Samples (
Faux wood Venetian blinds have a lot going for them and are one of the most versatile types of blinds of all, being well suited to a wide range of applications. If you’re considering getting faux wood blinds or perhaps didn’t even know that they were a thing and want to find out more, this post will answer the ten most common questions I get about them, starting with the very basic “what are faux wood Venetian blinds anyway?”
I’ll also address how realistic they look, why you might want to pick them, and if faux wood blinds are child safe and suitable for children’s rooms, and why.
What are faux wood Venetian blinds?
A Venetian blind is a type of blind that is made of horizontal slats, which can be raised and lowered as well as giving you the option to tilt the slats to adjust light and privacy with a very fine degree of control. Faux wood Venetian blinds are a type of Venetian blind that is finished to mimic the appearance of natural wood.
What are faux wood Venetian blinds made of?
Faux wood Venetian blinds are made of a strong, hardwearing PVC material that is fully waterproof, fire retardant and very sturdy, and designed to look like real wooden Venetian blinds.
How realistic looking are faux wood blinds?
Historically, faux wood Venetian blinds did sometimes used to look a little “plasticky,” but these days they’re very difficult to tell apart from the real thing, even on close inspection.
However, while with real wood blinds there are natural irregularities and unique graining patterns in the wood, in faux wood Venetians the wood effect pattern is of course uniform, which can give the game away if you look closely!
That said, this is not the sort of thing most people will be actively looking for; and only really applies to faux wood blinds in a wood finish. If you placed painted wooden and painted faux wood blinds side by side, you’d usually be hard pressed to tell which was which!
Do faux wood blinds have any advantages over real wood blinds?
One advantage that faux wood blinds have over real wooden blinds is that they’re fully waterproof; which makes them suitable to use in damp, humid environments or those where they might come into regular contact with water, such as in the kitchen or bathroom.
Real wooden blinds, on the other hand, are not a good fit for wet or humid environments, as real wood will warp over time if exposed to too much moisture. This also means that they’re not a good choice for windows that condensate a lot either, which again, faux wood blinds are fine with.
Faux wood blinds are rather easier to clean too, as you don’t have to worry about how damp you get them and they won’t soak up water or cleaning solutions.
Faux wood blinds are also notably cheaper than real wood blinds, making them rather more cost-effective; the price difference can vary depending on the size, quality, and any optional add-ons you choose for your blind, but faux wood blinds tend to be around a third cheaper than real wood like-for-like.
How sturdy and hardwearing are faux wood blinds?
Faux wood Venetian blinds are potentially the strongest and most hardwearing blinds of all. Both real wood and faux wood blinds will tend to last for longer in good condition than fabric blinds, and the thick PVC slats of faux wood blinds also give them an edge over real wood blinds in this respect too.
If you buy a good quality made-to-measure faux wood blind, you could easily expect it to last for at least 7-8 years with no signs of wear or functional issues, and quite possibly far longer.
What sort of options can you choose for faux wood blind finishes?
Faux wood blinds can be made in grained finishes to mimic natural wood that has been polished or stained, in a range of shades designed to emulate specific types of wood that you may be using for your other furniture to ensure you can find a match.
Faux wood blinds can also be painted in a huge array of colours, with a satin, gloss, or matt finish. You can choose your blinds with either decorative ladder tapes (to contrast or compliment the blind’s base colour, depending on your tastes) or plain cords.
Even the width of the slats themselves is something you can choose, with the most common options being 35mm and 50mm respectively.
While all of these options for faux wood blinds styles and finishes come down to a matter of personal taste, when it comes to slat width, we recommend choosing 35mm slats for smaller windows, and 50mm slats for larger ones, to achieve a better sense of balance and proportion.
How large can faux wood blinds be?
Faux wood blinds for wide or tall windows are available; the maximum width we offer is 260cm and the maximum drop 300cm. Beyond these upper limits, faux wood blinds become not only challenging to manufacture, but also to ship; and the weight of them might become a problem for you at home too, both in terms of affecting the structural integrity of some walls, and making them rather weighty to operate.
Do faux wood blinds insulate a room?
Yes, faux wood blinds provide excellent insulation to a room when fully closed; helping to keep the heat inside during the winter, and out during the summer. They’re thermally efficient, and as their slats are thick and sturdy, can make a quite noticeable difference to the temperature of your room, as well as in winter, your heating spend!
Are faux wood blinds fire safe?
Yes, faux wood blinds (those sold in the UK from reputable manufacturers, anyway) are fire retardant, and meet all of the relevant safety standards in this respect.
One point to note however is that their slats can warp from extended exposure to high heat; being in the region of 55 degrees Celsius or above. Understandably, few UK homes are likely to see temperatures in this region in any scenario, but this is worth bearing in mind nonetheless if you’re looking for a blind to hang above a very powerful radiator, or close to an oven, open fire, or stove; or even in a very hot conservatory.
Are faux wood blinds child safe and suitable for children’s rooms?
Yes, faux wood blinds are child safe – once more, assuming you’re talking about British blinds from a reputable seller. They’re sold with child safety devices built in, clear and easy-to-follow instructions on how to fit them to be child safe, and of course, meet all of the relevant safety standards too.
This applies to all blinds sold in the UK since 2014 – but please note, blinds sold prior to 2014 were subject to different and less-strict child safety standards, and so may not be deemed to meet the current standard.
Are faux wood blinds suitable for a child’s room? Yes, they’re a good pick for children’s rooms, as they’re so hardwearing. Obviously no blind is indestructible and we would advise you to try to stop your kids from subjecting them to too much rough handling or bashing about, but you could reasonably expect faux wood blinds to survive in a child’s bedroom for many years without incident.
