How to replace a whole roller shutter: measure, remove and fit

What you need

• Tape measure and pencil
• Phillips and flat screwdrivers
• Pliers and an adjustable or socket spanner
• Drill with a 6 mm bit (in case you need to re-plug)
• Stepladder
• Goggles, work gloves and sheeting for the floor
• New made-to-measure roller shutter (slats, axle and clips), in PVC or aluminium (Gaviota, Alumbra or another)
• New strap and winder if the old ones are worn
• Rubber stops and joining clips or springs
• 6 mm Fischer plugs and stainless steel screws
• Silicone spray

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the shutter is manual

   If it has a motor or remote control, switch off the breaker for that circuit at the consumer unit and do not touch the wiring. This guide is only for strap or crank shutters. With a motor, call a technician.

2. 2

   Measure the old shutter

   Measure the width of a slat from end to end, the height from the axle to the sill, the axle diameter, the type of box and the colour. Take photos of the box and the clips.

3. 3

   Buy or order the new one

   Leroy Merlin or Bricodepot will order it made to size and it usually takes a few days. When it arrives, check that it has the axle, clips and stops and that the sizes match your notes.

4. 4

   Lower the shutter fully and protect the area

   Lower the old shutter right down. Cover the floor with sheeting and clear furniture from the sill. Keep pliers and screwdrivers to hand.

5. 5

   Open the box and release the strap

   Unscrew or open the box cover. Release the strap from the winder, holding it with a peg so it does not slip in. Note how everything is fitted.

6. 6

   Unhook the shutter from the axle

   With the shutter lowered, find the clips or springs that join the first slat to the axle. Take off the screws or clips carefully. If there is a tensioned compensation spring, do not handle it and call a technician.

7. 7

   Take out the old shutter

   With another person helping, pull the slats down until they slide out of the guides. If it is heavy, lower it a little at a time. Remove the old axle if you are replacing that too.

8. 8

   Clean and check the guides and box

   Go over the guides and the box with a brush and vacuum cleaner. Remove dust, sand and rust. Check the axle brackets and the plugs. Replace any that are loose.

9. 9

   Fit the new shutter

   Feed the shutter into the guides from above and fix the first slat to the axle with the clips. Fit the rubber stops to the last slat and seat the axle in its brackets. Feed through the new strap, put it on the winder and check the tension.

10. 10

    Test, adjust and close up

    Raise and lower the shutter three times. Check it runs straight and the stops brake where they should. Close the box cover and spray silicone on the guides. Wait 24 hours before washing it.

Replace the whole shutter or fix one part: how to decide

Before buying a new shutter, check what is really wrong, because replacing everything costs quite a lot more than changing one part. If only the strap, the winder or the stops are faulty, fix them: see how to replace a roller shutter strap and how to fix a roller shutter winder. If it has come out of its guide, see roller shutter dropped off track.

Replace the whole shutter when the slats are broken or warped by the sun in more than 3 or 4 places, when the axle is bent, when rust has eaten the parts, when you want to go from PVC to insulated aluminium, or when the shutter is so old that spare parts are not available. There are other faults that look similar and do not mean replacing it; in how to fix a roller shutter you will find the 7 most common.

How to measure and choose the new shutter

Measure the width of the old shutter from one end of a slat to the other, not the free opening, because the slat goes a few centimetres into each guide. Measure the height from the axle to the sill with the shutter lowered. Take the axle diameter (octagonal 40 mm in small homes or 60 mm in large openings) and check whether the box is internal (a box inside the wall) or external.

The most common are PVC slats, cheap and light, and aluminium, which stands up to sun and weather better. Gaviota and Alumbra are well known makes, and Leroy Merlin or Bricodepot will order shutters made to size. Also note the colour, the operating system (strap, crank handle or motor) and the number of rubber stops.

Common mistakes when replacing a shutter

These are the slips we come across most often when the new shutter does not fit:

• Measuring the opening instead of the shutter. The new shutter does not fit the guides. Measure the old one.
• Forgetting the rubber stops. Without stops, the last slat bangs against the box and breaks.
• Poor attachment to the axle. The first slat must be held by the clips or springs that come with the axle. If not, the shutter drops suddenly.
• Dismantling a motorised shutter without disconnecting it. You must cut the power at the consumer unit before touching anything. Do not handle the wiring.
• Raising and lowering with dirty guides. Sand and salt jam them. Clean them before fitting.
• Beware of compensation springs. On large or heavy shutters the box may hold tensioned springs that release suddenly. If you see one, do not touch it.

When to call a professional

Call a technician if the shutter is large or heavy (from 2 m wide), if it has an electric motor, if access to the box is awkward, if the cover cannot be opened or if something is missing (bent guides, broken box). Also if you would rather have the same person measure and fit it and give you a guarantee.

In our roller shutter repair service there is no fixed rate for a complete replacement, because it depends on the size and the material: we quote labour by the hour (€35-45 for the first hour and €28-35 per hour after that) plus the shutter. As a guide, replacing the axle or pulleys costs €80-150 and repairing a dropped or jammed shutter €50-120. See all the figures in how much it costs to repair a roller shutter. If you are in Valencia, see roller shutter repair in Valencia. Fixed price by WhatsApp from a photo and measurements, arrival in 20-45 minutes and a 6-month written guarantee.

Sun, salt air and damp: which shutter to choose on the coast

On the Alicante and Valencia coast, the south and west sun dries out cheap PVC within a few summers: the slats fade, warp and split. Lacquered aluminium holds up better, and slats with polyurethane foam insulate against heat. Ask for stainless steel fixings and aluminium guides; with salt air on the seafront, ordinary fixings rust and the shutter jams.

After fitting, clean the guides every year with a dry brush and apply silicone spray, not cooking oil, which attracts sand. If you wash the slats with water, rinse with fresh water. And do not forget how to clean roller shutters so the new one lasts for years. If you see mould or damp in the box, deal with the cause before closing it up.