Cheap faux wood blinds are a great way to go if you want to have the appearance of wood blinds without the cost. Wood used to be the only way to go because it had so much more character than faux wood but today with modern technology plastic can be made to look like real wood with realistic wood grain characteristics including a wood feel. And as a bonus you will have a faux wood product that is not only dependable and durable but one that does not warp, crack or split. And the end product being less expensive than real wood only makes the deal that much more attractive. And of course the more blinds or the larger the blinds that you need, the more you will save.
Headrails in faux wood blinds are usually metal and a valance may be either faux wood to match the slats or a valance made of fabric which could have any design or color you could want. Valance clips are designed to aid in aligning the valance. Most will also have a child safety cord incorporated.
Some faux wood blinds will come with a tilter cord to open and close the slats but some use a wand that attaches to the top of the unit and extends down about three feet which is high enough to be out of reach of children and still be easily accessible to adults. Some also give the option of having the tilter cord or wand located on the left or the right side of the blind. This can be an important option if accessibility is important. For example if you have a two seater couch below a double window you may want the tilter cord or wand to be on the left side of the blind that will be to the left of the couch and the other blind to have the tilter cord or wand on the right. This allows you to adjust the tilt of the blinds from the side of the couch and not have to reach across the couch from the front. On the other hand, if you have long arms you may just want to switch the blinds so the tilter cord or wand for each is near the middle of the couch in which case you can adjust both blinds from the same spot. For most people this is not of major importance but if you live in a warm climate and the windows with blinds are exposed to the sun you may find yourself adjusting the blinds several times throughout the day in order to control lighting brightness vs heat gain.
There is one note of caution however. When you measure for the width of the blind be sure to measure the inside opening of the window and subtract ½ inch in order to allow ¼ inch clearance on each side when installed. The frame of the window behind the blind will extend in one inch or more on each side giving you the privacy you want when the blinds are closed.
