Faux Wood Venetian Blinds Product Characteristics

As faux wood Venetians are made from a synthetic material, typically PVC, they are heavier than other types of blinds including real wood blinds. You may find that raising faux wood venetians requires some effort. While heavier, faux wood blinds are not as rigid as real wood blinds and slight dipping/bowing between the supporting ladders may be visible. To minimise the dipping/bowing, the product will normally have additional support ladders across the width to reduce the unsupported span of the slats. This dipping won’t however affect the product’s ability to offer shading and privacy.

As these blinds are made from a synthetic material, the colour and finish will be more consistent than a real wood blind equivalent. The colour of the slats will gradually fade over time just as any similar synthetic material. As the headrail is covered by the valance, minor defects such as light scratches and marks are deemed acceptable.

Unlike natural wood blinds, faux wood blinds are able to withstand environments with extreme humidity and moisture levels. Such conditions would result in warpage and twisting of the slats on a real wood product. Faux wood blinds are therefore more suitable for bathrooms and kitchens. Be aware that faux wood blinds require some degree of ventilation to prevent excessive heat build up between the blind and the window. This may occur on exceptionally hot days particularly on south facing windows and in conservatories and sunrooms. The result is a loss of rigidity to the slats causing them to twist/deform permanently. It is therefore recommended that the slats aren’t fully tilted/closed and allow some airflow through to the window space. A secondary window covering (e.g. a closed curtain) over the faux wood blind in these situations is therefore not recommended as this will result in excessive heat building up. 

Although faux wood venetian blinds provide a good degree of light exclusion, they are not blackout blinds and light may enter via: 

• Slats: As they do not fully touch when tilted, there will always be some light filtering through. Expect gaps between the fully tilted slats to be greater towards the bottom of the blind and also between the top slat and the headrail. 

• Bottom rail: This will normally be supplied to rest on the sill. This prevents the blind from swaying should a window be open and reduces the amount of light entering underneath the bottom rail. However, this can limit the full closure of the slats at the base of the blind allowing some additional light to filter through at this point. 

• Sides/punch holes: A limited amount of light will also filter through the punched cord holes in the slats, as well as around the sides of the blind. 

The amount of light coming through may not be consistent across the whole blind. If you are right next to the blind and the slats are fully tilted, it will be possible to see through the gaps between slats to the outside. This is a normal characteristic of venetian blinds.

When fitted in a bay window, there will be some gaps where the neighbouring blind headrails meet each other. The size of any gap will depend on several factors including; the shape of the bay, the style of the window and the specification of the blind system. The gaps will be more noticeable when the slats are closed. Similarly, at the edge of the bay there may be light gaps/ potential loss of privacy depending on the angle of the bay and the adjoining walls.

Due to the set distances of the slat support rungs, achieving the exact size ordered may not be possible. In order to prevent the blind being too short, an extra slat may be added to ensure a suitable drop is reached. This will result in the blind having a slightly longer drop than originally ordered. 

When in the raised position the blind may not raise perfectly horizontally and may have a slight bow on the bottom bar. This is due to several factors such as the rigidity of the bottom rail (normally hollow PVC), the weight of the blind and how the ladder/tapes fold between the slats

The alignment of slats can vary due to tolerances in the ladder support rungs and so absolute alignment between adjacent blinds cannot be guaranteed. For all venetian products the number of ladders/tapes is dependent on the width of the blind and will vary. For example, a 600mm wide blind could have two ladders and a 615mm blind on the same order could have three.

These are competitively priced standard-sized blinds that can be trimmed to fit your window. If you choose this option, be aware that the cords that raise, lower, and tilt the blind and the ladder cords and tapes may be in different positions if you order for multiple windows. Consider this option carefully especially if you are buying multiple blinds for the same room with different sized windows.

To allow for operating clearance, the width of the blind must be narrower than the width of the reveal. If there are any obstructions in the reveal, for example tiles at the base or a dado rail, the blind will need to be made to accommodate the narrowest width.

A faux wood venetian blind is made square however in reality reveals are often not. The head of the window or sill may not be level and the distances between the side walls throughout often vary. The distance from the edge of the reveal to the window may also vary, so blinds will either be fitted to run parallel to the window or to the edge of the reveal.

There is a wide range of motorised solutions available for your comfort and convenience and each system will have its own characteristics. Some points to consider are: 

• Speed and alignment: Blinds in the same installation may not travel at the same speed and may not line up if stopped during the travel of the blinds due to mechanical and electrical tolerances. 

• Noise: Being operated by a motor, some noise will be emitted. Quiet motors may be available. 

• Wiring: Some surface wiring may be required. Where 240V mains power is involved, a competent person will be required to provide a power feed unless the blinds can be powered from a plug inserted into an existing socket. 

• Motor protection: For safety reasons, most motors are fitted with a thermal cut-out to protect the motor if it gets too hot (usually from over-use). When cooled sufficiently, the motor will start working again.

Where a smart home hub is used the signals to the blinds may get occasionally interrupted by other wireless devices in the home such as smart speakers or doorbells. This can affect the operation, or seamless operation of the blind.

All blinds with cords or chains could pose a risk of strangulation to young children. The BBSA recommends inherently safe products (Safe by Design). If you choose a product with additional child safety devices, these must be securely fitted as required. For further information on window blind safety visit: www.makeitsafe.org.uk