Fitting window blinds can transform the look of your home. The simple, uncluttered look of blinds lend them to integration in most modern interior decor schemes and give a simple solution to light control.

Today there is an ever increasing choice of fabrics and materials available from which blinds can be made, materials such as the traditional fabrics, wood, bamboo, PVC Faux suede etc.

So what choices do you have.

VERTICAL BLINDS

The vertical blind is probably the most versatile of blind, allowing you to control the amount of light entering a room perfectly.

Vertical blind consists of strips of fabric hung onto an aluminium headrail. The fabric strips (louvres) can be rotated through 180 degrees and can also be drawn backwards and forwards across the window. Usual operation is by a chain for rotating the louvres and a cord for drawing them backwards and forwards however there are also vertical blinds which operate by a wand control where you move the wand across to open and close the louvres and twist it to tilt them.

Traditionally vertical blinds are made from polyester fabrics which are available in a massive range of colours and patterns reflecting the popularity of vertical blinds. Other materials available for vertical blinds are wood,, (both solid and woven wood fibres, soft and rigid PVC, aluminium, and Faux suede.

The louvres on vertical blinds are generally available in 2 widths 89mm (3.5") or 127mm (5") with the general modern trend leaning towards the narrower option.

Vertical blind headrails can also be formed into curves giving the ideal solution for shading of bay or bow windows, and also arches.

Vertical blinds can also be made to fit sloping windows, either with a sloping bottom or top.

ROLLER BLINDS

Roller blinds need little introduction with the majority of homes having one somewhere. Consisting of a piece of fabric attached to a roller which can be rolled up or down by either a chain and clutch system fitted at the side or a spring mechanism.

Given the popularity of roller blinds there is a massive selection of fabrics available and on a made to order blind you have the option of having a scallop on the bottom of the blind with braiding of your choice to give a truly individual blind.

Blackout fabrics are available which are ideal for bedrooms, however you should remember that there will be a small light gap around the blind so if total 100% blackout is required some type of cassette system will be required. Having said that a normal blackout blind is usually quite adequate for domestic use.

When choosing a roller blind you should watch for the tube on which the blind is fitted. Made to order blinds should be made with an aluminium tube for strength, however some DIY roller blinds may be made on a cardboard tube which will obviously not last as long.

VENETIAN BLINDS

Love them or hate them the venetian blind has been around a long time. Consisting of strips of material hung horizontally which can be tilted or raised and lowered using the simple controls. The standard configuration for a venetian blind is for the cords which raise and lower the blind to be on the right hand side and the mechanism for tilting the slats, which can either be cords or a wand depending on the type of blind) being on the right. With a made to order blind you should be able to alter this configuration to suit your needs.

in the main venetians are available in 3 materials. Plastic/PVC which you will find in a low cost ready made blind. Aluminium and wood. My personal opinion is that except for the narrowest of widths PVC slats will not give you a long lasting blind as the slats have a tendency to sag after a while.

Venetians are generally available with a choice of 3 main slat widths, 25mm, 35mm (1.5") or 50mm (2") with the aluminium slat also being available in a 15mm slat.. There are a wide range of colours and finishes available in both wood and aluminium

ROMAN BLINDS

Roman blinds are made from soft fabric like curtains. Consist of the fabric which is attached to some type of headrail (various options are available). Rods are sewn horizontally into the rear of the fabric which enables it to be raised and lowered with a cord. Simple Roman blinds will use a cleat attached to the wall to tie off the cords at the desired position for the blind however there are headrail systems which use either a cord lock system similar to that found on a venetian blind or a cassette headrail system which uses a loop chain to raise and lower the blind.

As Roman blinds use soft cloth there is of course a massive choice of designs available

Another option for Roman blind material is bamboo with a range of colours and finishes available to suit any modern interior design.

PLEATED BLINDS

Pleated blind fabric is a very fine material which has been folded to form pleats, when a pleated blind is open the fabric will fold up and when it's closed the fabric pleats will fold out to a triangular effect. Pleated blinds can be made in various ways such as a free hanging blind similar in operation to a venetian blind, a blind which is attached to a window top and bottom and is internally corded to form an unobtrusive blind ideally suited to conservatory sides. Pleated blinds are also used extensively for conservatory roof blinds (please see the later chapter on conservatory shading)

As with all other blinds there are lots of fabric choices available. Pleated fabrics range from a simple polyster fabric to fabrics which have special backings and coatings to aid solar protection.

