Window Blinds for Beginners - All You Need To Know About Blinds

Confused by all the different products and prices?

Plantation Blinds or Wood and Faux Wood Blinds, Value Blinds or Mini Blinds, the options can seem endless. We can help make some sense of your window blind decisions. Window Blinds can have varying degrees of quality and it is important to understand the difference. It is also important to understand the different effects window blinds have on lighting and mood.

2” Wood Blinds and Faux Wood Blinds.

Express or Value Blinds vs. Custom Built Blinds – Express, Cut-Down and Value Blinds are simply a name given to partially pre-constructed Window Coverings. They are made in 2” increments in width and are pulled from inventory, trimmed down on each side to fit your specific window. The length is also adjusted for your specific Height. These are typically the same quality material used in Premium Blind or Custom Blind production… but the cost savings come from lower cost of partial assembly in China. Since these are partially pre constructed, you don’t get to choose the location for the tilt mechanism or raise and lower control. Typically, these are offered in a more limited color selection and come with tilt cord controls on the Left and Raise and lower cords on the right. We offer some great Faux and Real Wood blinds in our Value line. They are made in McKinney Texas Beware the cheap imitations.

Some large discount stores offer standard sized blinds for the most common size of windows. Not only are the materials generally inferior, but the fit of the blind rarely looks good in the room. For the same cost as a Value Blind, you can have a perfect fit… And you don’t even have to leave the house. Because all windows are not exactly the same dimensions and shelf stock blinds have to fit windows in certain size ranges, shelf window coverings do not fit as well as a custom made blind or shade. The widths of a Stock window blind must be shorter to accommodate as many windows as possible resulting in light gaps at the sides of the blind, shade, or shutter. The blind's length also has to fit several different sizes and should be shortened so you don’t have a pile of slats sitting on the window sill. Shelf Stock blinds are one of the lowest priced blinds or coverings on the market. The lower price often means lighter weight cheaper materials, lower quality hardware, fewer sizes, colors and lack of a warranty. A Stock blinds have a life expectancy of 3 to 5 years. Advise.. Consider Using a Quality Value Faux Wood Blind from My Beautiful Blinds. We use Quality Name Brand manufacturers like Timber, Royal and Prestige.

Custom made blinds are built from the ground up from your measurements. Each window is measured for it's width and height to the nearest 1/8" and the blind is built to fit the opening. The Standard for most Blinds or Shades factories is to allow about 1/4" on each side for proper operation, while the bottom rail (bottom blind piece) sits right on the window sill. Custom blinds are made with the best materials and hardware. The come from well known companies such as Timber Blinds, Hunter Douglas, Levelor, Royal Windows, Graber, Prestige and Bali. They are usually warranted for as long as you own the home. The color choices range from many shades of white 20+ stained wood tones. The material choices are Faux “PVC” blinds, Basswood blinds, other Asian Hard Wood blinds and even some composite products. You can get these through many design centers, local retailers and most affordably through online discount blind businesses.

Types of Window Blinds to Consider

Mini Blinds:
Most Mini blinds come in several slat widths, 1/2", 1", 2". The slats are made from several different gauges (thickness) of aluminum. Some of the Shelf Stock mini blinds use plastic slats to further lower their cost. The higher the gauge the thicker the slat and the better the quality. Mini blinds were very popular in homes about 10 years ago and are still used extensively in commercial building. Color choices for mini blinds are unlimited. For affordable mini blinds visit http://www.mybeautifulblinds.com and click on Mini Blinds.

Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds are just another way of saying Horizontal slat Blinds and encompass almost all the products in the market which meet the criteria of a Blind. We catagorize blinds into 4 basic types, PVC blinds, Composite blinds, Roman Blinds/Shades and wood blinds.

Faux Wood “PVC” Blinds
Faux or PVC blinds are made of a solid or foamed poly vinyl chloride plastic. PVC blinds have really become popular over the past 15 years. Slat widths are generally 2", 2 1/2", and sometimes 3". The blind slat's surface can be smooth or embossed with a wood grain. Color selection used to only include whites but there are several manufacturers making wood tone colors available. Faux Wood Blinds are very durable, UV resistant, waterproof (so they don’t flake, peal or yellow) and easy to clean. That durability makes them an excellent choice for kids rooms. The one main draw back to Faux Blinds is the weight of the slats. PVC slats are heavier than wood or composite slats. So large windows can be a little difficult to raise.

PVC blinds have many names.. but typically start with one of two sources. Familiar Names include Woodmates, Doverwood, Envirowood, Wood Like, Wood Look, Wood Plus, Infusion, Faux Wood, PVC Blinds… and many, many more. Be sure to confirm with your blinds dealer if their product is a solid foam PVC blind and as always, consider their warranty.

Composite Blinds
Composite blinds are made from a combination of wood by products, glues and Plastics. Composite Slats are a newer material being used for the window covering. Slat widths are generally 2", 2 1/2", and sometimes 3" and come in flat or elliptical shapes. The blind slat's surface is a smooth poly-coating or a solid composite material. Like PVC, the color selection is limited most often to whites but there are a few wood tone and stain colors available. Composite blinds are priced in the low mid range. They are very durable, UV resistant, water resistant, less likely to warp than wood and easy to clean. The one main draw back to composite blinds is the weight of the slats. Composite blinds slats are lighter than PVC blinds but heavier than wood and therefore a good choice for large windows coverings.

Wood Blinds
Both value & premium wood blinds are made from real woods. The value wood blind slats are made from assorted Oriental hardwoods. The premium wood blind slats are made from American Basswood. Basswood Is a unique cross grained wood which has rich detail and resists warping. Slat widths are generally 1",2", 2 1/2", and sometimes 3". The blind slat's surface is either painted or stained. There is a huge color selection with several different whites and the most popular hardwood stain colors. You can even add Cloth tape ladders for a truly custom look. Need to match a cabinet or trim stain? Wood blinds are your best bet. Wood blinds are the most expensive blinds in this category. All wood slats can warp and may color fade over long periods of time. Wood blind slats are the lightest material and work well for large windows.

2-1/2” basswood blinds are great for you ... with our 25 years of window blinds experience to our Do-It-Yourself friends.