Choosing the right blinds for your home is never easy. With a huge range of options available, making a decision can be tough. Both wood and faux wood blinds offer unique benefits and drawbacks. Here are five helpful questions you can ask yourself to decide which material is best for you. The answers will help you decide whether to choose wooden or faux wood blinds.
- Will The Blinds Be In A High Moisture Area?
Faux wood blinds are made from a range of material such as composite wood, vinyl and even a composite of wood and vinyl. The biggest advantage of faux wood blinds over real wood is that they resist moisture. If you plan to install blinds in a high moisture area, faux wood can give you the look of real wood without having to worry about cracking and warping. - Will Kids And Pets Play Near The Blinds?
Real wood blinds would be undesirable in areas where kids and pets might play or move. Faux wood blinds withstand the impact of kids and pets touching them or brushing up against them better than real wood blinds. As a safety note, you should always take proper safety precautions regarding the blind cord when installing blinds in areas where kids may play. Unfortunately, accidents such as strangulation can happen, so factor this in when choosing a window covering. - How Important Is Your Budget?
Faux wood blinds lack the warmth and exact look of real wood but few people will ever really notice. While real wood blinds offer a wider range of stains and colors than faux wood blinds, sometimes the budget is the overriding factor. There is always a limit to how much you can afford to spend on window coverings. Wood blinds cost around 20 percent more than faux wood blinds on average. - How Important Is Adding Value?
If you live in an older period home with a lot of wood in the décor, installing faux wood blinds could be a mistake. As faux wood blinds use vinyl for at least a portion of their slats, this could detract from the feel of the room and potentially devalue your home. According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA), homeowners should always think carefully about resale value before making home improvement decisions such as choosing window coverings. - Is Ease Of Use Important?
If you want faux wood blinds, there is no doubt that a wood/vinyl combination such as Everwood and NuWood are preferable to the vinyl or flimsy ‘foam’ blinds you can find at local hardware stores. However, all faux wood blinds require more strings – called ‘ladders’ – than real wood blinds. Even composite wood-vinyl blinds are flimsier than real wood, yet they weigh more. If you have a large window, wood blinds will go up far easier than faux wood blinds as they weigh less. Wood blinds are easier to use and the lower weight puts far less stress on the mechanism meaning that they last longer.
Conclusion
Answering these five questions should help you decide whether you need or want wood blinds or faux wood blinds for your home. If possible, find a local store where you can touch, test and see the differences for yourself.
These are all questions that similarly come in handy when choosing outdoor blinds for your home.