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Posts Tagged ‘blackout shades’

Do Blackout Shades Work?

Posted: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 | Filed under: blackout shades, room darkening window treatments, window treatments

Room Darkening Shades

Room Darkening Shades

Blackout shades are designed specifically to keep light out of a room. There are varieties of fabric and styles to choose from, but most of them perform the same. Most people who are looking to block natural light or want to install window shades for privacy concerns use blackout shades, or some type of privacy shade.

Depending on your want or need (completely eliminating light, block UV rays or both), you can choose which type of blackout shade is right for you. Blackout shades are thicker than your traditional window shades and some require a blackout liner. Roman shades, cellular or honeycomb shades are often made with blockout material and can perform as blackout shades. Other window shades such as woven wood shades require a blackout liner. Each material is different and will have different effects depending on how it’s treated.

Blackout shades also serve as solar control and can help save energy and reduce your heating and cooling costs. Since sunlight passes through windows, by having blackout shades installed during the winter, you can keep in the heat (and keep the heat out during the summer). During both seasons, blackout shades can serve as insulators.

Since blackout shades are pretty standard, you can customize the color and fabric. They offer a sleek look to your window, but if you want to decorate your window even more, consider adding draperies or a valence. All in all, blackout shades are effective. If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep on Madison Avenue with all the commotion, blackout shades can surely help you achieve that. If you’re looking for a dark living room to watch your favorite movie, consider installed blackout shades.

What are Blackout Shades?

Posted: Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 | Filed under: blackout shades, Greener living, interior design, modern window treatments
Blackout Shades

Blackout Shades

Blackout shades are a type of window treatment used in homes and offices to prevent light from entering a room. Blackout shades are often used in apartments throughout New York City because well, it’s known as the “city that never sleeps.” If you’re looking for complete darkness in your bedroom to get a full night’s rest, consider installing blackout shades. Many times blackout shades are installed in media or home theater rooms as well, where a television or other piece of viewing technology is. Blackout shades prevent glare from the sun on televisions, computers and other viewing screens.

Material varies for blackout shades and there are different levels of “blackout.” Depending on the amount of light you want to enter, if any at all, you can decide which level of opacity you want. Here are a ways manufacturers determine which blackout shades are appropriate for which clients:

Room darkening shades

Although room darkening shades aren’t exactly “blackout” they are a level of classification. Room darkening shades can block sunlight from entering a room, but they don’t block the same level of light that other blackout shades do.

Blockout shades

Blockout shades actually block up to 99% of visible light. These shades are great for bedrooms and media rooms. Since blockout shades leave a halo of light around them, you can choose to add draperies to completely block off the light entering or allow the seepage.

Light-Tight shades

If you’re looking for full darkness, light-tight shades are the choice for you. These window shades also block up to 99% of light, but there are no seepages as all. They are snug around the edges not allowing light to enter.

Since most of these options can be customized to your personal fabric choice, it comes down to the amount of light you want to enter your room. Each option, whether it be room darkening shades, blockout shades or light-tight shades all offer similar features.

Capacity of Blackout Shades

Posted: Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 | Filed under: blackout shades, window blinds, window shading, window treatments

You have made a decision to upgrade your window treatments with the latest in style, fashion, and technology. Among the choices in fabric and design, you must also determine your exact need in order to be appropriately matched with the right light capacity for your situation.

Shading systems are available in a myriad of capacities from those that let light in, but protect your privacy, to complete light-tight shades for media rooms.

Rooms near sidewalks or offices with window access to outdoor public areas often need privacy shades. These modern window treatments focus more on offering privacy than blocking sunlight. Privacy shade systems are great for when you want to let the light in, but wish to keep out unwanted peering eyes.

Other systems are available that cut on glare or block out heat. These are particularly helpful during summer months when electric costs and environmental conservation become a concern.

Blackout Shades

Blackout Shades

For parents of newborn babies, blackout window treatments are a wise investment. After a long night of soothing a colicky baby or even just the constant ups and downs and interrupted sleep that is normal with a newborn, the last thing new parents want is sunlight waking the baby. Blackout blinds keep out as much as 99% of visible light. Stylish drapery can be used to keep light from seeping in around the edges, allowing you even just a few more moments of peaceful sleep.

