Venetian Blinds Buying Guide: Aluminium, PVC or Timber, and Which One for Each Room

Here's the short answer. For a kitchen, bathroom or laundry, buy aluminium or PVC: steam doesn't bother either, and a damp cloth cleans them. For a lounge room, bedroom or study, timber gives you real wood slats. On a small window, 25 mm aluminium sits neatly; on a bigger one, wider slats look bolder and give a clearer view when you tilt them open. Every venetian we sell is DIY: you measure, we make it in Australia to your sizes, and you fit it.

We sell four venetians, and each has its own designer: the 25 mm Slimline, the 50 mm aluminium, Visionwood (PVC, in 50 or 63 mm slats) and Purewood (timber, 50 mm slats). You can see all four side by side on our venetian blinds page. This guide is for the decision before that: which one, what size slat, which fit, and how to measure and hang it.

Which venetian blind should I buy?

Start with the room, because the room decides the material.

Kitchen, bathroom or laundry: PVC venetians or aluminium venetians. Neither minds steam, and both wipe clean.
Lounge room, bedroom, study or dining room: timber venetians if you want real wood. PVC gives you the timber look if the room gets humid.
Small or narrow window: 25 mm aluminium. We make it from 120 mm wide.
Larger window or a modern room: 50 mm aluminium, or 63 mm PVC if you want fewer, wider slats.
A window wider than 2,400 mm in timber or PVC: two blinds side by side. Aluminium goes to 3,000 mm wide in one blind.

Is a venetian the right blind at all? Venetians are about control. Tilt the slats half open and you get daylight, while people outside can't see in clearly. Raise the blind and the whole window is clear. Closed, the slats block most of the light, but not all of it, so for a bedroom that has to be dark, a blockout roller does that job.

The four venetians, side by side

	25 mm Slimline	50 mm aluminium	Visionwood (PVC)	Purewood (timber)
Slats	25 mm aluminium	50 mm aluminium	50 or 63 mm PVC with a timber look	50 mm basswood timber
Suits	Small and standard windows, wet rooms	Larger windows, modern rooms, wet rooms	Kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, and dry rooms too	Lounge rooms, bedrooms, studies
Width	120 to 3,000 mm	Up to 3,000 mm	240 to 2,400 mm	240 to 2,400 mm
Drop	600 to 3,000 mm	600 to 3,000 mm	300 to 2,600 mm	300 to 2,600 mm
Tilt	Wand	Wand	Tilt control on the cord side	Cord, with timber toggles
Cleaning	Damp cloth	Damp cloth	Damp cloth	Dust only

25 mm Slimline aluminium

Slim slats that sit neatly inside the window, so this is the one for small and standard windows, toilets and laundries. Aluminium doesn't warp or swell, which is why it's at home in a steamy room. You tilt the slats with a clear wand and raise the blind with the lift cord, and both hang on the side you choose. Design a 25 mm Slimline venetian.

A silver 25 mm aluminium venetian blind lowered on a white wall, with the cord and clear wand on the right

Close-up of a silver 25 mm aluminium venetian headrail showing the tilter, lift cord and clear wand on the same side

50 mm aluminium

Same metal, wider slats. You get fewer of them, so the blind looks bolder and the view is clearer when you tilt them open. It comes in fewer colours than the 25 mm, so order samples if you're matching a window frame or tapware. Design a 50 mm aluminium venetian.

Visionwood (PVC)

Visionwood is our PVC venetian, the kind people call faux wood. It has the timber look but doesn't mind steam, so it's the one to choose when you want wood-look slats in a bathroom or kitchen. Pick 50 mm slats for the classic venetian look, or 63 mm for fewer, wider slats and a clearer view through them. The 63 mm slat is closer to the look of plantation shutters. Design a Visionwood venetian.

Purewood (timber)

Purewood is real basswood timber with 50 mm slats and a painted finish. Timber is natural, so the grain and colour vary a little from blind to blind. It's made for dry rooms: lounge rooms, bedrooms, studies and dining rooms. Keep it out of bathrooms and laundries, where steam would bother it, and choose Visionwood there instead. Design a Purewood venetian.

A pale timber venetian blind fitted inside a deep window reveal, slats part-open

Slat width: 25, 50 or 63 mm?

Slat width changes the look more than how the blind works. Narrow 25 mm slats look fine and tidy and suit a small window. A 50 mm slat is the classic venetian, in aluminium, PVC or timber. A 63 mm slat, in Visionwood only, gives you the fewest slats and the clearest view when they're tilted open.

