|
Read this guide on choosing conservatory blinds so that you can make educated decisions. It’s long but worth reading. So you have yourself a green house. Yes, I know it’s a conservatory, but its glass. So is for all intents and purposes a greenhouse. Your conservatory is too hot to sit in during the summer months and too cold during the winter months. When people have conservatories built they should always factor in at least blinds for the side windows. So what can you do about it? Well below we have listed all the blinds for the side windows that are available to you. Do not be tempted to go for the cheapest fabric you can find. It is just a false economy. If you cannot afford the best then save up. It will be worth it in the long run. So this list will guide you in choosing your conservatory blinds. We have tried to list them in order of expense. The first being, in general the cheapest option and the last, the most expensive. Vertical blinds. These are the most versatile blinds for conservatory sides. There are several types in this category. Fabric blinds, blackout blinds, rigid blinds. Fabric blinds come in hundreds of styles and colours. The deeper the colour the more prone to fading they will be over the years. Some come with a protective backing that reflects the sun’s rays out and keeps harmful UVA rays from hitting your furniture. Most decent fabric blinds will keep the UVA rays down but cheap inferior ones will not. Blackout vertical blinds. These will blot out the sun totally. They are rarely used in a conservatory because it can end up too dark. No sun or UVA rays will come through these. Rigid PVC blinds. These are similar to blackout in properties but need no weights and chains on them. They come in lots of styles and textures but again, will darken your conservatory as well as protect it. The quality of the head rails on all vertical blinds is essential. There are lots on the market. Some from China that are made of tin, some are stripped down copies of better product. They need to be UVA stable. We use only UVA stabilised head rails. Sleek finish and quality chrome chains. They are self lubricating which is another important factor. A great deal of head rail components come from what is called cold country produce. What this means is that tiny chips of plastic are crushed together to form the product. Over time these turn to powder and everything breaks down. We use molten injected plastics so it is fully formed and UVA stable. It will not break down. Roller blinds. These come in any colour you want. Shapes and bars can be added to the bottom to give them that unique personal feel. Again, roller blinds can be normal fabric, blackout fabric or sun protective fabric. The first being the cheapest. Two things to bear in mind with roller blinds. Firstly, they are either up or down. If it’s hot then you have them down which stops you seeing out. They are not as versatile as vertical blinds or venetian blinds. Secondly, because of the nature of roller blinds, complete coverage can rarely be achieved. So you are likely to have a few inches of uncovered glass here and there, especially in corners where two roller blinds butt up together. Aluminium venetian blinds. Just as versatile as vertical blinds. These come in hundreds of colours and styles, including wood effect and metallic’s. They are fairly good sun blockers as they are made from light aluminium. Again two things to be aware of. Firstly, they need to come away from the main walls to enable them to clear handles. A good company rep will point this out to you. If not then don’t use them. Secondly, they do collect the dust. This is easily solved by using a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment moving with the grain of the blind. So not really an issue but something to be aware of. Wooden Venetian blinds an be used in a conservatory and the same things apply to these as normal venetian blinds. Two further points to consider with wooden venetian blinds are weight. This can be an issue and again, a decent company rep will advise you. Secondly, warping can occur due to the adverse heat in your conservatory windows. Wood venetians are a natural product made of ummmmm, wood. Wood warps in sunlight, not always but be aware it can happen. If it does, there is nothing you can do about it. Pleated blinds. Again these come in hundreds of styles and colours and different backings. Normal fabric, blackout fabric and sun Protective backings. Beware of cheap imitations as quality pleated blinds are 2 fabrics layered one on top of the other which enables it to retain its pleats. Cheap imitation ones are actually paper. You cannot tell and the company selling them will not tell you. These are not cheap blinds so make sure they are made by a reputable company. Pleated blinds can be free hang or tensioned. Free hang is the cheaper method of the two and means it hangs down top to bottom with a cord or chain to raise or lower them. Tensioned pleated blinds can fit again top to bottom or into each individual frame. They run on wires called filos and have a tab handle which enables you to raise or lower them to the desired height. The tensioned pleated blinds are also child friendly with no hanging cords for children to get caught up in. Roman blinds. These are the most opulent styles from all the collections. Once again they come in hundreds of different colours and fabrics from sheer silks to heavy patterns. Similar in style to roller blinds they are either up or down. They can be done in a standard lining, usually biscuit colour or white depending on the actual fabric you choose. They can also be done in a black out lining which again is cream or white. OK now on to Perfect fit blinds. So what is a perfect fit blind? Well contrary to what people believe, it’s not me blowing my own trumpet. Perfect fit blinds are a frame, usually white that clips into your original conservatory window frame. No drilling is required for these and that is why they are getting very popular. Blinds that can go in these frames are pleated blinds, roller blinds, 25 mm wooden venetian blinds and 25 mm aluminium blinds. Obviously these come at a premium price but are well worth the extra if you want to keep a sleek, modern look in your conservatory and not take up your entire window ledge. OK, so that’s the side window choices available so now onto ROOF BLINDS. There is really only one type of blind available for roof blinds. That is Pleated blinds. There are 2 options available. Firstly straight forward pleaded blinds suspended in the room by wires. Secondly a perfect fit pleaded blind where they just snap into the roof rather than drilling lots of anchor points for the non perfect fit ones. Choosing which blinds is best for your conservatoryM
Related Articles -
Conservatory, blinds,
| 