HOW TO BUY BLINDS

Once you've chosen the type of blind you would like there are several ways in which you can buy it.

EMPLOYING A LOCAL BLIND COMPANY

The easiest way is to use a local blind company. You should easily find one either from an advert in your local paper or from the Yellow Pages. The blind company will usually arrange for someone to visit you, measure your windows and show you their range of blinds and fabrics. They should then return when your blinds are ready and fit them for you.

Unless you have a personal recommendation it is best to shop around a little as prices can vary massively from company to company.

The window blind retail business is very easy to get in to so don't assume that the person selling you blinds knows much more about them than you do, always try to get testimonials from previous customers.

If you're looking for a blind company from adverts in the local paper, don't be mis-lead. Many companies advertise deals like 50% off. This simply doesn't happen and is usually a fabric which has been inflated simply to knock off the 50%. Another advertising method used is 3 blinds at a special price. My own company uses this and we have a popular fabric available at this price however I know of other companies who use the same advertising and offer an obscure fabric colour at the special price.

Having said all that, there are some good companies who will supply and fit your blinds.

THE DIY APPROACH

Fitting blinds is really a simple DIY operation and if you feel competent in measuring and drilling a few holes you can save yourself some money by buying blinds and fitting them yourself.

You can buy blinds at DIY and other stores and fit them yourself. They will usually come in a kit form and, if you want to fit the blind into a window recess they will usually need some type of trimming or cutting to size as they will obviously be made to standard sizes

A more convenient way to buy blinds to fit yourself is to buy direct from a window blind manufacturer who should make the blinds to your exact requirements leaving you just to fit the blinds.. If you've measured carefully and correctly your blind should fit perfectly. If buying from the Internet make sure that you are buying a made to measure blind and look for a company who will provide you with guidance if you encounter difficulties fitting the blind.

BLINDS FOR SPECIAL LOCATIONS

Bathrooms

Bathrooms blinds require careful consideration. Obviously with the humidity produced in a bathroom the materials used need to be chosen carefully. Aluminium venetians are an ideal choice for the bathroom. However you can choose a fabric blind, either a vertical or roller. If fitting a fabric blind there are fabrics available which have an anti bacteria treatment, these are ideal. Although they are treated I would not recommend wood blinds for the bathroom as the constant changes in humidity may lead to warping, however if you really want the look of wood there are wood effect venetian blinds available.

Kitchens

Kitchens by their nature can be a hazardous place. Curtains, especially if near a cooker can add to the hazards so blinds are the ideal choice for a kitchen window dressing as they will fit neatly and unobtrusively into the window recess.

As with bathrooms, a fabric with an anti bacteria treatment would be a good choice if you opt for a fabric blind

CONSERVATORY SHADING

It's spring and you're sitting in your conservatory that doesn't have blinds. The outside temperature is 20 degrees Centigrade and partly cloudy. With clouds covering the sun the conservatory remains relatively comfortable, however the moment the sun comes out you will almost immediately feel hot and uncomfortable.

This in a phenomenon called 'Instantaneous Heat Gain" where your body heats up far beyond your surroundings. The room temperature certainly hasn't risen that much but the effects of the sunlight on your body has caused you to feel a lot hotter than the room.

Any conservatory without some sort of shading will be very uncomfortable on sunny summer days, particularly so a south facing one. Added to this, with predominantly light materials used in conservatories there is the additional problem of glare.

The sun emits short wave radiation that changes to long wave as it passes through the window onto objects in the conservatory. The long wave radiation bounces off these objects and, unable to pass back out through the window causes a build up known as the 'Greenhouse Effect' which can make rooms, particularly conservatories very hot and uncomfortable.

So how can you take control of your conservatory and use it even on the hottest sunniest day of the summer? Well from the information above it is pretty obvious that you need to control the amount of sun entering the conservatory, particularly through the roof. Translucent roof materials will cut out some of the direct sunlight but not all of it, even a small percentage of direct sunlight can cause discomfort so the more you can cut out the better.

