• What Are Faux Wood Blinds
  
  
• Colors and Textures
  
  
• Benefits for Humid Conditions
  
  
• Control Options
  
  
• Motorized
  
  
• Manufacturers
  
  
• Slat Styles and Shapes
  
  
• Slat Width
  
  
• Maintenance & Durability
  
  
• Rout Options
  
  
• Routless
  
  
• Benefit of Cloth Tapes
  
  
• Weight & Window Considerations
  
  

Faux Wood Blind Decorative Rout Options

Most faux wood blinds have routs, little holes in each slat through which the control strings run. These small holes not only serve to keep your blinds straight, they also help control the lift, lower, and tilt of the blinds. But light can seep through these holes, changing the aesthetics and causing unwanted glare. As a result, manufacturers have come up with ways of hiding rout holes in faux wood blinds or eliminating them altogether.

The most common rout options are:

• Traditional rout holes
• Routless
• Cloth tapes

Traditional rout holes are the tiny holes that appear in each slat through which the strings and “ladders” run. Although this option maintains the conventional look and feel of wood blinds, it still allows light to seep through. This is not the desired option if you wish to use your faux wood blinds to block out as much light as possible.

Routless faux wood blinds use notches instead of holes. The standard control mechanisms still apply and the slats remain firmly in place. Instead of running through holes in each slat, the control strings are fed along the notches and tilt strings are lined underneath. When the slats are tilted to block light, there are no rout holes through which sunlight can escape. Routless faux wood blinds not only optimize light control, they also still maintain the look and feel of traditional wood blinds.

There are other options, however and many manufacturers offer cloth tapes that run along the routs to help cover the rout holes. Although cloth tapes are not considered part of the traditional appeal of wood blinds, using these decorations on faux wood blinds not only decreases light leakage, but they also give you the opportunity to further coordinate your blinds with your décor. Cloth tapes come in a variety of colors and designs, giving you maximum potential in customizing your faux wood blinds.