Updating old, cheap plastic blinds is a great way to bring new life into a room, and really give a new level to your home decoration. Faux window blinds are a great alternative to pure wood blinds. They are much cheaper and will create a great look in your home. There are many options and styles to choose from so you can find the perfect look for your home without killing your budget. On average, pure wood blinds can cost more than $100 per window, while faux wood blinds will cost between $25-$75 per window. You can get the same great look, and do more windows using faux wood than you would if you used pure wood.

Before you purchase the faux wood blinds, you need to make sure you measure carefully. Steel tape is the best tool to use while measuring because it will not bend in like cloth measuring tapes. Measure the sizes to the nearest eighth of an inch. There are usually tow types of window blinds: the inside mount, and the outside mount. the inside mount is recessed within your window opening and tends to be a neater look. When measuring width for inside mounts be sure to measure in three different places and use the narrowest width. When measure height, measure in three different places and use the longest measurement, unless you are using vertical blinds.

The outside mount is mounted on your molding or drywall, and makes your window appear bigger than it really is. With a outside mount, you need to add 4 to 5 inches on each of the four vertical blinds and 1 to 1.5 inches on each side for horizontal blinds. These additions ensure maximum coverage for privacy and light gaps.

Take your time when measuring your windows, to ensure that you get the correct measurement, because some stores do not accept returns for faux wood blinds once they have been open. Faux wood blinds will add a great update to your home and will help you stay in your budget.

So you went to the store, you bought some new window treatments in an effort to improve the look of your home.  Faux blinds make a great addition and its both easy and inexpensive to install.  Unfortunately you are reading this because someone in your home has misplaced the directions, don’t worry – we have exactly what you will need to get the job done right.

There is a small list of tools you will need in order to get the blinds up efficiently and in a timely manner, so go get these things together and get ready for a great install.

Tools you need to get the blinds up without fail;

Screw Driver

A reliable Level

Measuring Tape

Magnetic Nut Driver

Wireless Drill

Verify the Product

The brand of blinds you chose to purchase will determine the specific set of hardware it comes with.  But without fail you should have many of the following in your possession.  This is a breakdown of what you should have received with your faux wood blinds.

Brackets for the installation

Screws to Mount the Blinds with

Small support screws

Valance Clips

Depending on how the manufacture believes you can mount the blinds you have a set of the following as well.

3/8” S Blocks for Spacing

Brackets for Support

Cord Cleats

Hold down Brackets

Other miscellaneous bracket types

How to Install the Blinds

Secure the installation brackets in the desired location

Make sure you set the the proper distance inside the window well

The valance type will have an impact on how deep you will want to set them

Using the Nut Driver mount the brackets

Make sure you use at least 2 of the 8 holes that have been predrilled

Maintain the bracket in the vertical position while you mount the head rail into the bracket

Slide the rail inside the open face of the bracket

Shut the flap to secure the blind and lock it into place firmly

Valance Install

Find the groove line on the rear of the valance

Put the clip into the the groove sideways and turn the clip into the locking position

After you have done this apply slight pressure to the clips in a downward motion to assure it is in securely

So that is it, now that you have successfully installed you blinds you are ready to enjoy the added feeling of style they bring to the room.

To Faux or not to Faux?

Making the decision between faux wood blinds and real wood blinds can often be difficult but in the end it is a matter of personal preference.  Both have unique pros and cons aside from the obvious difference in price.

There is no escaping the fact that faux wood blinds are simply much cheaper than regular wood blinds, so advantage to faux with that one.  Because of the cheaper price point many more people are able to use them.  The downside is that if you are doing this to add value to the house you are actually being counterproductive since they are often way out valued by real wood blinds.

There are ares of the house which make more sense than others to install fake wood blinds because they are seen less and may even hold up a bit longer.  The laundry areas, kitchens and bathrooms are often subjected to high amounts of moisture which can eventually warp the wood, whereas the fau wood in mostly made of plastic and not susceptible to this.  There simply isn’t any value in investing in a more expensive fixture only to have it fail on you a few years down the road, but in the end you are the one that lives in the house so it is ultimately your decision.

In case it wasn’t made apparent earlier, faux means fake, so these blinds are fake wood often made of some combination of plastics and other synthetics and because they are manufactured from start to finish it is a little easier to find them in a more wide variety of colors.  Real wood blinds have the advantage of being made from real wood and just like any wood material it can be painted to match your needs, it is just a little more labor intense to do it.

In the end you will need to decide whats best and if you have questions you can always as the local hardware store because chances are they sell both types and don’t work on commission so you will get an honest response.

Cleaning faux wood blinds is a very simple process and requires less effort than wood blinds. Wood blinds cannot be washed with soap and can only handle small amounts of water which leads to a lot of careful measuring and wiping. Faux wood blinds, on the other hand can be washed with soap and water, making the process much easier.

The first step in maintaining your faux wood blinds is dusting. Dusting each slat regularly will remove all surface dust and stop daily accumulation. Synthetic and feather dusters, or a soft dry cloth can all used to do the job.  As an alternative to dusting, you can use a vacuum to remove the light dust and dirt, just be cautious when vacuuming to avoid scratching the blinds. Handy vacuums, or extended vacuum parts work best.

The next step is to remove any stains or accumulated dirt. This is where the faux wood blinds advantage comes in. Faux wood blinds can be cleaned just like normal plastic blinds, using warm water and nonabrasive soap. Hot water can be damaging to the blind material, so warm water is recommended. Special soap is not required as most liquid dish soaps work perfectly in removing stains and dirt off the blinds.

The best way to wash the blinds is to remove them from the window. This allows you to check for stains, or dirt that cannot be seen while they are hanging. It is also easier to wipe them down the soap and water while they are unattached.

After you are done washing, it is important to let the blind dry properly before attaching back to the window. Faux wood blinds can withstand much denser humidity conditions as compared to wood blinds, but it is still best to let them fully dry before they are place back on the window. If you cleaned your blinds while still attached, you can dry them by simply place a fan in front of them for a few minutes, or open the window and let the breeze dry them.

To ensure your blinds last long and maintain their great look, it is recommended that you dust each week, and wash them every other week.

One of the best features of the faux blind is that it looks identical to the real one.  Faux blinds are not made out of wood but are instead made of a synthetic blend of vinyl.  Vinyl is the cheapest material out there that still maintains its durability.  There are many advantages to the faux blind and include but are not limited to the following;

Price point is dramatically less than the real wooden blinds but the look is virtually identical

Because the vinyl is less prone to absorbing moisture they often last much longer because they do not develop cracks.

Because they are made of a synthetic material the paint is not going to fade into other colors.

Just like the expensive wood blinds faux wood can be installed with a motor for high reaching window areas without any additional parts, allowing you to open shut and release the blinds.  There are many important guidelines you should follow before you choose a set of blinds.  The individual slat within the blind are called ladders and they can add up the weight of the blinds.  If this is a concern for you, say you are older or have young children who will use the blinds and may not have the strength to raise the blinds when needed than you should choose blinds that have few ladders.  Now you may be thinking that fewer ladders means the blinds will look space, when just the opposite is true as long as you get blinds that have wide ladders.  The width of the blind will make up for the amount of ladders in closing out the sunlight or providing the necessary privacy.

Even though fake blinds are cheaper there is a point of diminishing return or in other words the blinds can only be so cheap before they no longer serve their purpose.  There really is not any good in purchasing such cheap blinds they require replacement a few short months later.  Be smart as you choose them and you will be happy in the end.