Blackout Window Blinds and Shades

Are you looking for blackout window blinds or shades?

Are you trying to make your room dark and don't know where to start?

Here we will show you how to know which blinds or shades are room darkening and what to expect from each one of them.

The first thing you need to know about a window covering to see if it is room darkening is how opaque the material it is made of, is. Will it allow light to come through or will it successfully block out the light?

Examples of opaque materials is wood, aluminum, and foil (which is used to line cellular and pleated shades). Fabrics, generally allow light in through the weave. A heavier fabric will always be better especially if it is layered. And of course, a Roc-Lon lining behind a drapery fabric will make the fabric room darkening.

Even if you have a good material you have to check to see if light can come in from other places.

One problematic place that can be found on blackout window blinds is the holes where the cord passes through, since it can allow unwanted light in. The routless or no-holes feature solve this issue easily.

Also you need to make sure that the blinds are well fitted to minimize light from seeping in from the edges. Inside mount blinds and shades generally have a little space around the edges to allow smooth function.

If you outside mount the shade, covering at least four inches around the window will ensure that light does not seep in.

On some types of window treatments like cellular shades, you can install special side tracks around the shade to stop light from coming in.

The side tracks are installed on the side of the window frame and the shade is notched to accommodate the side tracks. This ensures that the shade moves smoothly while the light is blocked.

Here is a list of window treatments and what can be done to make them room darkening.

Wood Blinds and Aluminum Blinds, the slats are opaque, of course, but the concern here is the holes that the cord goes through. For this you need to get one with the routless feature, these slats are fabricated in a special way so that they don't have holes at all.

Cellular shades can be foil-lined to prevent the light from penetrating through the shade. Also make sure they have no holes for the cords (most from reputable companies won't).

To make your shades totally blackout ask for those special tracks on the sides of the shades, they will seal the gap between the shade and the window frame resulting in total darkness (and additional insulation qualifying for a tax credit).

Pleated Shades also comes with a metalized backing to increase room darkening capability.

Roman Shades can be gotten special blackout fabrics. If you use an outside mount, make sure it overlaps at least four inches in each direction to minimize light leakage.

Shutters have a frame around them which makes them pretty much enclosed which is great for room darkening, also the elliptical shaped louvers, when closed, limit the entrance of light even more.

Other blackout window blinds and shades include Vertical Blinds, Silhouette, Pirouette , and many more. Just remember to ask for the room darkening or blackout version.

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