Helpful Information About All
Types of Blinds
When it
comes to purchasing blinds for your home the
possibilities can seem unlimited. There are so
many choices, wood or faux wood blinds,
plantation blinds, mini blinds, and value
blinds.
It is easy to get confused. We are here to help
you understand the different types of window
blinds, and the varying levels of quality.
Besides quality and price we will also discuss
how different types of blinds can affect the
light and feel of a room.
Express or Value Blinds vs. Custom Built Blinds
Partially pre-constructed window covering go by
a variety of names, including cut-down, express,
and value blinds. These blinds are constructed
in varying widths of two inch increments and are
then trimmed on both sides to fit your
particular window after being pulled from
inventory. They are then adjusted to fit the
exact height of your window. The materials used
to make these blinds are most often the same as
the material used to make custom or premium
blinds. They will usually be less expensive,
however, do so labor savings achieved by
assembling the blinds overseas. You will not
have the option of choosing the location of the
raise and lower control or tilt mechanism with
these blinds as they are already assembled when
you order them. Most often these blinds come
with the raise and lower cords on the right and
tilt control on the left. You will notice a more
limited color selection available with these
blinds than with custom produced blinds.
There are some high quality wood and fax wood
blinds produced as value lines. Many blind
dealers are able to match just about any dιcor
and have your blinds customized within 5 to 6
days. There is a difference between high quality
value line blinds and cheap standardized blind
products offered by the discount or home
improvement stores. These blinds are often
produced using low quality material and are not
cut to offer a precise fit for your window. A
value line blind from a reputable blind dealer
will cost you about the same price and give you
a much better fit and product.
Stock blinds offered by the discount stores are
designed to fit into standard sized window. The
problem, however, is that not all window will be
exactly the same. Because they are designed to
fit the maximum number of windows, they will
often not fit any window very well. Off the
shelf window coverings will not fit as well as
custom made blinds or shades. Stock blinds are
often just a little short on width to compensate
for different window types, often leaving gaps
of light on either side of the window. It will
also be necessary to remove slats from a stock
blind, as it was created to fit window of
varying heights. Unless you want an unsightly
stack of slats on the window sill you will need
to remove some of them. Stock blinds are often
created using the lowest quality materials, and
for the lowest price. Their low price reflects
the poor materials, lower quality hardware, and
fewer available options when it comes to both
size and color. You can usually expect your
stock blind to need to be replaced every three
to five years. You will have much better luck
purchasing an express or value blind from a high
quality blind dealer, and all for about the same
price.
When it comes to custom blinds, your windows are
precisely measured and then your blinds are
created to match. The blind is custom built to
be an exact fit for your window opening. Most
blind manufacturers will create your blind so
that you have Ό on either side to allow for
smooth operation of the blind. The bottom blind
piece should sit comfortable on the window sill.
The highest quality materials and hardware are
used in the construction of custom blinds. Top
quality manufactures, including Bali, Levelor,
Timber Blinds, HunterDouglas, Prestige, Royal
Window, and Graber, produce these blinds. You
have many color choices available, including
several stained wood tones and over 20 shades of
white. The blinds are constructed used Bass Wood
or other Asian Hardwoods, PVC for faux wood
blinds, and some composite materials. You can
purchase custom blinds from a variety of
sources, including design centers, your local
blind dealer, and online discount blind dealers.
Types of Window Blinds to Consider
Mini Blinds
Mini Blinds actually come in varying slat
widths, most commonly ½, 1, and 2. Many
different thicknesses of aluminum are used to
manufacture the slats. You will find lower
priced stock mini blinds with plastic slats. The
best quality mini blinds are constructed using
the thickest gauge aluminum. The popularity of
mini blinds in the home market peaked about ten
years ago, but you can still find them used
extensively in the commercial market. You can
find mini blinds in just about any color you can
think of.
Venetian Blinds
These are the traditional horizontal slat
blinds. As long as it has horizontal slats a
blind can fall into this category. Most blind
dealers will break down this category into
composite blinds, roman shades, wood blinds, and
PVC blinds.
Faux Wood "PVC" Blinds
The material for these blinds is a solid or
foamed poly vinyl chloride plastic. The last 15
years has seen a real rise in the popularity of
these blinds. You can typically find these
blinds with slat widths of 2, 2 ½, and 3.
When ordering this blind of blind you will need
to choose either an embossed wood grain or a
smooth surface and pick between various white or
wood tones. Some of the benefits of these blinds
are that they are easy to clean, waterproof, UV
resistant, and incredibly durable. Their
strength and durability make them an excellent
match for a childs room. The material of these
blinds does tend to be heavier than wood or
other materials, so using them for large window
can make them difficult to lift.
These blinds go by a multitude of names,
including WoodPlus, Infusion, Woodmates,
Envirowood, Faux Wood, and PVC. Whenever
purchasing these types of blinds check with your
dealer to ensure you are getting a good warranty
and that the blinds are constructed using a
solid foam PVC blind.
Composite Blinds
A combination of plastics, glue, and wood by
products are used to produce these blinds. This
is some of the newest material available on the
market today. You can find slats in either a
flat or elliptical shape and in standard widths
of 2, 2 ½, and 3. Either a smooth poly
coating or a solid composite material is used
for the surface of the slats. While your color
choice used to be limited to just various white,
you can now purchase these blinds in some fairly
nice stain colors. These durable blinds are
usually in the lower to middle of the price
range for blinds. These blinds are also easy to
clean, water and UV resistant, and much less
likely than wood to warp. While the slats of
composite blinds are lighter than PVC blinds,
they still tend to be rather heavy and may want
to be avoided when covering a large window.
Wood Blinds
You can find real wood used for both value and
premium blinds. Asian hardwoods are most often
used for the value wood blind slats while
American Basswood is used for the premium wood
blind slats. You get a natural resistance to
warping and a great cross grain from Basswood.
You can find wood blinds in a variety of slat
widths, most commonly 1, 2, 2 ½, and 3. They
will either paint or stain the surface of the
slats. You can get these blinds in almost any
color white or wood stain. Those who want a very
custom look can add cloth tape ladders. Wood
blinds are your best bet if you are trying to
match the stain on wood cabinets or furniture.
These blinds are the most expensive, and most
susceptible to fading and warping. They are,
however, lighter than PVC or composite which
makes them the ideal choice for larger windows.
Wood slat blinds are known by a large number of
trade names, including Royal Wood, Royal Budget
Wood, Timber view Value Wood Blinds, and Timber
View Premium
Wood Blinds.
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