Calyx Interiors 2″ Faux Wood Blind w/Valance: Installation Review
A full install of the Calyx Interiors 2-inch faux wood blinds, including the drill bit the instructions never mention and the fourth screw I gave up on.
The Calyx Interiors 2″ Faux Wood Blind with valance is worth buying if your window opening measures 34.375″ to 35″ wide and you want a cordless install you can finish in about five minutes. PVC slats, all hardware included, and a real drop in room brightness. Buy it, just measure twice.
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How this review was made: written from Caleb’s own video of the product, embedded below. Everything personal in it happened on camera.
Quick Verdict
Five minutes of install, three screws per bracket instead of four, and I’m fine with that. The slats are nice and thick and they make the room quite a bit darker, though this is not fully blackout. Relatively painless and easy. I like them.
Buy if you:
- Have a window opening between 34.375″ and 35″ wide for the 34″ blind
- Want cordless lift with a toddler or a dog in the house
- Own a drill and a screwdriver and want this done before lunch
- Need the room darker for naps without going full blackout
Skip if you:
- Want a true blackout blind. Closed up, these block a lot of light, but light still gets through
- Can’t tolerate guessing your own drill bit size, because the instructions never give one
- Have a window frame with metal inside it and no metal bit on hand
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| Size | 34″W x 60″H |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.4 lbs |
| Slat width | 2 in, PVC faux wood |
| Valance | 2 1/2″ classic |
| Fit window width | 34.375″ to 35″ (inside mount) |
| Control | Cordless lift, wand tilt |
A Drill, A Window, and a 4-Year-Old Helper
I mounted these in a narrow inside-mount window with a four-year-old narrating every mistake I made. That’s the state of most home projects in this house. The Calyx Interiors 2″ faux wood blinds went into a narrow window, inside mount, and I filmed every mistake I made so you don’t have to make them.
Inside the box: the blind, instructions, mounting hardware, and valance, the decorative front plate that snaps over the head rail once you’re done. Everything I needed was there, which isn’t guaranteed at this price point, so it’s worth a 30-second check before you put the box in the recycling.
Five Minutes From Box to Window
Start to finish it took me maybe five minutes, and that’s with stopping to record. The steps are short and they stack: brackets, skip the center support if your window is under 38 inches, valance clips onto the head rail, head rail in, wand on, valance snapped over the clips. Step nine is optional and I didn’t do it.
The head rail insertion is the part people worry about and it’s the easiest thing here. It just slips right in and pushes home. The wand goes into its little spot in the head rail and rotates clockwise, and I did that one-handed while filming.
How Much Light These Faux Wood Blinds Really Block
They make the room quite a bit darker, but they’re not fully blackout. Spin the wand, close everything up, and you can see how thick the slats are. It kills a lot of light. If you’re buying these hoping a toddler will nap through a 2pm sun angle with zero glow at the edges, that’s not what these do. For general darkening and privacy, they do it well. I like it.
PVC That Won’t Warp
These are PVC and vinyl, not real wood, which is the whole point of faux wood in a window that gets sun and humidity. The listing calls out warp resistance and spot cleaning as the care routine. At 9.4 pounds for the 34×60, there’s some real mass in the head rail, and once the brackets close over it, it’s not going anywhere. I snapped mine shut on camera after forgetting the first time.
The Fourth Screw I Never Got In
I got three screws in on the first bracket and stopped. Not because three is the plan, but because my screwdriver couldn’t physically reach the fourth hole. I’d pushed the bracket too tight against the wall and the ceiling boxed me in. I tried angling it. Not going to do it.
My recommendation, and I didn’t take my own recommendation, is to pull the bracket out from the window just a little so you can actually get a screwdriver on all four holes. The fourth screw is really just redundancy, so I’m happy even if I just get three. That’s good enough for me. But if you want all four, give yourself the clearance up front.
Second bracket had its own problem. There was already a screw in the ceiling right there and my screwdriver started stripping against it. These are problems that instructions can’t account for, they’re specific to your house, not the blind itself.
