Few things are as Maltese as the persjana — the louvred timber shutter that manages sun, breeze and privacy in one elegant object. And few things are as universally neglected: painted shut, sagging on tired hinges, slats hanging at angles like broken piano keys. Shutters are absolutely repairable; the trick is knowing which failures are worth what.
Traditional louvred persjani
The usual failures
- Sagging and scraping: hinges wear, screws strip in old timber, and the shutter drops until it drags. Fix: rehang with longer screws or hinge repositioning — a classic handyman visit item at €30 – €70 per aperture.
- Broken or stuck slats: individual louvres crack or their control rod staples fail. A carpenter-leaning handyman can replace single slats and re-staple rods; a shutter with half its slats gone is a workshop job.
- Seized hardware: decades of paint over hinges and espagnolette bolts. Freeing, cleaning and lubricating is fiddly but cheap; replacing period-appropriate hardware costs more in sourcing than in labour.
- Rot at the bottom rail: water sits there. Small rot spots take splice repairs; widespread softness means rebuilding or replacing the leaf.
Repair or replace?
Traditional persjani in solid timber are almost always worth repairing — replacement like-for-like joinery is expensive, and in Urban Conservation Areas the style is effectively part of the streetscape (the same planning context as facade painting). A full strip and repaint of a weathered pair, priced with the prep logic of our painting cost guide, typically lands at €150 – €400 per aperture and buys a decade.
Roller shutters
The modern apartment's version fails differently: snapped lifting straps (€40 – €80 to replace), slats jumping the guide rails, seized locks, and on motorised units, dead motors or remotes (€150 – €350 for a motor swap). Strap and rail problems are standard handyman fare; motors are a job for providers who do them regularly — say which type you have when posting.
The maintenance nobody does
Twice a year: brush the salt dust off, silicone-spray the tracks and hinges (not oil — it collects grit), check drainage holes on roller housings, and touch up failed paint before winter. Ten minutes per shutter, and the repair list above mostly never happens. It slots naturally into the autumn small-jobs visit.
Getting it fixed
Photograph each problem shutter open and closed, plus close-ups of the failure — the sagged corner, the broken slat, the snapped strap — and post the lot as one request on Qabbad's handyman page. Shutter work rewards batching: the per-aperture price drops sharply when the ladder is already up. Coastal localities like Sliema and San Pawl il-Baħar are persjani heartland, and providers there see every one of these failures weekly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does shutter repair cost in Malta?
Rehanging and hardware repairs run €30 to €70 per shutter; slat and rod repairs €50 to €150 depending on joinery; roller shutter straps €40 to €80; motor replacements €150 to €350. Full restoration with repainting runs €150 to €400 per aperture.
Should I repair or replace old wooden persjani?
Repair, in most cases — solid old timber is better than most new stock, and like-for-like replacement joinery is costly. Replace only when rot is widespread through rails and stiles, and check local planning expectations before changing style.
Why does my roller shutter only lift halfway?
Usually a frayed or slipping strap, debris in the guide rails, or slats that have jumped alignment after a slam. All are quick professional fixes — forcing it past the resistance is how a €50 repair becomes a €300 one.