Materials are a primary cost driver for blinds. Natural materials cost more, and offer a look that is preferred by some, but generally have less desirable durability and ability to be cleaned. Here's the rundown on Blinds Materials:
Natural vs. Man Made materials in Blinds
Generally speaking, the mechanical operation in blinds is good these days and both natural materials and man made materials work well if you are purchasing a quality product from a (quality blinds vendor). Similar to cars, everything is better quality than it used to be and the discussion is really about what's better or best. This is more of a (quality blinds) discussion. It's mentioned here, because natural materials are often associated with quality, and this simply isn't true, at least not often enough to be useful.
Here's the deal: All materials in quality blinds work well, the real differences come into play only when you need (rough use blinds), or when you are discussing long-term durability. I mean really long-term, as in the difference might not show up for 10+ years. Bottom line: Unless you have special needs like the absolute cheapest blinds or rough use, you should get the material that, quite simply, you most want to wake up to and see every day.
Cheap Materials
Note, the word 'cheap' has several meanings, and this article is about the price. All materials we'll discuss are high quality and simply have a cheaper price than others. Blinds are a long-term purchase, and blinds that are cheap-cheap (the bad kind) are not worth having - not even temporarily, not even if you're moving in a month. They are risky and they fall apart. ('Big Box blinds') that aren't custom fit and are made from unknown companies in third world countries (probably with underpaid labor) are junk, and dangerous. (See Blinds Safety)
With that huge disclaimer out of the way, the blinds materials that are less-expensive are Aluminum, Vinyl, Composite and Faux Wood.
Aluminum | Vinyl | Composite | Faux Wood | |
Cost: | Lowest | Low | Low | Low |
| Features: | Fade resistant, moisture resistant,easy to clean | Fade resistant, durable, many colors, textures, moisture resistant, easiest to clean | Fade resistant, durable, many colors, textures, moisture resistant, easy to clean, wood look, thermal composite over wood (also called wood alloy), smoother finish, close to real wood | Faux Wood is a collective term and is either textured vinyl or composite |
| Best features | Lowest cost | Versatile, material can match verticals | Premium wood alternative | Look of wood with durability of man made |
| Worst features | Bends if handled roughly | - | - | - |