The only effective way to control the climate in your conservatory is with some type of roof shading. The most efficient is with an external awning which will obviously cut out the sunlight before it enters the conservatory, however you need to take into consideration the cost and also the fact that an awning will affect the appearance of your conservatory and property. The next option is roof blinds, fitted internally to your conservatory. Pleated blinds are ideal for conservatory roof shading as they can be made up into all of the unusual shapes which can be found in conservatory roofs. There are however many types of pleated blind fabric on the market, so care needs to be taken when choosing the fabric for your blind or you can end up with a costly roof blind system which really doesn't give you the control you need. Some sort of coating on the fabric to reflect the short wave radiation out of the room with little effect on its wave length is a must, this will avoid the build up of heat between the glass and the blind. A fabric which cuts out as much direct sunlight as possible will give you the most control. For example a fabric which cuts out 100% of sunlight will give you 100% control of your environment. With all the blinds closed you will cut out almost 100% of the sunlight and by opening some or all of the blinds you can let in up to 100% of the sunlight.

Certainly with the correct roof blinds fitted you will be able to take control of your conservatory and be able to use it on even the hottest, sunniest summers day.

With the roof blinds sorted you can add side blinds in vertical, roller, pleated, venetian or Roman blinds for privacy making your conservatory a valuable extra living space.

The fitting of conservatory roof blinds is usually not a DIY option, except for a lean to type conservatory where a fairly competent DIYer should have little difficulty, and it's best to call in a competent blind company who have experience of this type of installation and as always get several quotes and make sure that the fabric they will be using is suitable for roof shading.

EXTERNAL SHADING

PATIO AWNINGS

Patio awnings have gained in popularity over the past few years. These fit onto the outside of the house and when open give protection from the sun and also light showers.

There are many patio awnings on the market ranging in price from a few hundred pounds up to around £1000 per metre of width required, Generally you do get what you pay for with the cheaper DIY awnings generally being of lower quality than the made to measure options, however I would question the value for money of the most expensive awnings advertised by the big national companies .

Patio awnings can be manually operated with a crank handle with which you wind the awning in and out or can be motorised where the awning is operated by the flick of a switch. Automation options are also available with light and wind sensors where the awning will automatically wind out when a certain level of sunlight is detected and retract if the wind speed rises (preventing damage to the awning).

Again , for a made to measure awning, there are hundreds of different fabric colours and designs from which to chose.

You can buy a patio awning, either made to measure or standard sized for DIY fitting and it is fairly straight forward . If you elect the DIY approach, obvious things to look out for when deciding on the location of the awning are any obstructions which will prevent the awning fitting flat to the wall, such as drainpipes etc.

You should also bear in mind that an open awning is like the sails of a boat so any wind will put pressure on the fixings. For this reason it is not recommended to fit an awning into the top few courses of bricks in a wall. This often presents a problem with fitting an awning on a bungalow, and to overcome this - certainly with made to measure awnings - spreader plates are available which fix further down the wall to where the awning is position to spread the load of the awning to a stronger part of the wall

FITTING BLINDS

If you opt for the DIY approach you will obviously need some tools and basic DIY skills in order to fit your blind.

Blinds should come to you complete with easy to follow fitting instructions and it's usually the case that you will need to drill some holes, fit the brackets and put the blind in place.

You will obviously need a good quality hammer drill and drill bit, especially if fitting inside a window recess as lintels are often very hard to drill, and a screwdriver and that's about it, simply follow the instructions supplied with your blind.

As mentioned above, window lintels are often hard to drill through, my own fitters use SDS drills which require little effort however with patience you should be able to drill the necessary holes with any powerful hammer drill with a good quality masonry drill bit. You may also encounter steel lintels, again with patience you will be able to drill through these.

Most blinds can be top fixed, where you drill holes for the brackets up into the lintel, or face fixed where a different type of bracket is used which screws into the window frame.

A face fixing is the only choice you have for fitting blinds in a conservatory conservatory blinds however for all other windows you have a choice. Generally a top fixing will be the neatest however if you have any doubts about being able to drill through your lintel you should opt for a face fixing.