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The Differences Between Plantation Shutters, Window Blinds, And Window Shades In Salt Lake City

August 12, 2022

Shutters, shades, and blinds–oh my! The many distinct window treatments available might feel overwhelming when you need to pick one for your Salt Lake City interior. Grasping how to differentiate between each type will help you decide which styles will function and look best on the windows you are covering. Let’s explore the advantages, drawbacks, and ideal locations for plantation shutters, window shades, and window blinds in Salt Lake City.

The Pros And Cons Of Interior Shutters

White Polywood shutters in a living room

Plantation shutters are built from natural wood or a highly durable composite and go inside your residence where they secure permanently to your window with the shutter’s frame attached to the window’s framework. Easy-to-move panels within the frame open up for total sunshine and an unobstructed view or fasten securely to encompass your window for privacy and darkness. When the panels are closed, you can also tilt open the rows of louvers for some sunlight and manipulate them to angle the light wherever you want.

The Pros

Interior shutters rise above other window treatments due to their unique design. Along with their unmistakable look, they also provide several incredible bonuses for Salt Lake City properties:

  • Give your home alluring architectural styling

  • Come in neutral colors to match your interior now and later if you change your home’s look

  • Provide absolute privacy and near-total darkness when secured

  • Open quickly for sunshine and views to your property

  • Accommodate any specialty shaped window like circles and sunbursts

  • Redirect sun glare with the louvers

  • Easy to dust off

  • Offer an extraordinary level of energy efficiency

  • An enduring part of your interior that increases your Salt Lake City home’s value

  • Various personalization possibilities to craft the look you would like and meet your unique needs

On top of these perks, faux-wood Polywood® shutters have their own significant assets: 

  • Unsurpassed resiliency with resistance to distress from extreme temps, damp conditions, and the sun

  • Never experiences bending, splitting, or nicking

  • Innovative weather protection for exceptional efficiency and lower utility bills

Actually, Polywood shutters will do everything you need a window covering to accomplish, from elevating your window’s appearance to stopping cold breezes and harmful UV rays. They’ll even operate and look just as great decades later as the day you installed them.

 

The Cons

Louvered shutters’ single downside is that they can only be found in neutral tints. Even though their classic coloration goes with all kinds of style choices, you’ll have to opt for window shades or blinds if you have your heart set on colorful or patterned window treatments.

 

How To Incorporate Plantation Shutters

You can use interior shutters on any window inside your Salt Lake City property. Hand-tailored shutters accommodate any size and shape of window without sacrificing their function. Put them on circular, rake angle, and patio door windows just as simply as regular rectangular windows.

You can also install Polywood shutters in any area. Use them for their longevity and energy efficiency in humid bathrooms, cool attic dormers, or sun-filled south-facing rooms. Shutters also make sense in high-traffic spaces and little ones’ rooms as they don’t have cords that present a safety hazard.

 

The Pros And Cons Of Window Shades

White shades in a corner of a living room.

Window shades can be found in many different styles, although, by and large, all consist of a layer of fabric mounted over your window. You usually pull the fabric down or up to uncover and cover your window through a cord or pull bar, although you can find motorized functionality as well.

Window shades don’t have louvers to manage light and privacy, but sheer or less tightly woven fibrous shades are able to permit light into darkened spaces while obstructing the view into your interior. Or you can consider top-down/bottom-up shades that give you the chance to reveal the upper part of your window for sunlight while preserving your privacy on the lower half.

 

The Pros

Salt Lake City homeowners like window shades due to the fact they are available in many different colors, materials, and styles. You’ll discover shades with common colors and bright tones, solid color or dramatic patterns, transparent or non-transparent styles, pleated fabric or natural fibers, and various additional options. If you’re looking for a unique accent while redesigning a space, window shades in just the right color or fabric will enhance your overall design and encompass your windows.

The differing window shade kinds have their own perks too. Roller shades have a sleek appearance. Cellular shades offer energy efficiency. Tumble shades are nice additions to French doors. And sheer shades offer a nice combination of light and privacy.

