TomL8345
New member
Are the shutters the only support structure for the whole frame? Do you have any photos you could share? I find J channel 10x easier to drill than 1/2" PVC and I'm stuck in a similar situation where my windows are a white vinyl 1.25" edge (with the siding coming in behind that white edge). I'm really hesitant to drill into that white edge and I've wondered if the shutters can withstand the weight of a PVC frame. The more I think this through, the more I think J channel would work well because the longer side of the J could "rest against" the shutter's side, lay on the top edge, etc. The bay windows have no shutters so that'll complicate things for me for sure.
So I am only using SuperString LEDs so I just have the strings zip-tied to the PVC. Looking at my installation again I noticed that while I have the bottom clips screwed into the shutter, the upper clips are screwed into the trim board over my windows (and some of yours), but I am confident enough in the shutter clips to say that they could certainly support my frames if used both top and bottom.
This has gotten me thinking about how I would do this differently if I was starting with pixel nodes. I think I would attach two pipe clips to hold a horizonal bar both above and below the window, use Boscoyo's ChromaTrim for the Horizontals and just strech standard pixel strips between the two for the verticals. That way when you take it down you can just roll it up. Just a thought.