Guest Blogger: Faux Blinds Vs. Wood Blinds: Which Are Right for Your Home?

Guest Blogger #495, Entry #1138, April 30, 2012

This is the time of year when people are spring cleaning their homes. With that, there sometimes comes the urge to do a bit of renovating. As you’re looking at the curtains in your living room and kitchen, you may have found yourself thinking about switching over to blinds. After all, the look of them tends to be more modern, you definitely have more control over the natural light in your space and they come in a wide variety of options to choose from including both faux and wood blinds.

Actually, the more thought that you’re putting into updating your window treatments, you are reaching the conclusion that blinds are definitely the way to go. Your online search is proving that you like the “wood look” and you think it’s something that would fit nicely in your home. Now you just need to know if you should go with the faux or the wood.

Before making a final decision, here are three things to consider.

Faux or real – which type of wood blinds suit your home?

Image via: Decor8 Blog

Appearance

Fake wood, in many ways, has definitely come a long way. Just think about how many hardwood floor homes you’ve gone into, only to discover that they were actually laminated. Yet, there’s still something very genuine and authentic about real wood and this definitely applies to the difference of appearances when it comes to real wood blinds vs. faux wood ones. Plus, real wood blinds come in a vast variety of colors and stains that simply provide a rustic and timeless feeling to any room. They also tend to be lighter in weight than faux blinds. Plus, faux ones tend to have sizing limitations and over time (because, again, it’s just wood that looks like it’s real), it can turn a shade of yellow.

Cost

If you’ve ever purchased any kind of real wood anything before, then you can probably guess which comes out on top in this department. Real wood blinds are definitely more expensive than faux wood ones are. The main reason is because fake wood blinds are made from synthetic materials. You can go to Blinds.com to get a comparison of the difference in cost between the real thing and the imitations.

Should you spend the extra money for real wood blinds?

Image via: Smith and Noble

Quality

This one may depend on how you define “quality” because wood blinds are, without question, an investment that can be made into your home for years and years to come. However, there are some things about faux blinds that may cause you to want to go with them, instead. For one thing, they are definitely more durable and so if you have children or pets in your house, faux ones would probably be a wiser choice. Another plus is that since they are made to be moisture-resistant, they are the perfect kind of window treatment for rooms that traditionally have more humidity in them like kitchens and bathrooms. Also, being that they’re made from synthetic materials, they are much easier to clean. All you need is a wet cloth to wipe them down with.

So, if you’re looking for a bottom line answer of what is better, it would probably depend on what you’re looking for overall. If you want blinds that are classic and luxurious, go with the wood ones. Oh, but if you want some that are cost-effective and convenient, the faux will, by far, be your better choice.

For more living room and bedroom ideas on Stagetecture, click here.