 

The Cons

Window shades don’t last as long as firm window coverings and may be a chore to clean. Their fabric materials will eventually blemish on account of the sun or may pull apart, develop mold, or be tarnished with stains. You should anticipate replacing window shades every three or four years as they get worn down or you update your decor.

Window shades also offer less flexibility in balancing light and privacy than plantation shutters. Even opening them a bit means you give up your privacy on a portion of the window and you’re unable to adjust how the sunlight streams in in the open section. And a range of window shades will display shadows whenever your lights are on at night. And rectangular window shades in Salt Lake City force you to choose between hiding a specialty window’s unique shape or leaving the window bare permanently.

 

How To Utilize Window Shades

Numerous Salt Lake City residents opt for window shades when they want bold or patterned window treatments to match their decor. They are best suited for less occupied areas where they won’t get damaged by steady use.

You can also use various kinds of window shades for their specified purposes. Go with cellular shades to assist in blocking outside drafts. Slim roller shades accommodate spots where you need to avoid a bulky window treatment. Blackout shades keep out light for better sleep. Woven fiber shades add a feeling of nature to your decor. And of course, custom shades will always have more appeal and function more reliably on your windows than off-the-rack shades.

 

The Pros And Cons Of Window Blinds

Wood blinds in a small dining room area.

Window blinds have long, connected slats made of a solid material that you lower over your windows to cover them. Blinds operate with cords or cordless lift options. Along with concealing windows with blinds, you can also rotate the slats toward or away from you with a wand for extra control over sunlight.

 

The Pros

The virtues of window blinds are dependent on what they’re made of. By design, all blinds conceal windows to obstruct exterior light and the view inside your Salt Lake City home, but their type of material and construction are essential in how effectively they do this. You may notice sun and outlines of people with low-cost vinyl blinds. Vinyl and aluminum blinds also bend and snap without much difficulty, which leaves unattractive spaces that let in outside light. For these blinds, their bargain pricing and short lifespan make them beneficial mostly as temporary window products.

Well-made real wood and faux-wood blinds use stronger slats that envelop windows more thoroughly. You won’t be able to look through them, and they don’t fall apart quickly. The natural wood and composite components, combined with the attractive straight lines of the slats, have a more sophisticated look too. Premium real wood and faux-wood blinds are available in classic neutral shades that look lovely in any room.

Blinds allow you to manage the quantity of light that passes through your windows. You are able to pull them up for an unrestricted view and total sunshine or close them for privacy and darkness. With the blinds lowered, you are also able to rotate the slats for a partial view and the right amount of natural light.

 

The Cons

Wood and faux-wood blinds look similar to plantation shutters but aren’t as tough. The cords incorporated into the slats may fray in the long run, and wood slats can become misshapen and crack from too much humid air or extreme temperature fluctuations. Blinds also have a fair number of elements that might result in them being a challenge to clean, and corded blinds might get tangled up or stick when you try to manipulate them.

Although custom blinds will fit your windows in terms of size, they can’t give you the total protection over the edges that shutters offer since they aren’t enclosed by a frame. You’ll also find that both window blinds and shades in Salt Lake City are prone to shift and knock against your window if run into or impacted by a wind gust. That movement opens a sightline to your interior and lets in light.

 

How To Incorporate Window Blinds

High-end blinds make sense in any space on square or rectangle windows. Be sure to choose water-resistant faux-wood blinds in high-humidity locations like baths and kitchens. And motorized or cordless blinds are safer products in the event you have kids or pets.

 

Sunburst Has Everything From Interior Shutters To Window Blinds And Shades In Salt Lake City

Would you like to know more about the the variances between louvered shutters, window blinds, and window shades in Salt Lake City? Sunburst Shutters Salt Lake City has the most incredible selection of exceptional window treatments in the area and can answer whatever questions you have. We offer complimentary in-home consultations to exhibit our products and show you which window treatments are right for your property. Arrange yours by calling 801-515-3598 or completing the following form.