Roller blinds are amongst the most popular window treatments, not only in the US but also in Europe or Australia. It’s easy to understand why: they are so easy to manipulate and very easy to automate by adding a tubular motor and turning them into electric, remote control operated blinds. One of our readers asked us if she could obtain total darkness in a room by using solely roller blinds. Here’s our take on that.

First of all, let’s define total darkness: are we talking about a complete blackout or only a very dark room for taking a comfortable afternoon nap? Complete blackout window treatments may be required in case you want to use a projector for home cinema purposes, or in offices where you project presentations on screen or directly on a white wall. Cheaper projectors lose their efficiency in case the darkness is not complete, so the screen becomes less visible. Stronger projectors can cope with a little bit of light, but you’d have to pay a lot more to buy such a projector, so you’d better change the window coverings instead.

Back to our roller blinds and to the question we try to give an answer to: roller blinds can be customized in such a way as to ensure enough darkness for sleeping, or even for home cinema, but if they aren’t an exact fit, they’d let some light pass through the edges. In my view, the best solution to go really dark are exterior shutters made of wood, faux wood or metal. The vinyl ones could be good, too.

Maybe the best idea would be to discuss this issue with a specialist in window coverings. Each big manufacturer of blinds, shades and shutters give free consultancy services to their potential customers. Besides, these manufacturers may have their own materials and technologies for manufacturing their products, therefore I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that I’m wrong and that a roller blind can be perfect for darkening a room.

Other window blinds articles:

1. Blackout Blinds: Total Blackout or Not? Blackout blinds is a generic term for those window blinds that offer an increase degree of darkness to a room, when completely shut. However, not all of them have the same efficiency, therefore people who need a completely dark room should pay attention to several details, in order to make sure they purchase exactly what [...]...
2. Bali Wood Vertical Blinds: Total Room Darkening The Bali wood vertical blinds series is one of the most exquisite blackout window treatments ever. Wood looks good, it gives a certain warmth to a room, and that’s why many people prefer it to cheaper PVC solutions. The wood vertical blinds from Bali are surely expensive, but if you can afford them, they are [...]...
3. Are Electric Roller Blinds Safe for Bathroom? I’ve got this question from a reader: how safe are electric roller blinds for bathrooms? He was concerned with the fact that hot showers help maintaining a high humidity level in the bathroom, therefore the electric blinds could either break very often or put his life in danger. I don’t know what to say. It [...]...
4. How To Choose Your Window Shutters If you are a fan of window shutters, you’ll probably have to spend some time researching before taking your final decision. That’s mainly because there are several types of window shutters, each of them serving a precise purpose. Roller Shutters vs. Plantation Shutters While exterior roller shutters can successfully serve as security or storm shutters, we [...]...
5. Roller Blinds vs. Retractable Awnings We’ve got a question from one of our readers who wishes to install window treatments for some very big windows and he wonders whether to buy roller blinds or to get a retractable awning instead and live the windows as they are. Personally, I think that there’s no connection between the two methods, as they are [...]...