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Wood
Blinds vs. Vinyl Blinds:
Which is the Best?
You could go back and fourth all day trying to
decide between wood or vinyl blinds.
The truth of the matter is that both
products have benefits as well as
disadvantages.
Therefore, the trick is to look at all
the benefits as well as all the disadvantages
of each and how they apply to each room of your
home.
There are 18 windows
across the front of my home.
From the street they appear to have all
the same style and type of window blinds.
However, unless you are inside my house
and are actually touching and inspecting my
blinds you would not know that in fact, I have
three different types of blinds.
When choosing between wood blinds and vinyl
blinds, other than the difference in price and
color options, it is important to realize that
both types have advantages and disadvantages to
consider.
You will pay more for
two-inch wooden blinds than for two-inch vinyl
blinds. However,
with vinyl blinds you can often find an
unlimited array of colors as well as faux wood
finishes.
Where as with wood blinds you are often
limited to only a very few color choices as
well as finishes.
If your home has stained wood trim and
molding, then it may be easier for you to match
the stain with wooden blinds than find vinyl
blinds that match your trim.
However, be warned that you may not find
the perfect match with either.
The next big difference between wood and vinyl
blinds is humidity.
In rooms that have high amounts of
humidity such as kitchens, baths, laundry
rooms, and rooms that have indoor hot tubs and
spas, do not install wood blinds.
The high amount of humidity will cause
the wood to warp over time.
Yes, we have received emails from all
over the world from people telling us that they
have installed wood blinds in such room with no
problems. We have also received emails from people who have told us
that the wood blinds looked great---until the
grandchildren came to visit and after a week of
the bathroom actually being used the wood
blinds were horribly warped.
However, I will stress for those of you
who have a window over your stove—do not
install either wood or vinyl blind.
The hot steam from cooking will warp the
wood blind and will melt the vinyl. For the few windows located over stoves and cook
ranges—please use aluminum.
Before you decide between wood or vinyl blinds,
visit your local home supply warehouse and take
a close look at both.
Many times the selection at your local
home improvement store is remarkable and the
price costs are also often considerable less
than at specialty window treatment stores. Then go back home and walk into each room and ask yourself
which would do better wood or vinyl in this
room. Don’t
be afraid to mix and match wood and vinyl
blinds throughout your home.
Once you have decided which
type of blind to install in what room,
carefully measure the windows in that room.
If you hire a professional to come to
your home, don’t allow yourself to be
pressured in to making a decision that you are
unsure of or are uncomfortable with. Many professionals work off of commission and are highly
motivated from a monetary standpoint.
For this reason, the more expensive
window treatments are more often recommended
and pushed hard to sell.
The more money you spend, the more money
they make so stick to your decisions.
Remember, you hired them to work for
you.
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