Venetian blinds have been around for decades and have always been a popular choice as they allow you to regulate natural light according to the task being performed in that particular room.

In the last few decades, manufacturers have released a whole variety of color options as well as materials used to make the slats, so how do you decide on whats best for you and your budget?

Basswood:

Ill start at the top,  so basswood  has been around for as long as i can remember and has always been the best quality blinds on the market as basswood is strong and lightweight compared to other woods. This is the most suitable type to go for in most applications but is also the most expensive. Basswood can handle abit of moisture but not in a shower, bathroom or kitchen where it might get splashed and soak in water. They will get damaged in the long run. This is where manufacturers got clever and started using plastics and other woods.

Plaswood / synthetic materials:

There are many terms for the plastic venetians namely, Plaswood, eco wood, faux wood, eco plaswood and foam wood to name a few. Basically they are all the same, they might have different compositions but in the end, they are synthetics made to replicate the “Real wood look”. These blinds are cheaper but eventually get brittle in the sun and start warping sooner than the actual basswood venetians. A rough guideline, Basswood should last between 8 to 10 years whereas the Plastic version will last about 4 to 6 years.

Laminated Bamboo Venetians:

Venetians also come in Bamboo blades. This is made from laminated bamboo fibers and are also made to handle high moisture areas. These blinds are almost as pricy as basswood but having a high resin composition they are less prone to getting damaged from water. The only down side is that the fibers run along the length of the blade making it easy to split down the middle so if you are abit rough with them, they do tend to break.

Aluminium – 50 and 25mm Blades.

Aluminium venetians has also been around for decades and have abit of a bad reputation as dust collectors and almost impossible to clean, but as we know this is not the case. Aluminium venetians are still the most economical blind on the market and are ideally suited for offices or areas with aircon, where the dust build up is limited.

The 25mm Aluminiums venetians are fragile and do require care when dusting or cleaning but the up side is that there is a far greater color range to choose from and are easy on the pocket when having to replace them. They can also be seen as a temporary window fixture if budgets are a concern.

At Blind Centric, we always promote our range of Basswood venetians for most areas first, even bathrooms or kitchens where the blind wont get alot of water on it. If it seems abit risky then we will suggest Plaswood and in the rare occasion that the color or finish is the only option then we will install a bamboo venetian Blind or aluminium if there is a budget constraint.

For more info on these, please feel free to call us for a free on site consultation.

Jarred – 082 301 2445                  or                 Jake – 079 516 3636