At it's most basic, this style of blind is simply a squared sheet of fabric, attached to a roller tube, and is restricted to being either raised or lowered, stopping at intermediate positions.
Even so, it's the most popular selling style of all time, offering what we all desire - simplicity!
Roller blinds take up very little space inside windows,and can be rolled up to a very small unnoticeable size. They can be made at very small widths, right up to large 3mtr wide heavy-duty units.
There is pretty much a fabric available for every situation. Costs for roller blinds are very cheap when compared to other types of blind covering the same area.
Roller blinds are finished either straight at the bottom, or with some decorative finish such as a Scallop (shape) or Turret (pole). Eyelets are also now available for a more contemporary look, with more and more new and exiciting finishes being added to our website all the time.
The great thing about our website, is that it allows you to customise yoru blind more than any other website we've seen!
Mechanisms - The quality of the mechanism is the critical component that will determine how long your blind lasts. We don't sell anything that's of a poor quality. Even our WEB ONLY PRODUCTS offer excellent value for money, for outstanding products.
Benefits
- Roller blinds take very little space up inside a recess, and do not have to be lowered all the way to the sill, leaving a lot of useable space on the sill.
- Roller blinds provide excellent privacy to sensitive rooms such as bedrooms and lounge areas.
- Fabrics can be chosen to achieve a specific objective, such as:
- Allowing light to penetrate whilst giving privacy
- Dimming-out a bedroom from early morning light
- Deflecting heat and glare from sunny rooms and conservatories
- Providing a ‘net’ effect during the day (allowing you to see out, but people can’t see in)
- Note: this type of fabric will not provide privacy at night time when the lights are on.)
- Extremely cost effective when compared to other window coverings
- Easy to replace fabric. Once the fabric becomes undesirable, the fabric can be removed from the roller, and changed for another cloth. This reduces the cost of the blind, but also eliminates the installation cost altogether.
- This is really only a viable option is you live near to our showroom. The cost of transport would otherwise make is option economically unviable.
- Fabrics are available for both a classic look, and a modern look.
- Robust heavy usage mechanisms guarantee a long life for the blind.
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Product Options
- Scallop finishes provide a decorative look, which is always on show, even when the blind is pulled up.
- A scallop finish comes with a choice of braids, or can be left unbraided.
- Turret finishes are like a scallop finish, but come with a café style pole
- Poles are available in many wood and metal finishes.
- A turret finish comes with a choice of braids, or can be left unbraided.
- Eyelets are a recent style in roller blinds. Blinds are usually finished with a straight edge. Eyelets are then placed along the bottom section of the blind to add a very modern tidy looking finish.
- Eyelets are available in two sizes, and two colours of each size (brass and chrome)
- Reverse roll / Standard Roll
- Standard roll – this is the traditional method of rolling a roller blind, where the fabric falls from the back of the roller.
- Reverse roll – this method of manufacture has become more popular since the widespread installation of Pvc windows. The handles of the Pvc windows usually project about 40mm from the frame. By using a reverse roll instead of the standard, the fabric can clear the handle without obstruction. This also allows the blind to be fixed to the window frame for a level fixing. By fixing in this way, the blind can be installed closer to the window frame (as recommended).
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Control Options
- A Sidewinder control allows millimetre precision in control, and allows blinds which are positioned next each other to be lined up perfectly.
- Sidewinder can be positioned to the left or right
- Sidewinders can be fitted with either a chrome nickel-plated ball chain, or a plastic ball chain (brown/white/grey).
- please check the individual specification of the blind you are ordering to check which chain colour the blind comes with.
- A spring pull is the traditional method of operation for a roller blind, however, it is not recommended since operation of the blind is considerably more difficult that when operated with a sidechain.
- Sprung rollers have an option of either a light wood or dark wood pull toggle. Special pulls are available at an additional cost.
- A sidewinder operated blind can have a wooden pull toggle for decoration if required, however, the customer must not pull the blind from the toggle, as it may damage the sidewinder mechanism.
- Electric operation is now available, and we will be adding this to our site very soon. In the meantime, you can call us for more guidance on motorised blinds.
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Bracket Options
- All roller blind brackets can be fixed either: top. Side or face fix. Face fixing or top fixing is recommended.
- Plastic moulded bracket are available for some products.
- please check the specification of the product you are interested in.
- Metal brackets are available for some products.
- please check the specification of the product you are interested in.
- Extended metal brackets. This bracket has the same look as the standard metal bracket, but projects the blind even further from the wall. It is used to clear obstacles such as large window or door handles, where a reverse roll would not be suitable.
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Limitations
- Minimum and maximum sizes (this information is general. Please check the specification of the product you are interested in for more information)
- The minimum size for a roller blind is 100mm for a sidewinder-operated blind. It must be pointed out however, that a blind of 100mm wide cannot be expected to operate normally, since it has no weight. Roller blinds will oper
ate normally from approx 400mm wide for a smooth finish flexible fabric. Stiffer and thicker fabrics make the rolling of the blind a little more difficult to achieve smoothly.
- The maximum size for a roller blind is 2450mm wide on a standard 32mm roller tube. Blinds over this size usually have up-rated mechanisms, and are therefore going to be more expensive, and will take up more space in the recess. The maximum recommended size is 3000mm wide. Anything over this size needs special application consideration.
- The minimum size for a roller blind with a spring mechanism is 350mm approx. and the maximum is the same as that for a sidewinder mechanism.
- The size limitations will almost certainly depend on the tube diameter of the blind. Thin tubes cannot support large blinds. Each product page will tell you this information, and also the max and min sizes available.
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Suitable Areas for Use
- Bay Windows
- Roller Blinds are very suitable for bay windows. For help on how to measure Bay Windows for DIY installation please click here
- Bedroom
- Blackout fabrics will help provide an 80% blackout effect if there are no other curtains in the windows.
- Lounge
- Not recommended for sliding patio doors, unless the blinds are to be mounted above the recess, or if the customer understands that the blinds will have to be pulled up to get in and out of the doorway. Also, blinds with scallops or turret may take as much as 200mm from the overall height of the recess
- Really good for FRENCH DOORS. Usually, we would fit the blind to the door itself, so that when the door is opened, the blind goes with it. This means you don't have to pull the blind up every time you want to get out of the door.
- Study
- Conservatory
- Usually fitted to the Pvc frame of the conservatory, and manufactured with a reverse roll (of the front of the roller) to clear the window handles. On opening doors (excluded sliding doors), the blind is usually manufactured with a standard roll (off the back of the roller) so that the fabric goes behind the door handle.
- Kitchen
- Best fitted close to the window, leaving as much of the sill space as useable as possible.
- Bathroom
- If a blind is going to get damp, then a fabric that is coated for moisture resistance should be chosen. If the blind is going to get wet from shower or bath splashing, then a soft Pvc fabric should be chosen, such as those from the ‘easy wipe’ range.
- Dining Room
- Utility Room
- Inward opening doors
- Often, we find that utility room doors that open inwards (if inside a recess) do not have a lot of space behind the door when it is fully open. Ideally, you should have a space of 50mm between the door and the recess wall when the door is opened at 90 degrees. IF you do not have this space, then it may mean your door will have restricted opening when the blind is fitted to it. In this case, you may wish to consider fitting a door stop to prevent he blind being damaged if you open the door too far, or take a look at our PERFECT FIT roller blinds, which fit into the beading of the door glass.
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