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Don't Make A Blind Choice! Your Patio Depends On It

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Blinds are perhaps the most common accessories likely to be found in residential patios. Installation of new blinds or the replacement of old, defective ones both allow you greater control over the amount of light that reaches your "chill spot". The affordability of materials used to make patio blinds shouldn't be your main criterion for choosing one material over the other(s). This article compares various properties of materials commonly used to make blinds.

Timber And Bamboo

When either of these materials is used to make blinds, it gives a natural look and feel to the blinds that is not achievable with many other alternative materials. This look and feel is often appreciated by homeowners across Australian patios. Blinds made from bamboo have several advantages. While both materials exhibit the tendency to warp, blinds made of regular timber are likely to warp and shrink faster when exposed to excess moisture. This is because bamboo is known to have greater resistance to water damage. This should be a significant advantage considering that your blinds will always be exposed to the elements (read moisture). Bamboo grass takes an average of about 2 to 3 years to grow from seed. Mature hardwood trees used to make timber blinds are felled after having grown for decades. On this premise, patio blinds made of bamboo are a more eco-friendly choice.

Faux Wood And PVC

PVC (venetian) and faux wood are perhaps the most common synthetic materials also used to make patio blinds. Venetian blinds are made entirely of plastic. Faux wood is a material derived from combining PVC and a composite wood material. PVC blinds are often preferred for their affordability and for the fact that they're low-maintenance. This is because plastic is a cheap and readily available raw material. You're likely to pay less for PVC blinds than for blinds made from faux wood.

Blinds made of faux wood are advantageous over their PVC equivalent in terms of aesthetics. The incorporation of a composite wood material in their structure gives the blinds a semi-natural physical appearance. Thus, faux wood will allow you to enjoy the almost natural appearance of blinds (thanks to the composite wood material) without an intensive maintenance schedule (thanks to the plastic component). A major drawback of the four blind materials compared is that they're all flammable. Should you settle for one of these materials, invest in a flame retardant spray whose application on the blinds will have a reducing effect on their flammability.

For more information, contact a company like Apollo Patio Roofing.


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