Fabulous Faux Wood Blinds

You have decided that faux wood blinds are the perfect window treatments for your project needs.  Fabulous!  Now….which, of the the 50+ available manufacturers and styles, will best meet your project needs and provide you with the most value and beauty?

Hunter Douglas continues to lead and define beauty and value within the faux wood blind industry by producing the highest quality blind, with the most design options and the strongest warranty.  By understanding the qualities that allow it to provide the highest value to consumers, you will be able to make educated decisions about the rest of the products available to you on today’s market.

Faux Wood Blinds possess several comparative characteristics that allow us to define the value of the product relative to price; Environmental Impact, Child Safety, Resistance to Sun & Heat, Quality of View Through the Blind, Aesthetics, Cleanability, Smoothness of Operation and Warranty

Environmental Impact – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods” are the only blinds on the market that are PVC free.  This characteristic reduces the release of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), improving indoor air quality and earning the product the “Greenguard” certification.  Additionally, they are made in North America and not shipped overseas resulting in less fuel consumption and pollution.

Child Safety – Hunter Douglas meets all of the current child safety guidelines with break-away tassels, as is required of all manufacturers & distributors of faux wood blinds in the US.  Hunter Douglas also provides cordless lift options for their “Everwood” collection that allows the blind to be lifted and lowered by pushing and pulling the bottom rail of the blind thus completely removing one set of cords.  If this feature is combined with wand tilt, all cords and potential safety hazards are removed.

Resistance to Sun & Heat – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods”, in paint and wood grain finishes, are formulated against yellowing, fading and discoloration for life unlike any similar blind offered in the market.

Quality of View Through the Blind – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods” are designed with exceptionally stable slats that provide the widest ladder spacing in the industry (16” – 18”) and warranted for life against twisting, warping or bowing.  Most brands average 9” – 14” thus requiring 5 ladders on a 48” blind as opposed to the 3 ladders that Hunter Douglas requires for the same size blind.  Less ladders result in better view through the blind and a less cluttered appearance

Aesthetics – The Hunter Douglas “Everwood” faux wood blind collection provides consumers with 59 slat and color combinations and 4 valance styles to meet the design needs of any environment.  While many manufacturers offer 2 ½” wide slats to provide an appearance similar to that of a shutter, Hunter Douglas offers this slat size with beautiful beveled edges that add architectural interest and tighter slat closure.

Cleanability – The most difficult part of a faux wood blind to clean is the cording and the slats around each ladder/cord location.  By providing a blind with less ladders, the consumer can clean the slats more quickly and there is less material to become dingy over time.  Keep in mind that “wood grain” textured slats, by any manufacturer, will trap more dust and grime in their ridges and become dingy looking more quickly.

Smoothness of Operation –  The entire Hunter Douglas blind collection now utilizes their newly re-engineered “Epic” headrail system comprised of higher quality components, some of which are silicone impregnated, to improve the smoothness of operation and increase the longevity of their cording.  With an “Epic” headrail you will not only feel the smoothness of operation but you will see the Hunter Douglas logo on all of the components inside the headrail.  Remember that Hunter Douglas owned companies such as Comfortex or Timber do not manufacture Hunter Douglas blinds.

Warranty – The Hunter Douglas “Everwood” blind carries the strongest product warranty in the industry.  In the event of fading, yellowing, warping or bowing, the blinds will be completely replaced.  Additionally, Hunter Douglas warrants their cords for 7 years.  Due to the stress put on these cords to carry the weight of faux wood blinds, they all break with time and exposure to the sun.  The industry average for cord warranty is 30 days to 3 years.  Regardless of which blind you purchase and from whom, ask about the labor/shipping costs associated with facilitation of the warranty to understand the long term maintenance costs and support that you can expect.

Hunter Douglas “Everwood” faux wood blinds define quality within the market and offer consumers the best value for their investment however, many other brands and grades are available.  With an understanding of the characteristics to consider, you can now make educated decisions about the product that is best for you.  At “Eye on Design” we offer 6 different styles of faux wood blind from 3 different manufacturers and provide on-site installation and warranty services from our 1,500 square foot Belleville showroom.  Call us for a quote today!