Mini Blinds - alum vs vinyl vs (F)wood - help

[fish_taste_good]

Hello,

First time (town)home buyer here, with too many questions. My townhome has some really old metal Levolor blinds in it right now. 52x62 in size. So i will be buying some and having them modified since i can't find some that exact size. They will be purchased from a Lowes or Home Depot, or ebay.

Can someone please tell me the benefits / drawbacks of the different types of blinds. I would prefer ones that help with energy costs since one of the windows faces the east, and one faces the west. Wood might be out of my price range, but they may be purchased one at a time if they are the best choice.

Thanks for your help. I wouldnt be asking this question right now if i could find cheap brackets for the old style Levolor Blinds. Unfortunatly, no one locally seems to have these.

Thanks,

Alan

[Annette]

the drawback of blinds, vinyl or aluminum, is that they look cheap and ordinary. the epitome of ho-hum.

wood blinds look more like a shutter, so they look warmer & more attractive.

any blind's main benefit is that they have maximum light control: they can be tilted open, closed, or anything in between, or raised completely up & nearly out of view, or down or anything in between. you can even get specialty ones that raise from the bottom up or top down. complete versatility. and a multitude of colors & price ranges to choose from.

blinds drawback is that they get dusty and are NO FUN to dust. darker colors or wood show dust more than a light color or painted finish will. vinyl blinds can be submerged in a bathtub and really washed thoroughly. wood blinds cannot. (not sure about aluminum blinds)

mini blinds, however, would be my very last choice if energy costs were an issue. they will merely block the sun out & keep the rays from heating up the inside of your house in the summer. i suppose in the winter they'd be better than nothing. wood blinds probably insulate slightly better. but if you've got drafty windows, you need insulated draperies, not blinds. honeycomb triple pleated shades are a much better insulating shade option.