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Cleaning Wood and Faux Wood Blinds

2/23/2015

In previous articles, we have explored the versatility and cost advantages to purchasing wood or faux wood blinds for your home. They are practical and affordable, however, they do get dusty. So, what is the best way to clean them?

Here are a couple of options:

Use a vacuum extension and run the extension back and forth across the front and back of the blinds - by tilting the blinds fully in both directions.
Use a feather duster and simply dust both sides of the blinds.

However, both of these options will still leave some dust on the blinds, so if you are wanting a cleaner look, your options become:

Hiring a professional blind cleaning service and paying for convenience and special tools and techniques they bring.
Getting a bucket with water and some vinegar - taking a rag and personally wiping down both sides of each slat. This is a very tedious and time consuming process that could take the better part of a day if you are working on an entire house.

Of course, the final option is to purchase plantation shutters with the hidden tilt feature, and then cleaning is a breeze, but now we are no longer dealing with the low cost wood and faux wood blind option.

We would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project. For a quick price quote, check out our online wood and faux wood blind cost estimator.

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What Makes Wood and Faux Wood Blinds so Popular?

2/16/2015

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Often, we have wondered why people gravitate to wood and faux wood blinds - almost as a default position. Is it because it is what people know and are comfortable with? Is it because it is the last priority when moving into a home for most people, and as such price trumps all? Is it because people really can not get a sense of lasting value from any window covering option, so they pick the conservative option?

The answer to all of these questions is generally yes - all of the above. Far and away the most popular product line in our market is the wood or faux wood blind. Because of this phenomena, the product has almost become a commodity. In other words, people perceive little difference between brands, so low price drives the purchase decision. Occasionally, a customer will spend a $100 more, if they are comfortable with the reputation of the local company, but press the value proposition to $200 - and even though the quality and service is far greater - the deal gets mushy.

Additionally, the online blind retailers, who pay no sales tax and carry no license, coupled with the Chinese manufacturing boom, has placed deflationary pressure on the price points for wood and faux wood blinds. So, how should you, as a consumer, respond to this market dynamic?

We strongly recommend that you consider your window coverings as an important part of your lifestyle and design flare - rather then an afterthought. Even with wood and faux wood blinds, the differentiators are very real and the value propositions financially matter over time. The online world would have you believe that their lower overhead means they provide greater value. But in most cases, this is just not the case.

It is hard to match the depth of experience and value that someone with years of experience brings to your project. Even for a fairly simple product like faux and wood blinds - experience matters - and is generally worth a lot more than the couple hundred dollars you might save up-front.

We would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project - and because we do understand that price is a factor, we invite you to check out our online wood and faux wood blind calculator.

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Industry Standards for Wood and Faux Wood Blinds

2/2/2015

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It is critical that buyers of wood and faux wood blinds understand the industry standards for production and quality. It is wise and prudent to have a meeting of the minds as it relates to what is possible in the production of your wood or faux wood blinds - and ultimately leave no unpleasant surprises come installation time.

For instance, color variations generally occur from product samples to actual production runs. It is just a fact, that in any industry, colors change from one lot to another. Notice the color variation and slight bow and camber in the wood blinds to the left. This variation is inherent in wood and faux wood products and is part of its appeal and charm.

Also, dye lot coloration and surface texture variations occur between material runs. For example, when wood is painted a pure white, the color if affected by both temperature and humidity. Since component runs could be weeks apart, the temperature and humidity will be different and as such you might see a slight variation. Also, for PVC products, the color depth and texture is not only affected by temperature and humidity, but also by the speed and pressure with which the material is run through the extrusion process.

Even with these issues, it is very difficult to see a discernible difference between different runs. The industry responds to complaints of whether the color and texture is within acceptable parameters, by holding the materials two feet apart, and then determining whether one is able to see a discernible difference. Of course, this test must be done with similar light and shadow on each piece.

Another issue the industry deals with on wood and faux wood blinds is bow and camber. Bow is the arched up or down shape the slat may take when open or closed. Camber is the curved shape from back to front. There will always be a certain amount of bow or camber in all wood and vinyl slats, but as long as it is within established parameters, the blinds will look great and function properly.

The bottom line - as long as you order all the wood or faux wood blinds for a single room at the same time, these variances should never be an issue.

With any luck, you are now ready to dive in, fully informed, to beautify your home with affordable and functional wood or faux wood blinds. And, we would be honored to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project - you can start by getting a quick online estimate by using our online wood and faux wood blind cost calculator.

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Cleaning Wood and Faux Wood Blinds

What Makes Wood and Faux Wood Blinds so Popular?

Industry Standards for Wood and Faux Wood Blinds

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