Questions About Shutters And Blinds? Ask Our Experts!
When you’re planning to find window coverings for your home, it can get confusing as to whether you’re looking at shades or shutters and perhaps even Blinds. As a professional shutter company in the Warrington, Pennsylvania area, we have customers question the relationship between these terms all the time. We’ve put together a few common questions that you may have as well when it comes to shutters, shades, or blinds for your window treatments.
The differences between shutters, shades, or blinds can best be determined by how they are hung on the window and how they are designed to operate.
Shutters
Hung on side hinges that are attached to the side of your window frames. They come in 1 or more panels that are hinged together so they fold to the side when opening the shutters. Slats can also be opened and closed via a center stick that is attached to each slat so they open or shut all at the same time. Shutters can be latched together to close in the center of the window or pulled all the way open via the side hinges.
Shades
Are attached to the top of your window frames as are blinds. Shades are normally made of a single sheet of material that ranges from thin to thick. Plastic is the cheapest variety. Quality shades are generally made of fabric or upholstery-like thick material. They are attached to the top on a spring hinged roller and either pull to shut or activate the roller to open. They can be fitted with a side window frame track system and motorized to open and shut.
Blinds
Window blinds are also attached to the top of the window frame. They have levours instead of a single sheet of fabric like shades. Think of the mini-blinds and you’ll remember that they normally are corded together and open via a cord or string that’s run through a series of connections that also run down the louvers. A wand attached to the left side of the blinds opens and closes the louvers, while the main cord is pulled to raise and lower the blinds.
If things weren’t confusing enough, within each type of window covering there are differences as well. Take shutters, for instance. Shutters can be made of different materials which causes the need for different terms or names to go with each type.
Basically you can narrow shutter types down to either Real Wood Shutters or Faux Wood Shutters. In shutters, you never have fabric as a material option, only wood or some wood-like material. Shutters are made to withstand some beatings from the weather, originally designed to protect the home. They are made to be hung either on the outside or inside of the home.
If you’re perusing through a myriad of options for your window coverings and you have any questions at all, give our experts at Blinds Shade and Shutter Factory a call. We’ll be glad to help you make sense of all these terms and help you find what you’re looking for in affordable shutters, shades, or blinds.