What Makes a Faux Wood Shutter?

“Faux wood” is a term that gets used a lot with regards to interior design, from furniture to flooring to window coverings. Technically, all faux wood means is “not wood, but similar to it.” Aside from that, you don’t really have any idea what you’re working with. So if you’re searching for faux wood shutters, faux wood blinds, or any other kind of faux wood window treatment in Chicago, what is it that you’re actually buying for your windows?

Sunburst Shutters Chicago is here to help you discern the quality faux wood shutters from the less great shutters. This is what you need to know.

Faux Wood Quality Ranges From Excellent To Rubbish

Faux wood is almost always presented as a less expensive version of hardwood, but a good amount of faux wood products would be better described as a “cheap” version of hardwood. The vast majority of faux wood is really just engineered particle board, which is a combination of wood fiber, plastic, and adhesive, sometimes coated in vinyl. Almost all of these types of engineered materials aren’t resilient, aren’t able to block sound or heat loss, and will almost always fade and lose their color after prolonged exposure to UV rays.

Even worse, some faux wood shutters are made from, making them weaker, prone to chips and cracks, and less effective at blocking heat loss through your windows.

Though you may think you’re helping your wallet by picking faux wood window treatments, are you really benefiting from shutters you’ll probably need to replace in a few years? Is there much benefit to shutters that don’t help make your space more comfortable or your utility bills lower?

Luckily, not every faux wood shutter is made the same.

What To Look For In a Faux Wood Shutter

There are usually 3 qualities you should look for in a high quality faux wood shutter:

• Durable, moisture-proof material

• No glued material around a wood pulp base

• A lifetime warranty

Sunburst’s Polywood® plantation shutters were invented to succeed where most faux wood fails. Unlike cheaply constructed shutters made of wood chips and adhesive, Polywood shutters are built from our patented Polywood extruded material, built to withstand the most extreme elements and take punishment that most shutters can’t.

In addition, Polywood is 100% solid, making them not only more durable and immune to cracking or chipping, but also better insulators to keep your home nice and cozy.

And unlike the majority of faux wood products on the market, Polywood shutters are backed by a comprehensive Lifetime Warranty.

Some shops may try to market their product as a similar “poly” material, but remember that there’s only one Polywood®.

Get Chicago’s Best Faux Wood Shutters

If you want to graduate from off-the-shelf faux wood shutters that don’t deliver, send a line to Sunburst Chicago today. Set up a no-strings-attached consultation by filling out the form below or call us at 847-250-6544.