Nº94/Blinds for Beginners - Every thing you will ever need to know about buying window 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.

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 inch 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 productionÖ 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. At My Beautiful Blinds, we offer American blinds to go with any decor. We strive for 3 day blinds shipping but that varies depending on the production queue. My Beautiful Blinds offers quality blinds at Cheap Factory Direct Discount Prices.

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 fitÖ And you donít 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 http://www.mybeautifulblinds.com/ 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. They 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 ìPVCî 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 categorize 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.

Please feel free to contact us through our website or via phone to schedule a consultation. We would love to hear more about your project and discuss how we can help.

In addition, remember to check out our shop for an exquisite selection of decorations that can enhance the look and feel of your space. We have everything you need, from lighting to accessories, to create a beautiful and functional environment.

Thank you again for considering ARCHDEKOR®. We look forward to working with you and realizing your design dreams!