Tips For Choosing A Waterproof Window Treatment in Raleigh

September 29, 2016

Anywhere you live, from Raleigh to hundreds of miles away, your home has a common need with just about every other house in the country: waterproof window treatments. Regardless of the layout of your house, the weather outside, or the size of your family living in your house, you’ll usually have the same rooms that benefit from waterproofing: the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room.

As you may have figured, not all window treatments are made equal when it comes to how capably they handle moisture and water. To help out, we’ll take a look at effective each window treatment is at handling wetness and help you find which ones are best for the rooms that see the most water.

Level 1: Window Treatments That Can’t Deal With Water

Seasoned Raleigh homeowners know that there are some materials that don’t do well with water. Go ahead and ask the owner of a hardwood floor what humidity does to lumber. Solid wood hates water, as it can cause wood to bloat and deform, which can make wood window treatments unusable. Extended contact with water might also turn the existing cavities of the wood into a haven for mildew. Due to these facts, solid wood window treatments should stay far away from spaces that get wet like the kitchen.

Fabric window treatments don’t do great with water either. Even though the damage to fabric may not be as extensive or visible, prolonged and repeated contact with humidity can compromise the weave of many fabrics, and that can may result in discoloring and fabric deterioration.

Level 2: Water-resistant Window Treatments

Though not strictly waterproof, window treatments in this classification aren’t at risk of lasting damage when placed in humid rooms. This group of window treatments includes most anything labeled as “faux wood,” like faux wood blinds. Faux wood blinds add the beauty of a solid wood window treatment, adding top-notch fashion to your bathroom and much-needed privacy, without the stress that homeowners might get if the room gets too steamy.

More window treatments that can stand up to almost all damage from water are metal blinds. Though they don’t possess quite the level of style and coverage offered by other window treatments, aluminum blinds are versatile. They can be purchased in a large variety of shades, with available cut out possibilities and privacy features, all while being well-suited to those possible problem rooms. However, blinds that possess cords or fabric bands are not optimal for moisture-laden rooms.

Level 3: 100% Waterproof Window Treatments

Plantation shutters in Raleigh bathroom.

Here’s the level we’ve been waiting for: the window treatment that laughs off humidity, dampness, liquid and more like no other window treatment. Sunburst Shutters Raleigh is pleased to provide one of the only totally waterproof window treatments on the market in our Polywood® plantation shutters. A great addition to the kitchen or bathroom, Polywood shutters are made from a particular composite that is completely invulnerable to the damaging effects of water, no matter if they’re originating inside your home or from the weather outside.

Don’t believe it? We’ve seen the lengths at which Polywood can handle moisture, and we’re so sure of its durability that every installation is guaranteed with our Lifetime Limited Warranty. In fact, if you wanted to, you could blast Polywood shutters with a hose and they’d still function fantastically, without any problems.

Make Sure Your Windows Are Ready For Anything, Raleigh

If you live in a humid or rainy climate, or if you want more effective window treatments for the kitchen, a waterproof window treatment should be a chief priority. Let Sunburst Shutters Raleigh give an assist by calling 919-887-9198 to set up your free in-homewindow treatment consultation. And to get further suggestions for those rooms and more, take a look at our new Ultimate Room Guide to discover the best window treatments for every room in your Raleigh home!

Back to Blog