Plantation Shutters Vs. Vinyl/Wood Blinds

Hi,

I had vinyl plantation style shutters in my last house and will get them again for my new house as soon as we can afford it. The vinyl were so much easier to clean than the wood and I didn't have to worry about them warping.

Ok-I'm cheaper then the rest of these people. I got the vinyl 2" blinds from Walmart...I believe mine were like $30 a window. They've been wonderful!! We live in an older house we're fixing up and we recently had a roof leak in the living room and it went all down the window and the blinds. Didn't hurt them one bit!!! I think they're awesome. Where as I would think the wood ones would have warped.

GOod Luck!

OK, I had to respond to this one! I loooooovvvvvveeeee my shutters. I have had them in three different houses now, and hope I always will again. I think they are beautiful, they cancel the need for any other kind of window treatments (curtains, valences, whatever), and they are really just much more convenient. Maybe I'm just really really lazy, but I HATED running around the house twisting those little blind rods or pulling the strings (which always end up tangled) every time I want it lighter or darker. Plus when the kids mess with them it always seems like there's at least one window in the house where the blinds are hanging crooked half up and down and I hate how that looks. I have the Polywood shutters, and they don't collect dust, are easy to clean, and look brand new years later.

Yes, they are crazy expensive, but I would buy them again in a heartbeat. I'm pretty cheap when it comes to decorating, but that is my luxury.

I have had FANTASTIC results and service from Sunburst Shutters
###-###-#### or http://www.sunburstshutterstexas.com/)
and would highly recommend them. I wouldn't use anyone else -- the shutters I see on display at Home Depot and other window stores just seem creaky and cheap looking. These are in a league of their own.

Well, that's my two cents' worth :) As you can tell I'm passionate about these things -- maybe I need to get a hobby (or a shutter sales job?)

Good luck!!!

We had wood Plantation Shutters at our old home. We had them installed within 2 months of moving into out new home.
You can add window treatments if you like or they look great as there are. You never have to worry about fading or warping and they last forever.
We think they are well worth the money you pay for them.

Hi. I actually used to work for a blind company in Ft. Worth. Honestly, it just depends on what you want to pay for. I have the vinyl or what the business would call faux wood, and it works just fine. You wouldn't know it unless you investigated the slat carefully. Also, mine are white which works well with most trim and also looks best from outside. Check out the guarantee or warranty with the product. Faux has a pretty good warranty. Wood is better, because if anything goes wrong with material or mechanisms of the blind, they usually have a lifetime warranty as long as you keep a receipt and are the original owner. Stay away from Home Depot, JCpenneys, stuff like that. I know a lot of the private blind businesses in this area. I could refer a good one to you if you would like. Just give me a general idea of city, or part of town you live. Are you building a new home? Are you planning to stay in this home for a while? What do most people in your neighborhood have? Shutters are great, but pricey. One good thing about Shutters is that if you ever move they raise the value of your home. Shutters are mounted into the molding of window. So, they can't be removed or it would ruin the window. But the blinds on the other hand if you wanted come move with yu and they could be cut down or added to in length to fit new windows. AAh. Sorry this was a lot of info. I hope some of it made sense. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Thanks,
J.

We've been in out current home that we built since 2000. I went with Levelor 2" wood blinds. One reason I went with Levelor 2" is expereince with them. I had them throughout the first house we built in 1992. I love them, easy to clean, easy to use and they still look great. The owners of our first home still have the blinds and they still look great there as well.

The cost of the blinds vary because I had to have some custom cut. My current home has 35+ windows. The least expensive blind was around $100 and the most expensive one was around $350. I'd say the average blind was around $200.

Good luck!

I would ask some questions first before spending the money on the plantation shutters. How long do you plan on staying in your home? If you intend to be there long term and you love the look - go for it! The reason why I say that is because you don't want to put that kind of money in a house that you know you won't get back out...I would say if you only plan on being in a house for 5 years or less - don't waste the money. I would however say that if you determine that you want blinds - stick with wood. I think that you will get your return out of wood, but vinyl just looks cheap - plus they are actually more difficult to clean. Happy shopping!

I have blinds on all the windows in my house - they're made from pvc material. I love them because they look nice (like wood, sort of) and they don't get all bent and tangled like the traditional mini blinds. Plus, they're super easy to clean.

I have shutters on the front of my house only mainly for the look from the outside. I have eyebrow arched windows and they look so beautiful because they go all the way up. I love them, but they are sooooo expensive. I am glad I chose them though. It sets my house apart from the neighbors from the outside. I have vinyl blinds through the rest of the house in a 2 1/2 inch. I think they are great, easy to clean, etc. I would recommend them esp. if you are going with white or cream. If you wanted a stained color I would go with real wood. Hope this helped :)

I invested in shutters when we built our house and I went with a company called Magnolia Shutters out of Dallas. They provided a letter for our files that showed evaluation of the house. I particularly liked these shutters because they have no center bar and they adjust in three sections. They have been very servicable, but my grandchild has broken a couple of slats trying to climb them as a tot.
They are about 14 years old and I still love them.
C. S.