[CityWok]

We're looking to replace all the worn out blinds in our property with faux wood (some blinds, some shutters). I'm hearing stories though that people's blinds are turning yellow after only a year due to the intense sunlight in Vegas! I'm trying to figure out if that's a problem with faux wood blinds, or if it's just the cheaper plastic ones.

Faux Wood is partly plastic though, right? So on that basis, wouldn't they also be subjected to this problem, or do they have a more durable composition?

Has anyone with white blinds and/or shutters encountered yellowing blinds with Faux Wood?

Thanks for any insight.

[Marioni888]

I have called at least 5 shutters companies in Vegas before I purchased shutters for my 2 houses. They ALL told me Faux Wood is the best choice.
Some of them had same price for wood and faux wood but they still told me to go with faux wood because its better.
I always tought real wood is the best and I still don't have an idea why everyone are saying to go with faux wood

[ddrhazy]

You could paint them. Might be a hassle to remove them from the pulleys though.

[skugelstadt]

Originally Posted by Marioni888

I have called at least 5 shutters companies in Vegas before I purchased shutters for my 2 houses. They ALL told me Faux Wood is the best choice.
Some of them had same price for wood and faux wood but they still told me to go with faux wood because its better.
I always tought real wood is the best and I still don't have an idea why everyone are saying to go with faux wood

We have faux wood shutters and they have held up well. The problem is that they look like faux wood. They came with the house, but I want to replace them some day or paint them white

[Onlyliveonce]

Sunburst Poly wood shutters come with lifetime warranty which includes no fading/yellowing. They are pricey but well worth the money.

[Willy702]

If they are the south or west facing windows I can't imagine how they don't yellow. When I moved into my first house I spray painted them as a quick solution and then replaced them with faux wood 2 years later. The faux wood was no better. I would just accept it as a certainty on windows facing the worst of the sun, best not to spend too much on them or spend a lot and get the guarantees.

[Displaced Brooklynite]

Wood tends to fade and crack due to the dryness in LV. Most good contractors will refuse to install wood floors here for the same reason.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Displaced Brooklynite

Wood tends to fade and crack due to the dryness in LV. Most good contractors will refuse to install wood floors here for the same reason.

Then most good contractors don't know a damned thing about wood. They're just not patient enough to let the wood COMPLETELY dry down to desert levels before installing it, or they're too lazy to invest in a moisture meter. Or they just don't want to deal with the hassle. Engineered and laminate is easy, cheap, and "good enough" for most of their customers.

I laid down my hardwood floor -- 3/4" red oak. It still looks great after seven years. No fading, no cracking. It took MONTHS to properly acclimate to the desert. But once it dried down to 6%, it stayed there. In addition, almost every piece of furniture that I have made is still fine. One had joint problems, and I was able to fix that easily. I don't imagine I'll be able to take these pieces to a more humid climate. But I don't care. I'll just make new pieces when I move. The tools are certainly coming with.

Desert woodworking takes a different mindset, but not a different skillset.


PS -- To keep this on topic, the only reason I haven't made plantation shutters is because I'm not interested in spending any more money on this house. I have all the tools to do so, though, and considered for awhile when we first came here. Contrary to the ads you see on Craigslist, shutters aren't easily transferable from one house to another. If Plantation shutters were a big deal for me, I'd make them out of basswood, prime them with Kilz, and paint them with a high-quality, non photo-reactive paint.

[xafpilot]

I had Sunburst Shutters install my polywood shutters back in 2005 and they are as white as the days they were installed, including the few west facing windows that I have. My house shopping list specified that west facing windows would be few and far between. For those with more west facing windows, spend a few hundred dollars on exterior solar shaded, they keep the hot summer afternoon heat and glare from your west facing glass.

[CityWok]

Thanks everyone for sharing the info (if anyone else has a story or recommendation to share, please feel free). In the meantime, I did find Norman produces faux blinds and shutters which are supposed to be specially coated to block UV. Apparently it is supposed to prevent yellowing on the white shutters, though sadly their warranty does not back that up, so it's looking we'll probably go with Sunburst, especially given how people are praising their product on this board. They're considerable more expensive, but reputation seems to justify the price difference.