Home Decor & Interior Design

Shades Shutters & Blinds Product Information

Every thing you wanted to know about blinds, shades, and shutters but were afraid to ask. A beginner's guide for buying window blinds.

by Lawren Gourney

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Ever shopped on line for blinds, shades, or shutters and were confused by all the different products and prices? This page should help. We are currently working on Window Shades 101 and Plantation Shutters 101 to help with your plantation shutters or window shade decisions.

WINDOW BLINDS Grab & Go Blinds vs. Custom made Blinds Grab & Go blinds are simply a name given to pre-cut shades that you buy off the self. They are made to common generic window sizes. Because all windows are not exactly the same dimensions and grab & go blinds have to fit windows in certain size ranges, grab and go window coverings do not fit as well as a custom made blind or shade. The widths of a grab and go window blind must be shorter to accommodate as many windows as possible (this usually causes a light gap, or reveal, at the sides of the blind or shade). The blind's length also has to fit several different sizes and quite often must be shortened. Grab & go blinds are usually the lowest priced blind or shade on the market. The lower price is due to the use of lighter weight cheaper materials, lower quality hardware, fewer sizes, colors and lack of a warranty. A grab & go blind has a product life expectancy of 2 to 6 years. Price makes these a good choice for certain applications like basements, garages and attics. These window coverings are available at most discount chain stores, large department stores, and home improvement centers.

Custom made blinds is made to measure. 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 light gap, reveal, on each side is about 1/4" and the bottom rail (bottom of the window shades) comes right to the window sill. Custom blinds are made with better materials and hardware. The come from well known companies such as Hunter Douglas, Levolor, Graber and Bali. They are usually warranted for as long as you own the home. The color choices range from several shades of white to the most common stained wood tones. The material choices are PVC blinds, wood composite blinds, and real wood blinds. These custom made blinds can be purchased at most retailers and internet companies such as Shades Shutters Blinds. They are usually slightly more expensive than the grab & go blinds.

Mini Blinds Mini blinds are made in several slat widths, 1/2", 1", 2". The slats of this blind are made from several different gauges (thickness) of aluminum. Some of the Grab & go mini blinds use plastic slats to further lower their cost. The higher the gauge the better. 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. See Mini Blinds.

Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds is a large category in blinds. The original Venetian blinds were made with wide curved metal slats much like a mini slat. Over time the slats have evolved to different materials, sizes and shapes. Venetian blind slats are made from plastics, woods, and combinations of plastics & wood. They are made in 1, 2, 2 1/2, & 3 inch slat widths. Venetian Blind's shapes can be curved, flat or elliptical. Most window covering manufacturers buy slats from the same 3 or 4 companies that produce them. To confuse things further, the window blind manufacturers have made their own names for the same materials, same sizes, and same shapes (a 2 1/2 " composite blinds slat can have as may different names as there are companies using them). Hopefully this site can simplify this for you. We will attempt to break down this mess to 4 basic types, PVC blinds, Composite blinds, and wood blinds. See products.
PVC Blinds or Faux Wood Blinds

Lawren Gournay - support@shadesshutterssblinds

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