Where are commercial blinds used?

The most common places you will see commercial blinds are schools, offices, hospitals and other places where curtains simply do not suit for one reason or another. For example blinds may be chosen over curtains in offices as they not only offer a more professional look, but also help reduce solar glare which increase staff comfort. Blinds also offer much more light control options which makes them favourable in schools or hospitals.

Why use commercial blinds?

In a domestic environment blinds will not often be used or tampered with, however a commercial environment can be a lot more demanding. This is why most commercial blinds ranges are heavier duty than the domestic alternatives.

What are the differences?

To simply say commercial blinds are of a higher quality would be a lie. Commercial blinds are not of a higher quality, they are just built to withstand more wear and tear. The most noticeable attributes are stronger headrails, thicker fabrics and aluminium components.

Commercial fabrics also come in a wide range of fabrics. Here are just a few:

• Blackout Fabrics for light blackout
• Fire Retardant Fabrics for blinds which may accidentally be exposed to a flame
• Anti-Bacterial Fabrics for hospitals and health care units
• Light Reflective Fabrics for officers and schools

The most common types of commercial blinds are roller blinds and vertical blinds. This is for three reasons, they are simple, cheap and effective. Usually cost is the most important factor on large projects, and not just short term costs, long term costs too. Hence why roller and vertical blinds are an obvious choice.

In terms of guarantees, five, ten or even fifteen year guarantees are not uncommon in the commercial sector. Brands need to be offering these guarantees to prove there products are indeed high quality and durable to get the big contracts.

When we talk about insulating the home, the first thing that pops into most peoples heads is loft insulation. Double glazing is another area most people are familier with, but did you know you can increase the effictivenes by choosing the right window covering, or more specifically the blind fabric?

As more and more companies come around to the idea of producing and selling ‘green products’ you will see a lot more emphasis put on energy savings and so on. In my opinion thermal blinds are going to be big in 2009, as they only just made an appearance nearer the end of 2008.

You may be wondering what makes the difference between a normal blind and a thermal, or energy saving blind.

The most obvious and important difference is that thermal blinds use a aluminium foil backing which helps trap heat within the room. This alone works very well at reducing heating expenses.

Another way to keep heat in is to minimise the area between the sides and bottom of the blind and the recess. This can be achieved by buying made to measure blinds at a bare minimum, or a more effective approach is to purchase a cassette blind with guide rails and rubber bushes.

The choice of blind type also plays an important role in how much energy you do or do not conserve. The most effective blind type would the the roller blind as it has no holes or gaps for the hot air to escape. A bad choice of blind in terms of energy saving would be the vertical blind as it has a lot of gaps for the air escape.

As you may have noticed throughout this article I have focused on saving energy on your heating bills by conserving heat. But as you will know, money is also wasted on cooling the room down on hot summer days. The great thing about most of the points above is that they work in reverse aswell. For example the reflective backing you find on thermal blinds also helps reflect the suns heat, which keeps your room cool in the summer months.

As you have probably figured out, traditional window blinds/coverings will not work as velux windows are on a horizontal slant, close to 45%. Because of this if you tried installing a regular blind it would just hang vertical and be completely useless. Luckily VELUX has brought out their own range of blinds – VELUX Window Blinds.

VELUX Window Blinds are specially created by VELUX themselves to work with their windows, this means you are guranteed a high quality, lasting product. They also have a huge choice of blind types and fabrics available, including the always popular pleated and roller ranges.

Now, if you are looking at your skylight window and thinking: “How the hell am I going to reach that, let alone operate a blind” then luckily I can tell you VELUX have already thought of this. There are currently two options: a long reach pole or a remote control blind option. Both ways do a very good job but the remote control option is slightly more expensive but is easier to use, it even features a solar powered battery so you won’t have to worry about wiring or replacing batteries.

One of the great things about VELUX blinds is that you won’t need to measure the windows, VELUX windows have a plate on them which contains a code, that code can then be used to find a blind that fits your window.

Unfortunately VELUX blinds can be quite expensive, especially if you have a large window. In fact if you go to VELUX direct the prices will be shocking, fortunately VELUX Window blinds are available through official velux suppliers such as Web Blinds for far lower prices.

Having a net or lightweight curtain in your bathroom is certainly a valid option, the only problem is that they absorb water, and then take ages to dry off, which could damage themin the long run.

In terms of blinds, it would be wise to choose a waterproof product for your bathroom. One great option is aluminium venetian blinds which are probably the most waterproof blinds available, although you may want to consider vertical or roller blinds which use a waterproof fabric.

If your fear is choice of colour then I can dispell that right now, their are literally hundreds of colours available in aluminium bathroom blinds. To further the choice even more you can choose between 25mm, 35mm and 50mm slat widths depending on the style you are going for.

If you were not to use a water proof fabric overtime the fabric could deterioriate or even become moldy, which is something you definitely don’t want in your bathroom.

Obviously regular blinds wouldn’t work in a car as they require brackets that are drilling into the wall, but what you can use is a more lightweight, cheap product held up by suction pads. An instant advantage of this is that you can remove them whenever you want and your window will look the same as before.

When you are looking for car or bus blinds don’t be expecting anything spectacular, the most intricate product you will come accross is probably a hello kitty blind. Car blinds will either come in one piece that won’t collapse or they will come as a kind of roller blind, either way they are pretty lightweight and easy to use.

The main reason you would purchase car blinds is to lower the amount of light entering your car through the side windows, in turn this lowers the heat and the glare, both which can get pretty bad on a really hot day.

If you are looking for a higher quality product it is actually possible to blinds specially designed to fit into your car window. Instead of suction pads they use special clips. Because this type covers the whole window they also double up as a fly screen for your car.

Another advantage of the more expensive version is that they can also work as a deterent to thieves, as the blinds stop them from being able to see in. In relation this is a lot cheaper than having tinted windows fitted.

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When extended roman blinds are a flat piece of cloth, or sometimes wood, which covers the window. When retracted they create a series of folds at the top of the window to stay out of view. In the back of the blinds are rods which keep the folds level.

Roman blinds are available in a variety of heights and widths, with some suppliers offering a made-to-measure service. They are also easily adjustable so you can achieve the ‘perfect fit’.

Roman Blinds are available in many different types depending on the application

Regular Roman Blinds

These are often referred to as ‘dim out romans’ as they made from fabrics which have a dim out effect.

Blackout Roman Blinds

These are simply regular Romans but using a blackout lining. Blackout roman blinds are often used in bedrooms and bathrooms, or other places that require darkness during daylight hours.

Wood weave Roman Blinds

Wood weave roman blinds function in exactly the same way as regular roman blinds, although they are made from real wood. Materials such as bamboo are often used as it is a lightweight and exceptionally durable material.

Faux Suede Roman Blinds

Faux Suede fabrics offer a modern contemporary feel to any room, the range often consists of coffee-like colours and soft tones.

Roman Blind Kits

If you are looking to save money on blinds roman blind kits may be an option for you. With a bit of DIY knowledge you can create a quality end product at a reduced cost.

A feature that all types of roman blinds have is their ability to create a neat, unobtrusive effect when retracted. Another plus is that because they lie flat when being used, so you can still store items on your window cills.