Such was the case of a young new homeowner, giddy with first time buyer's joy. Monique's furniture had arrived and the walls were freshly painted. Her focus then turned to her fourteen brand new windows that commanded proper dressing. After spending the better part of an evening surfing the various online blind stores, Monique finally knew what she wanted. She wanted the look and versatility of beautiful blinds, with all the bells and whistles, at rock bottom prices. Monique wanted wood, not aluminum, but hadn't decided on real wood or faux wood. As long as they looked and felt real, she could handle faux. I was happy to jump in at this point to clarify the differences.
I informed her that there are three types of wood blinds, real wood, and two faux woods varieties, which are a vinyl polymer, or a vinyl polymer/wood composite. All are great choices and they each have their own appeal as well as assets and liabilities.
We started with real woods. Real woods for the most part are made of basswood. It's a light hardwood that either comes stained in a huge assortment of wood tones, or painted mostly in the white family. The best part about wood blinds is, simply, they are beautifully 100% wood. They are the most energy efficient, and the most lightweight. Since they are lighter than the alternative faux wood blinds, they can be manufactured in larger sizes and don't have as many ladders, which makes for a less cluttered look. They have the most options available, such as choice of valances, and numerous lift and tilt options, including a motorized tilt. On the downside, because they are a natural product they can warp or mildew in extreme conditions over long periods of time
Vinyl Faux Woods are by far the least expensive. From a short distance, they do look like wood blinds, won't warp, and are easy to clean. They do have the least number of options available though. If you find a manufacturer that offers the decorative tape option, be sure to think it through, as it can become very busy, due to the many ladders required to string the heavier slats. On the downside, they can yellow over time and can show scratches.
Composite Faux Woods stand in the middle, by virtue of material composite, cost, and attractiveness. They are not as affordable as vinyl, but more affordable than real wood. The slats have a tinted baked on hard shell finish that won't show scratches. They won't yellow and they weigh less than the vinyl, thus less ladders. Choices of options when compared to the vinyl also increase. This is a good-looking product and has fooled many people into thinking its real wood. The downside, it's not 100% real wood. It is a faux.
After much deliberation, Monique decided the composite faux wood blind, with an attractive price tag and natural oak finish would work best for her. When considering wood blinds, think wood, think faux, and think options.
Faux Wood Blinds Vs
One key point about real wood products for window treatments is that their cost is moderately high. This fact usually puts a red light somewhere on the way of deciding on how much we want to spend to get them.
So, what can you do if you want the look and feel of real wood, but the price stops you before you can make a good decision? You've guessed it ? look into more economical faux wood blinds.
In a short period of time, faux wood blinds have created some serious competition for the classic wood blinds ?in the raw?.
?Faux? wood means ?imitation? wood. Different manufacturers call the same faux (imitation) wood blinds by different names like ? Everwoods ?, NuWoods ? or Woodmates ?. Regardless of the name, the slats and bottom rails on these blinds are made of vinyl alone, or composite materials, which are wood and vinyl.
The use of vinyl in these products, be it a portion or 100%, makes them moisture-resistant, more durable and they cost much less to produce. The advantages can help you while deciding which blinds to get. First, the price is better. Second, you can use faux wood blinds in the areas of high humidity and traffic (where real wood blinds would suffer with visible damages on them).
As it is with every product, there are pros and cons about faux wood blinds.
The Pros ?
Cost much less to produce
Resist moisture
Slats don't warp
Slats are easily changeable
Resist abuse in high-traffic areas
Give the look and feel of real wood products for less
The Cons ?
The faux wood materials are heavier than wood
(large sizes of individual blinds are limited by the material weight)
Faux wood slats are less rigid than wood ones and need more support ladders
(support strings that run from top to bottom and space out individual slats from each other)
Cheaper, 100% vinyl products may ?yellow? over time
Still limited in color and finish choices
(the technologies for the finished-look choices have improved dramatically over the last few years though)
After all of this ?battle?, what's our suggestion for the best choice you can make?
For the real wood blinds, if you still prefer them over faux woods, you can't go wrong with your investment because they do add value and natural feel to your home d'cor.
Manufacturers use Basswood, Poplar, Maple, Cherry and even Knotted Pine wood to bring you ample finish and stain color choices to match your furniture, flooring or window frames more accurately.
On the other hand, if you can compromise, alloy or composite (wood and vinyl mix) faux wood blinds over deliver for a modest investment.
The battle between real wood blinds and faux wood blinds is silently going on. And the way it's going, it's looking good in your favor ? the customer. It simply gives you new, more economical choices while buying wood or faux wood blinds. Now, without having to sacrifice that natural look at a premium price, you can have a look-alike for less, no matter which room in your home or cabin.
Both Mary Hasti & Lu Smith are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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