Wooden blinds are more expensive (as a general rule) than roller blinds, vertical blinds, faux-wood blinds, or aluminium Venetian blinds. They're around on a par with the cost of day and night blinds (also known as zebra blinds – not made from real zebras) and generally cheaper than Roman blinds.
All told, this means that sustainable blinds made of natural wood tend to be more costly than blinds made of other materials, including their faux-wood cousins. Faux wood blinds are made of PVC, a type of plastic, which is cheaper to produce.
Custom blinds are costly because they require a lot of labor when they are manufactured. People must have custom measurements taken, and that sometimes requires a person to come to the home to measure.
As of the time of publication, the price per blind can range from about $42 to as high as about $200, depending on the brand, color and size, and the average cost for a professional contractor to install blinds ranges from about $140 to $225 per blind.
Wood is a natural insulator and provides excellent protection from solar gain and UV, as well as helping to keep the heat inside of your home in winter. Faux wood blinds also provide a high level of insulation, however, so there's not really much difference to note in terms of insulation and energy efficiency.
The big difference is that unlike wood blinds, faux wood blinds are moisture resistant; hence they don't warp or fade on being exposed to humidity, making them ideal for high humidity areas like bathrooms, kitchens, washrooms, and laundry rooms.
For made-to-measure wooden blinds purchased from a quality manufacturer/retailer, we tend to find that most people change or replace their wooden blinds after about eight years.
Yes, faux wood blinds insulate very effectively in both directions, be that preventing the internal heat from escaping in winter, or preventing it from breaking in during the summer!
Although wooden blinds may seem like a heavy choice when decorating your windows, they are certainly ideal for small windows. As for their ability to block light, they are just as good as blackout blinds, thanks to the thick material.
More Energy Savings: Because custom blinds fit better, they provide higher levels of energy savings. Smaller gaps between the blinds and your window frame mean that less light and heat from the sun enter your home, helping you maintain more constant inside temperatures.
Fauxwood shutters aren't just stronger than real wood shutters, but they're also more durable due to their composite materials. Built with a reinforced interior designed to resist warping, fauxwood shutters are designed to last for many years.
Composite Faux Wood Blinds
Composite Faux Wood Blinds are the "better" choice in this good-better-best scenario. They are made with the same PVC material, but either have air bubbles infused or wood pulp mixed in.
Roman blinds are meticulously crafted; that is why the labour fee for creating a roman blind is very high. Also, a tremendous amount of time and detail is necessary. In reality, roman blinds are expensive, and that makes buyers think twice before purchasing one.
Wooden venetian blinds are a great way to shade your room, giving you the ability to control how much light is entering the room simply by rotating the slats. With such fingertip control, you are able to shade the room but often still leave space to see outside, depending on the position of the sun.
Generally, natural wood blinds are the most resistant to direct sunlight and heat and therefore do not warp in these extreme conditions.
According to Blinds.com's Sansone and Stoneside's Musgrove, cellular shades are often the most effective at blocking light. These shades are constructed with either a single or double layer of hollow cells, which not only block light, but also improve insulation and muffle noise.
Unlike roller blinds, vertical blinds and roman blinds, faux wood venetian blinds don't provide blackout room darkening. But they will block 90-95% of the light, depending on their slat width. Most faux wood venetians feature a wider slat size, which blocks more light than a thinner slat size.
Cellular Shades. Cellular shades, or honeycomb shades, are one of the most energy efficient window coverings you can buy. They use a series of honeycomb-like cell pockets to trap air around your windows, keeping your rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Some blinds are better at containing heat than others, so you will have to balance your blinds' aesthetics and functionality against how well it insulates. This means balancing the style of blind against the material it is made of. Wood is particularly good at containing warmth, as are thick fabrics.
Not only do faux wood blinds keep out the heat, but they can also keep the cold out.
Both vertical and horizontal blinds have a tendency to accumulate dust, lint and other debris, resulting in discoloration over time. When your blinds are originally white, this generally means they turn a murky yellowish color that is unattractive and undermines the appearance of an otherwise clean room.
Shutters outclass every other window treatment on the market when it comes to their lifespan. Even Ovation wood shutters, which don't last as long as faux wood shutters, can easily last up to 15 – 20 years. Their solid structure and protective finish gives them a layer of defense that helps them last.
Faux wood blinds are much heavier than real wood blinds. As such, for larger windows the weight becomes more and more of an issue. Consider this - faux wood blinds weigh approximately 2x's more than real wood blinds.