Inside or Out?

Four Antiguan Blinds installed to the South and West elevations of a new build, single storey extension.

Window treatments are something that most of us will firstly think of as products to create privacy and block out the outdoor light. We will naturally select products to improve the aesthetics of our homes before we think about the other benefits. As important as this is to make a home feel comfortable it is also advisable to understand how they will impact your home. Internal blinds are the common household choice with a vast range to choose from – the most popular being the rollerblind. However does this option provide you with value?

Roller blinds are fairly cumbersome when retracted, mounted typically inside the reveal taking up space and looking messy. They invariably despite guides don’t roll square, more so because they are manually operated with the fabric edges curling on the guides that are there to help them roll smoothly. Add to this the lack of view through most common household rollerblind fabrics which spoils the inside outside feel glazing brings and stops most of the natural light leaving us to turn the artificial lighting on. And then there is the ongoing maintenance required, with rollerblinds being dust magnets – dust gathers on top of the exposed fabric roll and therefore regular cleaning is essential. Furthermore open windows result in moisture and external influences on the fabric degrading the material and causing them to flap in breezes.

So what at first seems like a ‘good’ choice, is actually poor value for money and more likely to cause a headache than provide a solution.

On the other hand, an external roller blind system offers many advantages. Mounted normally outside the reveal they do not reduce the reveal size and are unobtrusive when closed away and when extended all you see is the fabric, which thanks to the unique micro-perforations allows you to maintain the view out. Additionally the innovative nano technology coatings impregnated on the fabrics generates a self clean effect, ensuring they keep a clean visual appearance along with being fade and UV resistant.

Add to this that an external blind prevents solar gain by stopping it reaching the glass and admits diffused glarefree light, so you don’t have to switch on artificial lighting during the day, it’s probably no surprise that year on year sales of external roller blinds almost double, especially with our desire to incorporate as much glass in a building as possible.

At Caribbean Blinds we’re proud of our innovative range of external blinds that provide a solution to every application. Our experts are always on hand to give you honest advice and guidance you need to make the right choice – 0344 800 1947

For more information on the benefits of external shading click here.

 

Recent Posts

Stuart takes the FIT Show stage for leadership talk

Our managing director Stuart Dantzic, took part in a stimulating and wide-ranging discussion about leadership and entrepreneurship at last month’s FIT Show, held at Birmingham’s NEC. The panel-led discussion was a key part of the three-day show, the…

Read More
participants on the solar shading course

CB team certified as Smart Solar Shading Advisors

At Caribbean Blinds, continuous learning is more than a box-ticking exercise — it’s a mindset. That’s why the entire team has recently completed training to become accredited Smart Solar Shading Advisors. Every member of customer facing staff…

Read More
Aerial view of a modern home extension with large bi-fold glass doors and a flat roof attached to a traditional white house with tiled roof. The extension opens onto a spacious tiled patio area with wooden garden furniture. Solar panels are visible on one section of the neighboring roof.

How to reduce heat gain through windows

The on-trend demand for larger areas of glazing within modern UK homes means much more natural light. Which, although lovely and energising, comes at a price in terms of heat gain. As the sun shines through wide panes of glass, rooms…

Read More