In the past there were far fewer choices in home building materials as today. You had the narrow choice of wood, metal, or stone. After the long process of harvesting or mining the material, it then had to be molded into the shape needed in order to build with. This was the home building process in a nutshell of yesteryear.

The present time however makes for a much different setting. Using synthetic materials and composites, such as faux wood, that are unique to the alternative natural materials – makes things quite a bit easier and provides a much better variety.

Here's a run down of how faux wood is made.

The phrase faux just means that it's not genuine or naturally produced. If you're referring to wood, it means that it's not real wood, but it looks just like it. Yet, though it may look just like real wood, which is of course what you're after, it does not behave like real wood.

The material used in faux wood shutters is actually a polyurethane material. Basically, it's a really strong plastic. It's a compressed, man-made material that's consistent from the inside out. This makes for a good material for your home building needs.

When you use real wood, the edge that's cut needs to be refinished – either needing to be painted or stained to match the face of the shutter. However with faux wood, the material is the same from the inside out. When the surface is cut, it doesn't splinter and better yet, it's the same color all the way through, no touch-up or refinishing required!

Real wood is greatly affected by moisture and temperature changes due to the fact that it's very porous. Have you ever noticed that in the summer you have trouble opening and closing doors? It's simply because with the heat and humidity – actually moisture of any kind – the wood expands and warps. During cooler months the wood shrinks back to its normal size. Much of this warping that is not reversible once the weather changes.

There is no change in size or shape just because of the weather when using faux wood. For instance, using faux wood for replacement doors is a common practice these days for that very reason. It also keeps a vivid finished look without needing to be repainted often. It's easily washed using mild detergents and looks as new as the day it was installed.

When installing wood shutters, the slats will be stapled with tiny staples inserted into the frame of the shutter, which will likely cause a problem over time – because the staples will work their way out. The slats to the shutter then begin to fall out.

In contrary, the slats on faux wood shutters can be attached with strong adhesives that won't likely become detached with time.

Another great benefit of faux wood is that it's treated with repellant for dust. This causes the dust in the air to drift on by instead of sticking to its surface. This makes decreases the need for housekeeping. Wood shutters on the other hand need to be dusted quite often to keep them looking clean.

If you're looking to add replacement doors, or new shutters to into your home building plans, then faux wood may very well be the right choice for you and your needs.