A rough rule: the bigger the window, the wider the slat can be before it looks busy. On a toilet or laundry window, 25 mm. On a lounge room window, 50 or 63 mm.

Recess fit or face fit?

Decide this before you measure, because it changes what you measure.

Recess fit: the blind sits inside the recess, the opening the window sits in. It's the neat look, with nothing on the wall. You give us the exact recess size, and we take off a small allowance so the blind runs freely.
Face fit: the blind goes on the wall or the frame, over the opening. It covers the gaps down the sides that a recess fit leaves, so it blocks more light around the edges. Go at least 50 mm past the recess on each side, and at the top and bottom.

Two more choices in the designer. Cord side is the side the controls hang on, as you look from inside the room: pick the side you can reach without leaning over furniture. Hold-down clips are for a door or a window that opens inwards. They pin the bottom rail so the blind doesn't swing.

How to measure for a venetian blind

You need a steel tape measure and a few minutes per window. Measure in millimetres and write each number down as you go.

Recess fit, width: measure inside the recess at the top, the middle and the bottom. Use the smallest of the three.
Recess fit, drop: measure the height on the left, in the middle and on the right. Use the smallest again.
Face fit: measure the area you want covered, going at least 50 mm past the recess on each side and at the top and bottom.
Check for obstacles: look for handles, locks or winders that the slats could catch on when the blind is down.
Check the size: compare your numbers with the widths and drops in the table above. The designer also tells you straight away if a size won't work.

Two numbers per window, the width and the drop, and that's all the designer asks for. If one window is out of square, the smallest measurement is the one that fits.

Fitting a venetian yourself

Most windows take a drill, a pencil and two brackets. This is the order we fit them in, from our install guide:

Unpack the blind and find the brackets. There's always a left and a right, and wider blinds come with a centre support bracket as well.
Face fit: screw the brackets at the very edge and very top of the architrave. Recess fit: screw them into the top corners, right at the front of the window frame.
If you have a centre bracket, mark the middle of the window and fix it just to the left or right of the mark.
Open the bracket gates, slot the headrail in, and close the gates until they lock.
Twist the valance clips on about 3 cm in from each end, then hang the valance over the front of the blind.
Fit the cord tensioner that comes with the blind. Screw it into something firm, like a timber window frame, using the screws provided. Plaster won't hold it.
Raise it, lower it and tilt the slats to check everything works.

The video and the PDF instructions are on our how to install venetian blinds page. If your window doesn't look like the ones in the video, call us on 1300 195 797. A person answers.

Looking after venetian blinds

Close the slats and dust along them, then tilt them the other way and dust the other side. Aluminium and Visionwood can also be wiped with a damp cloth, which is why they suit kitchens and bathrooms. Purewood only needs a dust: keep water off the timber. If a part wears out years from now, start with our spare parts.

How ordering works

Order free samples. Up to 10 swatches, posted free. They post separately, so they never hold up an order. Hold them against your window frame in daylight, because colours look different on a screen. Order free venetian samples.
Measure each window using the steps above.
Design it. Open the designer for the venetian you've picked, enter the width and drop, then choose the colour, fit, cord side and clips. The price updates with every choice.
We make it. We make it in Australia to your sizes and aim to dispatch it within 15 business days. Delivery is worked out by postcode at checkout.
You fit it. Every venetian has a 5-year warranty on materials, mechanisms and workmanship.

Venetian blind questions

Are venetian blinds blockout?

No. Closed, they block most of the light, but not all of it. For a bedroom that needs to be dark, a blockout roller blind does that job.

Can I put timber venetians in a bathroom?

We don't recommend it. Timber is for dry rooms. For a bathroom, kitchen or laundry, choose Visionwood (PVC) or aluminium.

Should I choose 25 mm or 50 mm aluminium?

25 mm for small and standard windows; we make it from 120 mm wide. 50 mm for a bolder look and a clearer view when the slats are tilted open.

Is PVC the same as faux wood?

Yes. Our PVC venetian, Visionwood, has a timber look and comes in 50 or 63 mm slats.

Can I fit a venetian blind on a door?

Yes. Add hold-down clips when you design it. They pin the bottom rail so the blind doesn't swing when the door opens.

How do I stop light coming in around the sides?

Face fit the blind so it covers the opening and goes at least 50 mm past the recess on each side. A recess fit always leaves a little light at the edges.

Choose your venetian

Each venetian has its own designer, and the price updates as you go. Not sure on colour? Order free samples first.

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