm yours with us), add a guide rail each side to the width, and the box plus 2 in to the height. A recessed 6.5 in box needs about 7 to 7-1/2 in of depth.Read the guide →
- Can rolling shutters enclose a patio, lanai or carport?Yes. A patio, lanai or carport is usually closed with one shutter per bay, each running in its own guide rails between posts, with its box on the beam above. Because nothing stands behind the curtain, insulated-slat shutters should get a storm bar. One shutter can span up to 224 in on the 55 mm insulated slat.Read the guide →
- Can a rolling shutter be used as a room divider or interior pass-through?Yes. A rolling shutter can close an opening between two rooms, such as a kitchen and dining room, a serving window or a wide interior arch, and roll out of sight when open. For sound and visual separation, Roll-A-Shield recommends its insulated foam-filled slat, and a spring-loaded shutter that you simply pull down needs no power.Read the guide →
- Rolling shutter, roll-up door or security grille: what’s the difference?All three roll up into a coil above the opening. A rolling shutter is a curtain of interlocking aluminum slats sized for windows, doors and storefronts, solid or perforated. A roll-up door is a heavy-gauge industrial door for warehouse and service-bay openings. A security grille is an open curtain you can see through, chosen when a display must stay visible.Read the guide →
- Can you put a rolling shutter over a sliding glass door or French doors?Yes. The shutter usually mounts on the outside wall, with the box above the door and a guide rail each side of the opening. If a handle or hinge sticks out, 1 x 2 in furring moves the shutter out 1 or 2 in so the curtain clears it. Plan on the box size plus 2 in above the door.Read the guide →
- Can a rolling shutter go over a skylight or be mounted horizontally?No. A rolling shutter only works vertically. The curtain relies on gravity to drop down the guide rails and rolls up into a box at the top, so it cannot lie flat over a skylight, follow a pitched roof or pergola, or run sideways. Laid flat or at an angle, the curtain would not come down properly and would jam.Read the guide →
Parts and next step
Need a part or a hand?
Replacement motors, remotes, straps, slats and hardware ship from our Tempe, Arizona factory. Phoenix-area owners can book a service visit; everywhere else, our technicians help by phone. Call (480) 921-0200; the factory answers technical questions for any rolling shutter, not only ours.