Over the sink and the stove
Steam, grease, and splashes wipe off. No swelling, no peeling paint.
Faux Wood Blinds
Faux wood blinds that take heat, steam, and daily use.
The blind for kitchens, bathrooms, kids’ rooms, and rentals: a slat that does not warp in steam or fade in a south window, with cordless lift and a clean valance-free headrail. Measured and installed by PAPABLINDS in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond.
What faux wood means on a blind.
Faux wood slats are a composite made to look like painted wood without behaving like it. Norman’s Ultimate™ Faux Wood line is built for heat, moisture, intense sunlight, and salty air, so the slats hold their shape in a bathroom that steams up twice a day and in a kitchen window over the stove.
The slats are lightweight, which matters more than it sounds: a wide window gets one blind instead of two, and the lift stays smooth for years. The bottom rail pivots as the blind closes, so the slats meet at a full 90 degrees and the closure is tight from top to bottom.
- Resists heat, moisture, intense sun, and salty air.
- Cordless lift system, certified Best for Kids.
- Valance-free headrail with a built-in light block at the top.
- Pivoting bottom rail for a tight 90-degree closure.
© 2021 Norman®. All Rights Reserved.Rooms where faux wood is the right call.
Shower steam, twice a day
The one room where wood blinds fail first. Faux wood does not care.
Built for hands and pets
Cordless lift, no dangling cords, and a slat that shrugs off knocks.
Afternoon sun
Whites stay white and the slats stay flat through a Seattle summer.
Faux wood, wood, or aluminum?
The three horizontal blinds we install most, compared the way we compare them at the visit.
| Faux wood (Ultimate™) | Wood (Normandy®) | Aluminum (CityLights™) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slat | Composite, 2 or 2 1/2 inch | Quarter-sawn hardwood | Aluminum, 1/2, 1, or 2 inch |
| Steam and splashes | Yes | Keep dry | Yes |
| Look | Painted-wood finish, 15 colors | Real grain, stains and paints | Slim, crisp, metallics available |
| Weight on wide windows | Light | Heavier; wider-panel design helps | Lightest |
| Privacy option | SmartPrivacy® | SmartPrivacy® | SmartPrivacy® on 2 inch |
| Price | Middle | Higher | Lower |
Want the grain? See wood blinds. Smallest budget or thinnest stack? See aluminum blinds.
Options on faux wood blinds.
- 2 inch and 2 1/2 inch slats
- Cordless lift
- SmartPrivacy® concealed route holes
- 15 colors: whites, grays, wood tones
- Smooth, embossed, and printed finishes
- Motorized lift: ask at the visit
For the privacy option in detail, see privacy blinds.
What we check at the visit.
Blinds are quick to install and easy to get wrong by a quarter inch. Six things decide the order.
- Inside or outside mount, and whether the window frame is deep enough for the headrail.
- Width of each opening: one blind or two, and where the split should fall.
- Slat size against the window size and the trim around it.
- Cordless lift, or a wand where a cordless blind is out of reach.
- Color against the trim, not against the wall.
- Which windows face a neighbor, so we can talk about SmartPrivacy® there.
Faux wood blind questions.
Do faux wood blinds look like plastic?
Not the Ultimate™ line. The slats come in smooth, embossed, and printed finishes, and the headrail has no plastic valance to give it away. Bring a real wood sample next to it at the visit and decide for yourself.
Are they heavy on a wide window?
The slats are lightweight and the line is engineered for wider windows, so one blind covers more than a wood blind can. We still confirm the width at the visit.
Can I get them cordless?
Yes. The cordless lift is standard in the line and certified Best for Kids. A wand controls the tilt.
How do I clean them?
Dust with a cloth or a vacuum brush; wipe with a damp cloth when needed. The slats are made for moisture, so a wet cloth in the kitchen is fine.
Faux wood blinds in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond
Faux wood blinds are the most practical horizontal blind we install, and in a wet climate they earn that reputation every winter. Norman’s Ultimate™ Faux Wood slats are made to resist heat, moisture, intense sun, and salty air, and PAPABLINDS measures and installs them in kitchens, bathrooms, kids’ rooms, offices, and rentals across Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and nearby communities.
Slat size and window size
Two-inch slats suit most windows and match the proportions of older Seattle homes with divided windows. The 2 1/2 inch slat opens the view a little more and reads well on the larger windows of newer Eastside houses and townhouses. Both come in all 15 colors, so the choice is about the window, not the palette.
Cordless, wand, and the top light gap
The cordless lift raises and lowers the blind by hand and stops where you leave it; a wand tilts the slats. There are no cords to loop, which is why the line is certified Best for Kids. The headrail also has a built-in light block, so the strip of light that shows above most blinds is closed off.
Faux wood versus wood in a wet room
If the window is in a bathroom, a laundry room, or over a kitchen sink, faux wood is the answer and wood is not. Wood slats absorb moisture and can warp; the composite does not. In a living room or bedroom either works, and the choice comes down to grain and budget, which we cover on the wood blinds page.
Care
- Dust with a soft cloth or the brush attachment of a vacuum.
- Wipe with a damp cloth; kitchen grease comes off with mild dish soap.
- Tilt the slats closed before wiping so you cover the whole face at once.
To see faux wood samples against your trim, request a free in-home visit. We measure each window and leave you with a written price.