Here’s a way that allows you to transform your present blinds into blackout blinds that look great. Of course, this is not the simplest way to get the needful done but it surely is quite creative.

Blackout Blinds Benefits

At the outset you would be keen to know what are blackout blinds and why does one require them, aren’t they almost the same? Why would one prefer to include blackout blinds than the normal variety?

As far as construction goes, the only difference between the blackout blinds and the normal ones is that the former have bigger slats and they have no holes through which the operating strings pass, or the holes in their case are covered with cloth tape. Because the slats are bigger and the holes are covered or there are no holes, the blackout shades are able to considerably reduce the amount of light that enters through the window as compared to the normal blinds. Blackout blinds are of great help in places like bedrooms, family or games room, nurseries and offices too.

Don’t feel dejected if the windows in your room are already covered with blinds, for I’m here to help you convert these blinds to the blackout variety in an affordable manner. And, in case it doesn’t work out to your expectations, you have the option of buying a set of new blackout blinds, which you can order online at reasonable prices. It sounds surprising!

How to Make Bamboo Blinds into Blackout Blinds

In case you have bamboo blinds, follow the following steps to transform these to blackout blinds:
Non-blackout bamboo blinds: It’s nice to have bamboo blinds at home but their design doesn’t completely stop the sun from entering the room. Though such blinds allow you to have some privacy, they fail to provide the level of darkness that blackout blinds can offer. However, if you like to have blackout blinds here’s the solution for you.

By taking these simple and quick steps you can convert your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds.
1. Decide before hand the level of darkness you would like to attain using blackout blinds. The blinds should preferably be mounted on the outside of the window, but in case they have been mounted from inside the casing of the window, make sure they cover the window from end to end, so that there is no possibility of light entering from the sides.
2. Figure out your blinds: Bamboo blinds are either Roman shade or the roll up kind. You need to ensure that while adding the fabric to change your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds, the operation of the blinds is not affected.
3. Measure your present shutters for the blackout fabric: When taking measurements of your blinds stretch them out completely and then measure the height at the left, right and centre, while width is measured at the top, bottom and centre. You should consider the largest measurement for width and height.
4. Now, you need to buy the fabric from a craft store that you would like to put at the back of your present blinds. Choosing fabric for turning your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds is one the most important steps of the entire exercise. It has to be thick to stop light from entering the place but at the same time it should be neutral lest it should look odd with the present arrangement you may be having. You have to be careful that it’s not too thick to affect the operation of your blinds. It’s quite practical to go for a thin felt as it won’t need hemming at the edges nor wouldn’t it be too heavy. You should also buy craft glue for sticking the felt at the flipside of your present blinds.
5. Having thus finished your shopping, remove your blinds and apply adhesive at the backside of your blinds, taking care that the blinds are fully stretched out. Allow the adhesive to get dry before installing the new bamboo blackout blinds.

The new blackout blinds wouldn’t be able to totally blackout the incoming light, but they will significantly reduce the same. In case these new blackout blinds are not long enough to cover up the whole of your window casing, you could extend the felt at the back to go beyond the blind. You may cover it up with a band of wide ribbon placed above the ends of the bamboo blinds and turn that around to fix at the rear of the felt (that is nearest to the window). This way you give a custom look to your new bamboo blackout blinds.

How To Make Your Blinds into Blackout Blinds Part I

If you already bought window blinds and on second thoughts realize that blackout blinds would have been a better choice, you need not fret, as by following a few steps you can transform your present blinds into blackout blinds. As the blinds are already there, you can’t have route-less blackout blinds, and would have to incorporate cloth tapes to the present available blinds.

1. First, you have to decide the color of cloth tape you may like to have. Look for a shade that blends well with the shade of your blinds. You may choose a contrasting color for additional impact. You should be aware that neutral colors are the most appropriate as they get along well with most other shades or you may opt for a color that complements the existing décor of your room.

2. Now you need to calculate the length of cloth tapes. You have to ensure that your blinds get closed when the slats are pointed UP. If they are closed in that manner, there is no light entering from the top of the slats. You must add a minimum of eight inches to the measured length. You need to do it for all the sets of strings with holes that the blinds have.

3. Now, you visit a craft store, and decide before hand the material of the cloth tapes that you would like to use. Ribbons in width of two inches or more best solve the purpose. Assess the length of the ribbon and be sure it’s long enough. You may have to purchase a fresh roll for every set of strings on the blinds. You’ll also need to buy a matching thread or craft glue.

Next, you have to decide whether you would like to have the ribbons glued or sewn on the strings. I would recommend sewing, as it’s going to be a very simple tack, needing just two stitches for each slat. Finish your purchases at the craft store and you are ready for the second part of changing your blinds to blackout blinds.

How To Make Your Blinds into Blackout Blinds Part II

Having already gone through the first phase of transforming your present blinds to blackout blind you come to the next phase, the toughest one that involves attaching the “cloth tapes” that you bought and thus finish your blackout blinds.

1. Before you begin with the process of attaching the cloth tapes, you need to remove valance from your blinds. Generally, these are attached using plastic clips. So, you may pull it off the clip or as you loosen the base of the clip, it comes out easily. For the first set of strings, feed the border of the ribbon on top of the blinds and fix it under the head rail. This can easily be achieved by pushing the blinds to the top and applying a small volume of craft glue on the ribbon after it has been fed through. You could also craft a loop keeping the ribbon around the head rail and sew it jointly.

2. Should you decide to glue the ribbon on the present operating strings, you should ensure that the blinds are in closed mode and the slats are pointing vertically, then just put a dot of glue on the string carefully and put the ribbon over that. Though it’s easier, you may mess it up if not being very careful to avoid putting glue onto the slats.

