It's the battle of everyone's favourite Venetian blind. We've broken it down into a nice and easy to see chart, with all their advantages and disadvantages. Which blind is better? It's your choice depending on the room they're going into!

Our in depth review is a bit further on....but here is our quick summary.



Faux Wood Blinds


Advantages (+)Disadvantages (-)
PriceHeavier
WaterproofLarger Stack
Colour ConsistencyLimited control choice
Wipe Clean  

Real Wood Blinds 

Advantages (+)Disadvantages (-)
QualityPrice
Control optionsWarping
Unique PatinaStaining

 




Faux Wood Venetian Blinds



Advantages:

Let's work our way through their advantages first, it's always nice to start on the positives! Faux Wood blinds are made out of 100% PVC plastic and are made to look like Real Wood. In fact, the only way our blind experts can tell them apart is by looking at the slat ends to see if there is a wood grain. This means that Faux Wood Blinds are cheaper than their Real Wood counterparts and also are more sustainable. As they are made from PVC, they are extremely consistent in their look - perfect if you're choosing a plain colour slat, like white or grey. 

They are also  100% waterproof, which means that the Faux Wood blinds go hand in hand with their easy to clean wipe clean surface. These blinds are therefore perfect in the bathroom or kitchen in fact any room where they may be a little bit of damp. As they won't absorb any moisture these blinds won't warp in a humid environment like your bathroom. 

A point we think you may of missed is that Faux Wood blinds are made artificially of plastic that means each slat is going to be identical in colouring. This is a factor often over looked as Real Wood blind slats may vary slightly in colour due to the fact they are made from a natural product. 

Something that only a few people will realise too is that faux wooden blinds can be made upto a maximum width of 260cm - and that's pretty big. Whereas the real wooden blinds, due to being made from wood, can only go upto a width of 240cm. So if you need to cover a larger window and are looking for some extra width, these are the ones to go with. 

 

Disadvantages:


Whilst it's not fair to say anything has a disadvantage, but we see these more as compromises you'll make when choosing this type of blind. Although slightly self-explanatory, like for like (same width and drop) Faux Wood vs Real Wood blinds, Faux Wood blinds are heavier. Not a problem unless you have a very large window or are wanting to raise and lower the blinds each day. Most of the time these blinds stay lowered in the window and you simply tilt the slats to let the light in - removing the worry about the weight. 

Limited control choice, as the Faux Woods blinds are usually manufactured in a different way to Real Wood blinds, and with more mechanical input, the control sides are often limited to the manufacturer's preference. This means with us the raise cord will be on the right, and the tilt control for the slats will be on the left. This means you won't have a choice on which side the tilt and raise/lower control are.  

 

 

Real Wooden Venetian Blinds

Advantages: 

Now you may think after all that talk on Faux Woods they come out as our clear favourites. No no no, we are proud parents; each blind is equal and we see beauty in all of them... (except spring roller blinds they're not much good for anything).  Real Wooden blinds are the most sophisticated and elegant of all blinds and our quality is unmatched,  a claim backed up by our 4-year guarantee. Now we know it's only a small thing but for those who know, or who already have these blinds in their home, know what we're talking about.

Unlike the Faux Wood blind, Real Wood Venetians have several control options. We really take our time and ensure you can chose where your tilt and raise cord are placed. It's only a small thing but it makes a difference. So on most of these blinds you can choose the control layout. 

Now we touched on the slat colouring of Real Wood blinds. Their unique patina (the fancy name for  individual naturally staining on each slat) means each slat and blind is one of a kind no one else in the word will have the same blind as you. For us that's a huge bonus point if you're looking for something unique in your home. We must stress that we do try to keep them all as uniform as possible, and will remove any large knots that appear in a slat, but there will be natural grain that varies between blinds. 

 


 

Disadvantages:

Being a natural product, we need to ensure each type of wood we source is sourced ethically and in the least environmentally damaged way. This does lead to a slightly higher price tag than the opposing Faux Wood Blind.   


The staining and warping of Real Wood blinds unfortunately go together if cleaned in the wrong way (with heavy chemicals) or if left exposed to water (like in a bathroom) the blinds may misshapen and stain. It's really sad so our best advice is take care of your blinds. 


As mentioned in the earlier section, real wooden blinds can *only* go upto a width of 240cm, vs the faux woods which can span upto 260cm - not always applicable for everyone, but a small, yet important detail to note. 



Whilst there doesn't seem to be too much between the two types, we have to stress that whatever choice you make (real or faux) you'll be amazed at the transformation of your home and your window. 

Hint: if you're looking for a plain coloured slat, we always recommend choosing a faux wooden blind as you wont be able to see the wood grain on a painted real wooden slat.