When you require even more darkness – perhaps for a media room, photography darkroom, or even a bedroom – light-tight shades are what you need. This modern window treatment has the greatest possible light filtering capabilities. Able to block out all visible light, light tight shades can create a room that is completely void of light. To prevent light from entering around the edges where the window meets the wall, these shades use side channels to hold the fabric tight and seal off any gaps that might let in light.

Shading Systems, Inc. also has available more than fifty different types of room darkening fabrics, creating the ability to personalize each room in your home to match your tastes and exceed your expectations.

Shades for your Home Theater

Posted: Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 | Filed under: blackout shades, Folding Shades, interior design, window shading

Home entertainment centers are becoming more and more popular, particularly with today’s growing technology. Large, flat-screen, high definition televisions, Surround sound, theater quality speakers. Blue ray, gaming systems, and digital music. All of these available products help to make it easier for families to create the ultimate theater room in their home.

In many cases, it is not feasible for families to renovate in order to create a theater-style room with no windows, slanted floors, and a giant screened wall. However, it is still possible to fashion a stunning movie room, without spending a fortune or putting up walls.

Blackout Shading system

Blackout Shading system

Blackout or light-tight shades darken rooms completely, enabling the best possible conditions for watching the latest hit movie on your HD big-screen TV. Window treatments made of special fabric will completely block out all light, not just filter it. These are not the same as room darkening shades that are available through some manufacturers. Room darkening window treatments will diffuse the light that enters the room, making it darker than with curtains or blinds. However, blackout shades stop up to 99 percent of all visible light that enters a window. Light is unable to penetrate the fabric used to make the shade, creating an ideal solution for home entertainment rooms.

To prevent light from seeping in where the window meets the wall, you have several options. Drapes and a fascia over the roller can help. However, the best choice is to attach the edges of the shade to side channels, typically made from aluminum, which are mounted to the wall.

Light-tight shades go one step beyond that of the blackout window treatments. Light-tight treatments provide complete darkness, sealing out all visible light from a room. With sealed edges and special light-blocking material, these shades can make a room go from lit to pitch black with a roll of the shades.

Even though this room will mostly be used in the dark, your modern window treatment can be stylish and stunning. Not to mention completely affordable.

Installation of light-tight or blackout shades will be as important to your media room as your large screen television and the buttery popcorn.

What is a Blackout Window Treatment?

Posted: Monday, October 11th, 2010 | Filed under: blackout shades, window shading, window treatments

When hearing the name blackout window treatments some people misunderstand what a true blackout window treatment is. Blackout window treatments aren’t just a set of curtains or blinds that appear to keep the sun out. Blackout window treatments are thick and heavy. They block out the light, outside noise, and insulate our homes from the heat and cold. You can find different forms of blackout window treatments like blackout cellular shades, blackout draperies, blackout roman shades, and blackout woven wood shades. All types of blackout window treatments still meet the common goal of keeping out the light, heat or coldness, and keeping out noise.

Blackout shading systems

Blackout shading systems

Blackout window treatments are energy efficient and cost effective. Blackout window treatments are geared to block out 99% of the weather’s elements helping you to use less utilities; heaters, air conditioners, and lighting. Using fewer utilities in our homes calls for a better environment and for lower cost on our utility bills, it always pays off when we’re being energy efficient.

To achieve great energy efficiency and cost effectiveness you must choose the correct blackout window treatments. These window treatments should be fitted tightly against the window casing in which you will be coupling your blackout window treatment with. If not fitted correct, the elements you are trying to protect your home from will still seep through. Whichever type of blackout window treatment you choose, make sure there is an obvious distinction of a blackout liner or make sure they’re made of blackout material. If the correct materials weren’t used in manufacturing the product you purchase, these desired results won’t be met and won’t work as planned.

Have you tried blackout window treatments? What did you think? Please share your thoughts on these window treatments below.