There are several alternatives to wood blinds that are less expensive. These include extruded wood blinds, polywood blinds, plastic wood
blinds, and curved PVC blinds. Each of these options is explained in more detail below.
Extruded wood blinds
An extruded wood blind is a bass wood composite wrapped in a heat resistant thermo plastic developed by General Electric.
This is a wood based product that was developed by comfortex. The slats are available in S-slat (woodwinds), and flat-slat (envirowood) designs.
When it was first introduced, it was more expensive than the highest quality bass wood blind. These are now available through
a number of independent comfortex fabricators and therefore are competitively priced.
The internal components of the extruded wood blind are exactly the same on these as they are on corresponding real wood products
produced by the same manufacturer. Valances are 2-1/2" wide and made from the same basswood composite as slats. The wand is made of plastic.
Polywood blinds
PolyWood is a petroleum based plastic filled product that has been available in the market for approximately five years.
Plastic Wood
This option is the most economical way to get that painted wood appearance. The slats are physically heavy and
upon close scrutiny, the blinds are obviously not wood. However, these are a nice alternative to wood in less formal
areas such as bonus rooms, garages, children's bedrooms, etc. The slats, valance and wands are all made of plastic.
Curved PVC Blinds
Curved PVC is a plastic product and as the name suggests it is slightly curved with a shallow radius. This is a very
economical way to cover the customers window with a 2" horizontal blind. PVC is offered in a variety of colors and textures. It
is a great way to cover the less formal areas such as children's bedrooms, garages, attics, etc. PVC blinds are extremely durable.
This is a nice feature, especially when they are put in a garage where a rake could fall on them. Dramatically less
expensive than wood blinds, PVC provides the economically minded consumer with an alternative. Allowing for a smaller overall
investment without compromising exterior symmetry.