Faux plantation shutters are an acceptable alternative to real wood shutters for many people, especially when price is an issue. They are often made from particle board or some other engineered wood with a plastic or PVC covering that is made to resemble stained wood. Other faux wood shutters are made solely from PVC or vinyl, with no wood-vinyl mix, however these tend to be more flimsy and less sturdy than the combination shutters.

Once installed, few people will be able to tell the difference between faux wood plantation shutters and genuine wood shutters, especially at a distance. With the price sometimes half what you would pay for wood shutters you may wonder if there are any reasons not to get them.

photo credit: msmail

Other advantages to faux wood shutters, aside from price, include the fact that, unlike wood, this material will not warp when exposed to moisture in the air in the same way that some wood blinds will.  They are also more difficult to damage, thus are often a great choice for areas where children play such as bedrooms or family rooms.

Onto the disadvantages: Weight wise, they can sometimes be a little heavier than actual wood blinds, due to the weight from the compressed particle board however they are often more flimsy even though they are heavier. The additional weight also puts some constraints on the size of the shutters as if they are too large it makes them rather unwieldy and difficult to handle. One other disadvantage which people may not realize is that the vinyl coating on the blind may discolor particularly when exposed to sunlight. This can alter the color of the blind quite significantly in some respects. For this reason, these type of blinds are actually not recommended in areas where there is a lot of bright sunlight.

It appears that when price is not a problem, most homeowners will opt for wood plantation shutters over faux wood shutters. There is something warm and inviting about real wood shutters that makes them stand out above all other shutters and makes wood the preferred material when buying plantation shutters.