Discount Blinds are not the same as ‘cheap blinds’.

‘Cheap Blinds’ by definition are blinds that are made to be cheap, which normally means mass production, cheap materials, cheap labour, ect.

Discount blinds on the other hand are still a high quality product, they are just discounted for one reason or another, for example during a sale or stock clearance.

What this means is if you are on a tight budget, which I understand a lot of people are during the ‘recession’ you can essentially get hold of the high quality blinds you are accustomed to at the same price as the low quality ‘cheap blinds’ you would usually avoid.

How you say? Simple, search for the discounts and sales!

It is important to understand that you are not the only one feeling the heat of the credit crunch, businesses are feeling it too and they are lowering prices and holding sales left, right and center!

This may sound cynical, but a lot of businesses are also going bust as well, and they have a lot of extra stock they quickly need to get rid of to recuperate at least some money. I’m willing to bet you can get a great discount on that stock!

I’m guessing you have a retail brand you know well, trust and buy from each time? It may be Hillarys, Web-Blinds, Blinds Supermarket or one I haven’t even heard of. But the key to finding the most discounted blinds is to not stick with one retailer but to compare the market, which is relatively easy with a simple Google search.

Another thing to look out for is promotions like ‘price beater’ or ‘price match’ where companies guarantee to beat the quote you’ve been given. This is always worth going for, you have nothing to lose after all!

One last thing to remember is that nearly all sites have discount codes, if you do a google search that looks something like “Web Blinds Discount Code” you may be surprised with what you find

Good luck finding those discounts!

Why are Pleated Blinds so popular in conservatories?

There could be hundreds of little variables that go into why a certain person purchases pleated blinds, but the majority of people choose pleated blinds for these five reasons:

1. Cost – Pleated blinds a pretty simple product, and for that reason you can get them relatively cheap. One thing it is important to check is the quality of the material, sometimes you think you are getting a bargain until you end up with a wafer thin blind which doesn’t fulfil your needs.
   
2. Shape – Conversatories often feature odd shaped windows such as triangular shapes, because of this it is hard to get to find blinds to suit as some blind types just simply don’t work unless they are rectangular shapes. Pleated blinds on the other hand function perfectly even when cut into intricate shapes. The quality of the fabric is also important at this stage as you don’t want a flimsy blind.
3. Light Diffusion – The light coming through the glass of the conservatory can be damaging to your furniture and other things stored in your conservatory, so it is important to restrict some of the light coming into the room. Pretty much all blind types are good for this but pleated blinds are especially effective due to the fabric treatment they recieve during the manufacturing process.
4. Versatility – Not only are pleated blinds perfect for conservatories, they are also great for most other rooms in the house because of the great range of fabric types. Pleated blinds are pretty fashionable option so they wouldn’t look out of place in for example your bedroom or bathroom.
5. Fabrics – There is a wide range of pleated blind fabrics ranging from opaque fabrics to blackout fabrics. For the conservatory you would probably be best with a light reflective fabric which reflects away the light and heat but still lets some into the room. Alternatively you could use a blackout fabric but it would be useless during the daytime.

Just to recap, pleated blinds are one of, if not, the best conservatory blind available. If you have someone come out and measure up your blinds ask to see their full pleated blinds collection, I’m sure there will be something you like.

The shape of the glass panels on your roof is the deciding factor for which blinds you can use. Most blinds can only be constructed in a rectangular shape, although few can be created in the triangular shape needed for conservatory roof windows.

For all conservatory roof windows I strongly suggest you enlist the help of an expert. Not only are conservatory roof windows very easy to measure incorrectly, a small mistake could potentially cost you hundreds of pounds.

Now that’s over with lets have a look at some of the blind types available:

Pleated

Pleated blinds are ideal for conservatory roofs as they are exceptionally good at reducing solar glare and heat from the sun. Pleated blinds are also light weight which makes them slightly easier to control while they are up in the air.

Roller

Roller blinds seem to pop up in every room, probably because they work so well and can be modified to suit each and every possible application. Their are many roller blind fabrics specially suited to covering a conservatory roof window such as light reflective and blackout.

Woodweave

Woodweave blinds aren’t completely effective as roof blinds as they let quite a bit of light through, in the right circumstance this can look extremely stylish, but at times it can also be quite an annoyance.

Perfect Fit

These are ideal for conservatory roofs because unlike all the standard blind types you do not need to drill into your conservatory to fit perfect fit blinds, instead you simply slide brackets into the window gasket and then fit the perfect fit frame onto the brackets.

Controls

Obviously you will need some kind of pole or rod to position your blinds. For lightweight blinds such as pleated blinds you can simply use a rod to position them easily, but for more heavy duty products you may need a crank operated rod, maybe even a motorised one.

