WHAT ARE BLACKOUT BLINDS?
Posted on 23 November 2021 by Phil Coleman
What are blackout blinds? There is no such thing as a blackout blind.
All blinds will let in a certain amount of daylight, but some blinds are better than others for blocking more light.
Most so-called blackout blinds are traditional blinds like roller blinds or vertical blinds fitted with a blackout fabric.
A blind with a standard will let a certain amount of light through the fabric itself. Blackout fabrics are specially coated to prevent any light coming through the fabric.
So if no light is coming through the fabric then the only place for sunlight to come in is through any gaps around the blind.
Vertical Blinds with blackout fabric you need to AVOID. You will get light coming through the gaps between each slat and through the gap between the fabric and the rail at the top.
Wood Venetian Blinds again I would avoid. You will get no light through the slats themselves, but as with the vertical blinds, sunlight will come through the gaps between the slats.
Roller Blinds are the most popular type of ‘blackout blind’ for several reasons. Price, ease of fitting and availability.
A roller blind with a blackout fabric will make a pretty good blackout blind, but again you will have gaps.
Your roller blind will have an 18 mm gap from the wall to the fabric on each side of the blind and there will also be a gap at the top which is where the fabric rolls up.
The gap at the top can be easily and neatly covered by ordering a roller blind with a cassette.
Roman blinds are a great option for a ‘blackout blind’, unlike roller blinds the fabric on a Roman blind runs right to the end of the blind so there the gap at each side is only 4 mm.
The fabric on a Roman blind also goes right to the top of the blind again reducing any light gaps.
Don’t forget that if you are ordering Roman blinds as blackout blinds ask for blackout linings.
In my opinion, the best blackout blinds are called Duettes.
Honeycomb-style fabric is perfect for blackout and as with the Roman blinds, the fabric goes right to the end of the blind leaving very small gaps at the side.
Duette blinds also have a light-excluding brush strip at the top to ensure there will be no light coming in.
No light at the top, no light at the bottom and very small gaps at the sides make the Duette blind the perfect option for blackout blinds.
If you would like a home visit to discuss the best blackout option for you then please call 0116 2769771 or leave your details and we will call you back at https://www.barlowblinds.com/contact.
