During the 1990s a new trend began to take hold in the United States, that of interior wooden shutters. This was a small part of a widespread increase in the use of window accessories in real wood. Unfortunately, wood shutters were on the high end of the price scale, so wood blinds became a viable alternative. As usually happens, the trend has now reversed, and instead of wood blinds, the market for wood shutters has become more popular, especially that of faux wood, a material that has the effect of wood but at a lower cost.
Why Choose Faux Wood
Consumers buy window shutters for both privacy and to shade the room from the rays of the sun. Unlike blinds, shutters can completely shade the room, thus letting less light into the room. Because faux wood shutters are usually made from PVC or a similar composite material, they can provide the consumers with all the advantages of real wood, including the attractiveness, without the cost factors involved with real wood.
How Trends Have Changed
In the past, wood blinds were a luxury only afforded the rich, but the development of the faux wood shutter has made them more affordable. In fact, the introduction of faux wood has even forced manufacturers of real wood to lower their prices in order to prevent a total loss of sales. This means that although more people can afford real wood shutters, fax wood shutters are still a less expensive option. This narrowing of the price gap between the two types of blinds means that approximately 50% of blinds currently sold in the US are fax wood while the percentage for shutters is likely to be within the same range.
Concern for the environment may also influence people into buying faux wood instead of real wood shutters because they are concerned with natural wood depletion and replacement. Of course, you may find some who will argue that natural wood is biodegradable material while PVC and composite materials may create additional future refuse disposal issues. For most consumers, these problems are not even a consideration, but it's important to take them into consideration for those who may make their decision based upon one of those issues.
Advantages of Faux Wood
Compared to real wood, faux wood shutters have the advantage when it comes to strength and damage resistance. For example, a faux wood shutter will not warp, fade or crack, and over long periods of sun exposure, PVC will keep its shape and texture far better than its real wood counterpart. Though many people may be able to tell the difference between real wood and faux wood, the purpose is to create a real wood "look" to the room that the casual observer fails to note from a distance.
If you are spending lots of time in the house during the day, chances are, at some time or other, you must have been irritated by the sunlight streaming into your home. At first, the light seems to be bearable. However, over some time, you soon discover that the light actually irritates the eyes and cause distraction.
The quickest way to solve this problem is to install shutters on the windows. In the market today, you can find shutters that are made from PVC, Vinyl, or wood. There are generally categorized into interior shutters, and exterior shutters.
Interior shutters usually come at a cheaper price compared to exterior shutters. Wood shutters have become a rather popular choice of late. Because they are made of wood, which is a raw material found in nature, it has the ability to create a rather relaxing ambience in the home. This is something that shutters made from other materials cannot achieve.
Exterior shutters are generally more expensive. That is because since they are made to withstand wear and tear in the outdoors, they are usually made from more durable wood such as Cedar.
Installation for wood shutters is a breeze. The shutters can be mounted on a thin frame, or they can be installed just on the outside of the frame. You can hire contractors to install the shutters for you, or you can try to install the shutters yourself.
Besides getting rid of the distractions cause by unwanted sunlight, wood shutters can also help to keep out all other unwanted elements. For example, when the weather is chilly, the shutters help to keep out the chill.
Finally, besides practical functions, wood shutters can also help improve the overall looks of your home. You can choose from many different designs. For sure, there will be something that fits into the current design of your home.
Purchasing and installing wood shutters is not an expensive affair. Of course, the grade of the materials used affect the price of the wood shutters. The workmanship also matters as well.
For instance, if you choose wood shutters that is made in USA, you can expect higher quality wood shutters. However, be prepared to pay a slightly higher price though.
Recent improvements in technology means that you now have a wider range of options. You can install full view arch shutters in your home if you like. These are new designs, and they are still not that common in homes yet.
Both Adam Peters & Gen Wright 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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