After having real stained wood blinds, I say go with vinyl. Mine have warped in places from the sun. Plus, I don't think I will ever go with dark again. They are a pain to dust!

I never thought about the sun...I'll need to consider how much sun hits the back of the house. Anyone know of any other sources for off the shelf faux hw blinds...I can not afford the $100+ custom ones. Again, the HD ones look soooo real but we like the 1.5" slats better than the 2". The lowes faux wood just have a grain etched in them and look cheap...

blinds 2 go is VERY expensive too!

I've been singing praises for JC Penny lately. Look online and see what they have. They are always having a sale on some type of window treatments.

I absolutely hate my 2" real wood, lighter tone (think light cherry) blinds. I also have dark cherry ones in the kitchen, which I also hate. The previous owner put them in and they are top of the line Hunter Douglas that you can push on the bottom to raise, but I don't care. Can you say dusty? These things attract dust like you wouldn't believe. They're very difficult to keep clean. I like the idea of being able to put the vinyl ones in the tub, but I'm going to replace my blinds with bamboo roman shades because I like the look more.

Have you seen the vinyl ones? There are two types...one has an imprinted wood grain...sort of like a picture embossed into the vinyl. I am not sure these can be put in a tub. They others are pure vinyl, solid color with a wood grain texture. I think these can go in the tub but look very fake to me...maybe its me! Maybe I can post a picture...

I agree with dawn25. We have both in our house (previous owners installed). I'm about halfway through taking out all the blinds and installing bamboo shades. I just don't like the way blinds look. But if you're insistent on blinds, go for vinyl. The wood ones are a complete PITA.

my wood blinds are perfeclty fine in a big south facing window in my living room. Mine are hunter dougla$ and are about 4-5 years old. GOt them at a window treatment store. No warping, fading, nothing. Yes, dust shows a bit, but not visible when they are in the UP position which is most of the time - LOL

I got a color that exactly matched my wood windows and trim. None of the faux's looked right against the real wood windows, plus I just like the authenticity of real wood. Although *some* of the faux's really did look good. I also wanted the cordless style and I think that limited some of the selections. I love the cordless!

Are your windows white? I just painted all the woodwork in my living room white and now the beautiful real wood blinds don't match! Oh well... If I were doing it now, I would get the best faux white I could find.

I love my JC Penny basswood white blinds. They are a smooth finish - no wood grain. I have to use 1" because of the depth of windows. They are usually on sale - plus it is easy to get free shipping. If you don't get custom, they come in stock 64" length but just takes a few minutes to shorten. I know they come in 2" - not sure about 1-1/2.

I have also seen their wood colors (oak, maple, pine) and they are nice also. Prices are hard to beat.

Tuesday

Here is a link that might be useful: 1

thanks all. I stopped by Penny's but our store only has dark walnut in stock and I am not ordering anything without seeing it first.

I stopped by Lowes and picked up a couple of there real wood Allen and Roth blinds. They are also 1.5" slats. They are likely low end woods but I think they look way classier. Unfortuanately the color is a bit too orangey and after reading your comments I am now rethiinking the real wood option. With coupon the two real wood blinds from Lowes were $72 and the cheapie looking (but right color) Blindz Basic brand were $48.

I am going to ask what a special order color of the Allen and Roth in th eright color would cost. To be honest I may just take everything back until I find something else. Geeez!

HD faux line looks very much like wood but the suckers weigh a ton and are almost impossible to raise and lower. Plus the 2" slat looks a little off too me.

So, I am thinking of just putting the old ones back up, or keeping the cheapies until I find something better...or maybe just getting the wood and see what happens. I never would have thought this could be so challenging.

Maybe I'll start a post looking for longer term feedback on the basic blindz and Allen and Roth from Lowes.

If anyone knows of another place where you can get the blinds reasonably priced and see them first..let me know.

When in doubt, I order 1 item from JCP(with free shipping when available, and you can always get a code for that). If it doesn't work out, I return through the store. No hassle.

I have wooden blinds, stained to match the wood tones in my LR flooring and furniture -- kind of a medium cherry color. I've had them for 5 years on the east-facing LR windows that cover the entire 25 foot long wall -- floor to ceiling. And I still love them.

I vacuum the blinds on both sides once monthly, and 2x each year, I use a lightly dampened micro cloth to clean both sides of the blinds. And that's it. Nothing more.

They always look nice...and they certainly receive full sun exposure all morning long...so if dust were a problem, it would be noticed.

The blinds hang as true, run as true as the day they were installed...absolutely no warping.

Well I went back to HD and bought their autumn maple faux wood blind. They look real and I have gotten used to the 2" slats. They are heavier than wood but still can be raised and lowered if necesary.

We use those twisty cfl bulbs in our flood lights. There is one right in front of the one blind by the sink. Does anyone think the flourcent bulb could cause fading over time. Its literally inches in front of the blind.

BTW, I just read they are no longer going to be able to sell those flood light type bulbs starting next year. Slowly they are fazing them out so I hope the flourecents do not cause fading thru the house.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs