TRACK MOUNTED DESIGN
A track-mounted shutter hangs from a small wheel that slides along a top aluminium track. This supports the weight and allows multiple shutters to slide and fold to one side or the other. Track mounted shutters are used for wide openings like patio doors or room dividers. Matching the number of shutters to the door layout and understanding how they fold and stack back to the side of the window is important.
Track shutters are fitted, opened and used in a different way to normal shutters that are fitted in a frame. They slide open to the left or right of the opening, or they can be opened from the middle equally. As they slide in an overhead track it limits how they fold back. So they won’t wrap back around the wall, they protrude at 90 degrees into the room. You need an even amount of shutters when they slide in a track, so you can 2,4,6 or 8 shutters for example. Side stiles on track mounted shutters are 50mm wide, they have butt stiles with magnets between the stiles to help stay closed neatly in a line. Dmould stiles can be ordered, but not rebated ones.
They generally come with a bottom aluminium ‘M’ shaped guide or bottom board with a ‘U’ shaped track sunk within the board, these bottom guides just help the shutters glide along and open and close easily, they don’t take any weight. We recommend a Wooden shutter when using track mounted shutters as they are light and strong. MDF shutters are heavy and would flex as they tracked shutters are normally quite tall.
Track frames will be supplied in one length up to 3630mm, two lengths up to 7260mm and 3 lengths up to 9144mm. In wood, the maximum width of a shutter is 660mm, if you don’t have a bottom track its only 550mm. Due to the heights of patio doors, horizontal dividing rails are normally required, although if your door does not have any halfway features, consider voiding the guarantee and opting for louvres top to bottom with no rail so they match the doors, you can see photos of shutters like this in our gallery.