Best Wood & Faux

How this ranking reads a wood or faux-wood blind

Each line is read on what its product page states: the slat material (PVC or composite for faux wood, basswood or another hardwood for real wood), the slat width, the published maximum width and whether two blinds on one headrail is offered, the minimum inside-mount depth, the lifts available, and the seller's remake and warranty terms. Sellers apply their own deductions and custom blinds are made to size and generally not returnable, so the fit guarantee is part of the ranking.

Faux wood for the wet rooms, real wood for the rooms you look at

Faux wood does not care about steam or a wet cloth, which is why it wins every bathroom, kitchen, laundry, and basement window; the trade is weight, a repeating embossed grain, and a width ceiling that depends on the line rather than the material. Real wood is lighter for the same size, takes a stain that sits in the grain, and offers a wider slat, so it belongs in the dry rooms where people stand close to the window. In a painted white or gray finish the two are hard to tell apart from across a room.

Slat size and mount depth decide the rest

A 2-inch slat is the standard; a 2 1/2-inch slat gives more open glass when tilted and a shorter stack, and on most sellers exists only on the wood side. Minimum inside-mount depth is set per line and per lift, not by material — check the specifications tab before assuming a shallow frame will take an inside mount, and plan an outside mount where it will not.

Common questions

Are faux wood blinds as good as real wood?

For a wet room or a painted finish, faux wood is the better choice, not just the cheaper one. For a stained finish on a window people see up close, real wood's grain and lighter weight are what you are paying for. The price gap is widest between a house faux line and a branded wood line and narrows to almost nothing brand-to-brand.

Which is better for a bathroom, wood or faux wood blinds?

Faux wood on any window a shower or tub can steam. Real wood is fine only in a powder room with no shower and decent ventilation.

How wide can a faux wood blind be?

It depends on the line, not the material: some faux-wood lines share the same width ceiling as their wood counterparts, and budget lines stop well short of it. Past a line's ceiling, sellers offer two blinds on one headrail, or the window moves to a vertical or panel track.