Heat Control

There are two ways a blind can restrict the amount of heat entering your room, it is important to understand these when choose a fabric.

• Reflection – Certain fabrics are specially created to reflect heat away.
• Absorption – Instead of reflecting the heat away some fabrics are designed to absorb a large ammount of heat.

Just to remind you again, this is not a job for a beginner in DIY, measuring and installing roof blinds is an extremely complicated procedure, just choosing the right fabric can be a hassle! If you do decide to have a conservatory roof blind please make sure you deal with a trusted, reputable company.

Compared to roof blinds, conservatory window blinds are relatively easy to measure and purchase, this is due to them being a rectangular shape similar to a normal window, just on a larger scale.

When choosing a blind for a conservatory window it is important not only to think about the style and aesphetics, but also the fabric properties. This is because conservatories are notorious for amplifying the problem of solar glare, which can lead to long term damage of furniture. Luckily there are a range of blind types and fabric properties available:

Pleated Blinds are well known for their ability to control solar glare. When not in use they fold up very elegantly and compact at the top of the window leaving you a clear view. Pleated blinds are extremely simplistic and versatile which makes them great for use in most conservatories.

Woodweave or Pinoleum Blinds are like the wooden alternative to roller or roman blinds. Unlike fabric blinds, woven wood blinds let light in through the weaving which creates a fantastic natual effect. Unfortunatly you can’t let light in without the heat, so that is a flaw in woodweave blinds as conservatory blinds.

Roller Blinds are, to put it simply, cheap practical and durable. If you are looking for something to simply get the job done then roller blinds are great. They are also available in a selection of blackout blinds for if you wish to completely blackout most of the light rather than just diffuse it.

Roman Blinds are an interior designers best friends, they can be created using pretty much any fabric which makes them perfect for matching with upholstry. When not in use they fold up at the top of the window in multiple folds of the same length, they are not as compact as roller or pleated blinds though.

Once you have decided which type of blinds you would like to have there are a few more items you have to consider:

Cost

Because of the sheer ammount of glass used in conservatories it can be costly to purchase enough blinds to cover all the windows, so consider your budget wisely.

Style

Obviously we all want a stylish room, but because of the high price of conservatory blinds you may have to stick with the same ones for many years, so try and choose a style that won’t go out of fashion such as woodweave.

Practicality

There is no use spending thousands on the greatest looking conservatory window blinds available if they don’t do the job you want them to, which is control heat and light. Choose your blinds wisely.

Operation

Once your blinds are installed how will you operate them? This can be a deciding factor in which blinds you can and cannot have, consider how you will control the blinds before you purchase them.

Conservatories are constructed mainly from glass, although this looks great it poses a huge problem in the summer months. The problem is created on sunny days when too much light energy is directed through the glass it creates an overwhelming amount of heat on the inside of the conservatory, if the windows are left uncovered for too long this heat can become unbearable, rendering your brand new conservatory useless.

Blinds for conservatory windows are usually split into two catagories, conservatory window blinds and conservatory roof blinds. Purchasing blinds for conservatory windows is relatively easy as they are regular rectangular shapes, the real problem and expense is the roof windows. Often they perculier shapes such as triangles and trapeziums.

Pleated Blinds

Pleated blinds are often used in conservatories as they can be cut into different shapes while still keeping their functionality. Pleated blinds are especially useful as they also do a great job of reducing solar glare which is extremely important in conservatories. Pleated blinds can be used on either either windows or roof windows.

Roman Blinds

Roman blinds for conservatories are available, but with limitations. Roman blinds look fantastic on the roof of your conservatory, but because of how they are constructed you can only use them on rectangular windows, which is fine for conservatory windows, but your roof windows may be triangular in shape.

Perfect Fit Blinds

Perfect fit blinds are absolutely perfect for conservatories, aside from the fact they only fit rectangular windows. The great thing about perfect fit blinds is that unlike the other blind types you don’t need a proffesional to install ‘em! Another great thing about perfect fit blinds is that the ‘perfect fit’ section mainly refers to the frame, inside the frame you can have a venetian, pleated or roller blind! Don’t get any illusions though, they aren’t cheap!

Controls

I think you will agree when I say controlling a blind which is suspended 10 feet in the air can be quite difficult, unless you’re really tall of course! Luckily the great people behind the scenes have come up with a series of solutions. The first solution is quite basic, find a really long pole and use that! Okay, maybe it’s a bit more advanced than that, but you get the point.

The second option is to purchase electrically operated remote control blinds. Conservatory blinds are expensive right from the start, adding this extra feature is yet another premium. If you do want remote control blinds for your conservatory roof I suggest you have a large budget ready.