Wood blinds are very beautiful and they offer windows a natural look, so they are quite popular among home owners. However, faux wood is starting to gain advantage over the real thing, because of several advantages, one of the most important being the price. Wooden blinds are expensive, if you want to have the top notch quality ones, like Hunter Douglas, Levolor, Kirsch, Graber or Bali are manufacturing.

Wood blinds have the advantage of being available in more colors, nuances and finishes than faux blinds. Besides, they are lighter, so hanging them doesn’t require special hardware to support a lot of weight. In the case of wooden blinds, the slat size can go from those wood mini blinds which are smaller than 1″, up to 2 1/2″ which allow better view-through and which are suitable for larger windows.

Both wood blinds and faux wood ones can be motorized, so here we could say they are equal. However, wooden ones being lighter, they put less stress on the motor, so it may last longer than in the faux wood blinds case. This is only an assumption, as I haven’t really found any studies to prove this.

Even if you can afford to buy wood blinds, the only situation in which faux wood ones are better is high humidity. Wood doesn’t go well in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, where the moisture variations could cause the wooden slats to bend or even crack.

Many window treatments manufacturers won’t come to your house to measure your windows, so you’ll have to do this by yourself. You should take care to do it in a proper way, otherwise, even the most beautiful blinds can look dull and not suitable for your windows. The correct way of taking measurements depends on the type of blinds you want to install.

Horizontal Blinds Inside Mount

IOf you want to shades to cover only the glass surface of the window, you’ll have to mount them inside the window casing. You have to measure the distance between the edges in three points: at the margins and in the middle. Then write down your figures and choose the smallest of them. That’s because you don’t want the width of the blind to exceed the casing space, as it won’t fit inside. Then you have to measure the length. You’ll proceed the same way, but this time you’ll keep the longest measurement, because you want to shade to completely cover the window at the bottom. Some window treatments manufacturers recommend that you measure also the two diagonals of the window and if they aren’t equal, forget about the inside mount and choose the outside mount.

Horizontal Blinds Outside Mount

In this case, you want your blinds to completely cover the window, thus exceeding the glass area. You have to measure exactly the area you want to be covered by your window blinds. Make sure that the size of your future blinds exceeds the windows with about 1 1/2″ on both sides, otherwise you may not get the desired light control or privacy. These measurements are easier to take than the ones in the inside mount case, but you should still pay attention to have them taken correctly.

Measuring Windows for Vertical Blinds

Usually, vertical blinds are mounted outside the windows, just like curtains and drapes, by using a ceiling track. In this case, you’ll have to measure the width of the blinds, taking care to overlap well the windows, and the length to the window sill or to the floor, if you want your vertical blinds to touch the floors. Allow about 1 inch at the bottom, for seamless movement of the blinds.

When you order the blinds, make sure to tell the manufacturer how you measured. The best way would be to make a drawing and put the measurements on it, for avoiding misunderstandings.

Solar shades are those window treatments that let the light through, while protecting you from the glare. This helps preserving your room decorations like new for a longer time, as they are not anymore exposed directly to sun rays.

Bali solar shades are made of certified fabrics which are presented under the registered trademark GreeGuard. According to the privacy and light control provided, the fabrics for solar shades from Bali come in two options: with 10% – 14% openness and with 5%-7% openness. Both variants feature a wide range on textures and colors, and for some of them you can even order samples, to see better if they match your other decorations inside the room.

As of the lift control types, Bali offers four types of control: the continuous-loop lift system, the cordless lift system, the infrared motorization system and the radio frequency motorization system. They are all designed in such a way as to avoid strangulation hazards for children or pets. The cordless lift system is available in three variants: with clear hem grip, with standard tassels or with wood tassels.

An innovation which I like at Bali blinds is the possibility of choosing the reverse roll: instead of orientating the fabric to roll to the back, you can have it rolling to the front, therefore allowing more distance between the fabric and the window itself, thus accommodating better the window handles.

For very picky customers, Bali offers the possibility to add a cassette valance or a square-corner valance to your roller shades, which gives a touch of elegance. In case you like this idea, make sure to order the valance in the same time with the solar shades, as they can’t be ordered later on.