For starters I would ask for your money back. His problems ( wife ) cannot translate into yours. I'm a bit confused about the color, your saying they are a "shade to dark" but calling them bright. If they are to dark you cannot lighten them. If they were to light then MAYBE you could do something, but not with any sort of confidense that the new finish will adhere to what he has already applied. There is another thread a few post down that basically has the same problem. To do it correctly , you need to start over . Strip, sand, stain, and finish. I'm happy to look at the pix for you or you can post them here.

I am usually in the kitchen, bath or laundry forums and landed here today on a search, so hello. Like nini804, I live in the south where plantation shutters can sell a house. They do indeed cut heating costs if you leave them shut, and AC costs it you shut or at least tilt them against the sun. I also have cellular shades in some of the guest rooms, roman shades in my son's room, and blinds in my family room and office. Plus four cats! Cleaning cell shades was never a problem -- roll them with a lint roller, same for lamp shades -- but cords for both blinds and shades need to be secured if you have a mischievous cat. Kittens have strangled on them. I think of all the options you have presented, wood blinds let in the most light and give quick, easy flexibility for adjustment. Easily cleaned with a swiffer extender. They almost disappear when pulled up. The frames around shutters cut out a lot of light, and they look less good on small windows. You particularly do not want to "split" a plantation shutter on a small window. I think cellular shades give a soft, pretty look and come in more colors, but are best in bedrooms. However, you used to be able to get them with a sun reflective coating for hot areas, though they did give a shimmery look to your windows when viewed from the outside. Not sure if those are still on the market. You can also, I believe, put Pellas on a timer that will automatically raise and lower them at different times of the day, depending on how you preset it. Where we live, in a moderately upscale neighborhood in the south, it is considered good form to have matching window treatments on each on each side of your house. For example, most people here have plantation shutters on all their front windows, up and down. But they might have blinds or cellular shades on the back. My real estate agent says consistency gives a house curb appeal. But we have a mix on the front because that works best for our rooms, especially where the cats hang (dining room bay window) where shutters would restrict their view too much. All said, though, unless the window is a small one, plantation shutters are my favorite option. Hope my pros and cons can help you choose.

We build cellular shades here in Vermont with Hunter Douglas cellular fabric made by Comfortex. We have a good client base in Australia, as well as other very hot places in the US, so I asked a Comfortex rep about any heat limits. The fabric we build our shades with has no limitation that would preclude usage in extremely hot locations. If you invest in a quality shade it'll last you. Ours last 20 years! Hope that helps!

If you are only talking about daytime privacy then solar shades will work for you. You will be able to look out during the day and no one can look in. However, at night it is the opposite. You can’t look out but anyone outside can look in. That’s the only product I know of that will allow you to look out during the day and keep your privacy without raising a shade or tilting a blind.