- Wooden blinds are relatively low-maintenance. They need to be cleaned periodically, like any blinds, but they clean more easily than faux wood blinds. And before you clean them, they tend to hide the dirt more effectively because they are typically stained with darker colors. They are also available in a white painted finish though, and these will show dirt readily. Because they are finished with a clear wood sealer, dirt and dust do not become trapped in pores as they do in faux wood blinds. Wooden blinds are easily cleaned with a damp or sponge.
- There are many wood species that are manufactured into blinds. These include bass wood, oak, maple, chestnut, walnut, pine, pecan and mahogany. When finished, each of the wood species takes on a distinctive color, quality and flair. The grain patterns are very different and absorb the stain colors to varying degrees. Each slat on every blind will show off its unique characteristics, which means that no two wooden blinds will ever be the same. When customizing wooden blinds for your home, rest assured that no one will ever have a similar-looking blind. Your blinds will be one of a kind.
- Wooden blinds last longer than their faux equivalent. It is unwise, though, to install wooden blinds in rooms with high degrees of humidity variation, like bathrooms and kitchens. Wooden blinds will absorb the moisture from the air and will consequently bend, warp and twist, which will ruin the blind. Aside from humidity issues, your blind should last for years to come.
- Simply put, wooden blinds last a long time because they are wood. Antique wooden furniture survived long enough to qualify as antique because it was constructed out of solid wood. Wooden blinds will probably not last 100 years, but the slats will. And because wooden slats are a natural product, they are sturdier than faux wood blinds. This is proven by the number of ladders used to make a faux wood blind compared with the number of string ladders required to make a real wood blind. The configuration of the strings that give a set of blinds their shape and functionality are shaped like a rope ladder. The blind louver rests on a ladder "rung," and as the blind louvers are opened and closed, these "rungs" guide the louvers. Faux wood blinds require more ladders than wooden blinds.
- Wooden blinds block out more light than faux wood blinds. With sunlight comes the heat, and if you install wooden blinds, the wood will absorb and reflect much of the sun's heat and ultraviolet rays. That's right: wooden blinds pack a small R-value (the resistance to heat flow, either into or out of the home; usually associated with insulation) with them which will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Wooden blinds will also not allow for backlighting or silhouetting because they will also keep light inside your house so those outside your home do now see in when the sun goes down.
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