Allen + Roth Blinds and Shades

Faux Wood, Cellular or Roller

Pick on how you want to control the light, not on the photo.

• Faux wood blinds. Slats that tilt, so you can angle light with the blind still down. That tilt is the reason to buy them. Heaviest on a wide window, and the one owners argue about in direct sun.
• Cellular shades. Honeycomb pockets that trap air, worth a look if the window is cold or the room bakes. No tilt. Light filtering and blackout are different products, so check which the listing is.
• Roller shades. One sheet of fabric on a tube. Least to go wrong, smallest stack at the top. No tilt, and more side light leak.

How to Measure for Allen + Roth Blinds

Decide inside mount or outside mount first, because it changes every number you take. Use a steel tape and record to the nearest eighth of an inch. Measure the opening itself: the blind hanging in it now may have been cut wrong by the last person.

Inside Mount

The blind sits inside the recess. Windows are not square, so you are measuring for the tightest point.

• Width: measure at the top, middle and bottom of the opening. Write down the narrowest of the three. Use the widest and the blind will not go in.
• Height: measure at the left, centre and right, sill to the top of the opening. Take the longest so the blind covers the glass.
• Depth: measure front to back inside the recess and check it against the depth the listing says the headrail needs. Shallow recesses are the usual reason an inside mount fails.
• Obstructions: cranks, latches and alarm sensors sit inside that depth. Check the blind clears them when it is down, not just when it is up.

Outside Mount

The blind mounts on the wall or trim above the opening and hangs over it. This is the fix for a shallow recess, an out-of-square window, or a room where you want less light leak.

• Measure the opening, then add overlap to each side. Around two inches per side is the usual allowance, and it stops light striping down the edges.
• Add height above the opening for the headrail, and decide where the bottom lands: sill, apron, or floor.
• Check there is flat trim or wall to screw into.

Cordless, Corded or Motorised

Cordless is the sensible answer with children or pets, since there is no loop to reach. Cords are also the shortest warranty element here: they are covered 5 years, and motorised shades put their motors and electronics on the same 5 year clock, while the limited lifetime term covers everything else. Cordless sidesteps the part that expires first.

What to Check Before You Buy

• Sun exposure. Faux wood on hard afternoon sun is the failure mode owners report most. Cellular or roller is safer on a west-facing window.
• In stock size or cut-to-width. Cut-to-width is trimmed at the store to the number you hand over. Take your measurements with you and check the trimmed width before you leave.
• Keep the receipt. Proof of purchase is what a claim runs on, and nothing asks you to register. Cover runs to the original purchaser only, so it does not pass with the house.
• A claim covers parts, not the afternoon. It starts at the Lowe’s store you bought from. Shipping, labour, removal, measuring and installation are not refunded, so a year-eight failure still costs you the fitting.

How to Install Blinds Yourself

Brackets and screws come in the box and the job is a screwdriver and a drill. Two things decide whether it looks right. Hitting solid material: on an outside mount into plasterboard with no trim behind it, the supplied screws need wall anchors or the brackets pull out under a heavy faux wood blind. And levelling the headrail with a spirit level, not by eye against a frame that may itself be out of true.

What People Get Wrong

Buying cut-to-width without thinking past the purchase. A blind trimmed to your window is not a shelf item. If one in a run of five fails in year six, you are matching a colour and slat style that may no longer be sold, the ordinary discontinued line problem. A spare bought at the outset is cheaper than solving that later.

What Owners Say

Opinion splits on faux wood. Against: “The Allen & Roth faux wood blinds are cheaply made and bow after a year or so of the sun hitting them.” For: “You’ll get 10 years out of em no problem.” One defender argued there is not enough difference between Allen + Roth and Levolor to justify the price gap.

Those are individual reports, not survey data, and the Levolor comparison is opinion rather than a measured claim. The criticism is at least specific enough to test against your own windows. More on whether Allen + Roth is good.