Drilling Into a Window Frame With Metal in It
Our window frame had a metal block inside it, not unusual in older construction, and a standard wood bit just skated across the surface. I had to swap to a metal bit to get the screw to bite. The instructions don’t warn you about this. If your frame feels suspiciously hard when you poke a screw in by hand, stop and grab the right bit before you strip the head.
The instructions never specify what size drill bit you need for the included screws. Maybe I missed it, which is completely possible. What I did was hold the screw up against bits from the drill closet until I found one where I could see just a sliver of screw on both sides. A hair smaller than the screw. That worked perfectly.
One more: I didn’t use a pencil to mark holes. I held the bracket up, poked a screw through each hole, and wiggled it to make little dots. Faster than going to find a pencil, and the dots line up exactly where the screws need to go. Also, keep a drill and a screwdriver both within arm’s reach so you can switch back and forth fast. Make sure every screw goes all the way in flush, because the valance clips ride over the top of them.
Where These Sit Against Other Cordless Blinds
This is a made-to-measure blind, which is the category difference that matters. You’re not buying a 36″ blind and trimming it. This one is the exact size with no deductions, so your window has to be 34.375″ to 35″ wide for the 34″ inside mount. Calyx is also WCMA “Best for Kids” certified because there are no long cords anywhere in the system. Amazon has it at #14,471 in Home & Kitchen with 50+ sold in the last month, which for a single specific size in a size-by-size product line is decent movement.
Raising Them Is Slightly Fussy
You raise and lower these by hand. Just grab and pull. It works, and it mostly stays where you put it. But it’s easier when the slats are open, because then they fold nice and flat as they stack. Do it with the slats closed and it gets a little bit funkier.
Inside mount also means it can catch on the frame edges on the way up. I pull the bottom out from the wall a little, move it where I want, then let it settle back.
What You’re Paying For
A custom-sized cordless blind with all hardware included and a five-minute install is a straightforward trade: you pay for the exact size, and you skip the contractor. The price hasn’t moved meaningfully in the past three months, so there’s no case for waiting. Check the current number at the product page.
Measure First, Order Second
Measure your window width before you touch the buy button. Then decide your mount style, because it changes which hardware you use. Inside the frame, outside on the wall, or up along the ceiling. We went inside, and that determined that the pointed slide part on the bracket had to start pointed out and open. And check in with the boss before you commit to a spot on the wall. Always best to double check.
Pros
- Whole install took about five minutes with filming
- Head rail slips into the brackets with no fighting
- Slats are thick and make the room noticeably darker
- Fully cordless, wand tilt only, nothing hanging for a 4-year-old to grab
- Center support step skips entirely on windows under 38 inches
Cons
- Instructions never tell you what drill bit size to use for the screws
- Mount too close to the wall and you physically can’t reach the fourth screw hole
- Not blackout, just darker
- Raising it with the slats closed gets awkward, and inside mount can catch on the frame
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cut these down if my window is too narrow?
No. This is sold as an exact size with no deductions made, so it isn’t designed to be trimmed. Order the size that matches your opening instead.
How do I clean faux wood blinds?
Spot clean only, per the care instructions. The PVC construction is water resistant and humidity resistant, so a damp cloth on the slats is fine.
Will these work in a bathroom or kitchen?
Yes. They’re listed as humidity resistant and water resistant, which is the main argument for faux wood over real wood in a steamy room.
Do I need the center support bracket?
Only if your window is 38 inches or wider. My window was narrower so I skipped that step completely, which is one less thing to drill.
Can I mount these on the ceiling instead of the window frame?
Yes, ceiling mount is one of the three options along with inside and outside mount. All the hardware for each is in the box, you just won’t use all of it.
What tools do I need that aren’t included?
A drill, a screwdriver, measuring tape, and a pencil. Have the drill and screwdriver both out so you can swap back and forth without hunting for one mid-bracket.
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Calyx Interiors 2″ Faux Wood Blind w/Valance
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