3. I recommend sewing the ribbon to the strings. This may look to be a bit more difficult than just gluing, the arrangement is expected to last longer and you won’t create any mess. All that you are required to do is to attach the ribbon through a tack onto the string in the center of all slats. While sewing, you may opt to skip every alternate or every two slats.

Well, the conversion of your existing blinds to blackout blinds is not the simplest thing to do, but it is certainly not impossible. I expect the total expense for conversion to be around $50, depending on the choice of ribbon you opt to go for.

You would find it difficult to have an afternoon siesta if there is sunlight coming thru the window. Likewise, an east-facing window may make it difficult to spend more time in bed on weekends. And, if your job demands you to be working in night shifts, you will have problems sleeping during the day unless you incorporate blackout blinds in your bedroom. Such blinds are also used in nurseries. Here are a few options:

Honeycomb cell shades are designed to include two layers, thus preventing any light from seeping in. Bamboo wood blinds are more helpful for reducing the amount of light than completely blocking it. Nevertheless, they are a good option when you are looking for a reduction of overall brightness. Soft sheer shades give darkening effect but are unable to eliminate light. Virtually, these are as effective as the bamboo blinds, but with a more elegant look.

It’s a better option to have blackout in bottom-down/top-up opening design as it allows you to extend or pack the blinds from both the top and bottom. As most blackout blinds are unable to give the same light adjusting effect as traditional Venetian wood blinds, it helps to have the facility of putting up the blinds in any position for controlling light. Blinds that are billed by their light control abilities are rootless, and wouldn’t let any light leak in thru the cord holes. Blackout blinds could have a very short gap on the sides, the space between the blind and the frame of the window thru which light could enter. Usually this is not a problem, but for a totally dark room drapes or certain custom wood blinds should be included.

A wood blind liner can take care of the problem of light seepage, but a good fit is necessarily required. Check if the liner is approved for use by the blind manufacturer, lest there be any problems later. If it’s too tight, you won’t be able to fit the cover, and on its being too loose it will look as if your wood blinds were wide open as you try sleeping late mornings.

Unless the fitting is perfect, you may have light seeping in not only from the sides, but also from the top and bottom. That’s what makes it absolutely essential to have accurate measurements of your window before going to the wood blind store. Generally, the stores that sell blackout blinds also have liners and it’s not difficult to guess the advantages of buying both the items from the same source.

Many don’t appreciate the idea of having light control blinds, thinking that these mar the looks of the room. While this may be true that black out blinds can’t be customized to the extent of say wood blinds, there is quite a variety available to go along the present interiors of your bedroom. These are available in many colors and then, there are manufacturers who tailor make them to suit your specific requirements.

Plantation shutters too allow you to have a good control on incoming light, but they should be made to very exact specifications. The wood shutters must be so cut as to leave minimum possible space between moving parts.

These days the manufacturers of blackout window coverings refer to their product as room darkening accessories, as they block light by about 99% only. These coverings are unable to offer 100% darkness as there is always some incoming light through the gaps. But this is quite enough to protect you from the sunlight, car light and other light sources. Blackout window treatments are yours to have, you just need to decide which way to go: blinds, shades or shutters.

There are many options for room darkening coverings:

Poly or Real Wood Plantation Shutters

Plantation Shutters are an ideal choice as they have very small gaps that let the light enter because of the thickness of the frame and louvers. Real wood plantation shutters facilitate better degree of darkness as light gaps here are very small, due the way the shutter is hinged. Modern design of plantation shutters come in many crown decorative frames that really can dress up any window.

Roller Shades

Roller Shades make an effective option for darkening any room, but they need to be installed on the exterior of your window to get better darkening effect. When mounted inside the window, roller shades typically remain a quarter inch away from the window sill, due brackets needed for their installation. The design of bracket for all the companies is almost the same. So, on mounting these on the exteriors of windows, you can eliminate this gap and have total darkness.

Bamboo or Woven Wood Shades

Another option for darkening your room is to have stylish Bamboo shades. These are quite akin to roller shades and would also leave a gap between the window sill and the material thru which light can pass easily. Moreover, some of the manufacturers provide the polyester lining a quarter inch away from the edge, making it rather noticeable when compared to room darkening lining. Here again, it will be desirable to install them outside the window.

Honeycomb Shades

A Mylar film sandwiched in the honeycomb shades makes them a highly effective proposition for darkening of rooms. A good professional can mount in from the inside of a straight window in such a manner that it would block 98% of incoming light.

Roman Shades

Roman Shades are quite like and as effective for darkening effect as bamboo shades. They are usually provided with lining for improved darkening effect. The difference being that the lining on the Roman shades is stretched to the edge of the shade, thus preventing large light gaps on the sides of the shade in its pulled-down position.

As a parent you probably have experienced the problem of putting your child to sleep during the day. It’s quite a common problem that most parents face and one main reason for the child not going to sleep during the day is insufficient darkness in the sleeping room. Whatever means you may adapt to block sunlight through blinds or shades prove to be insufficient for creating complete darkness.

The solution to above problem is to have some cellular blackout shades or blinds to cover the area. This is something that is proven to be helpful for putting the child to sleep in the afternoons. If there is no light coming into the room it’s perfect for kids to sleep.

Are you aware that cellular blinds can really help you save money? It’s their constructional design that really keeps away the sunrays. Some of the users with only three of such blackout shades realized a saving on electricity bills over a period of one year. A double sized window opening covered in at least 3 areas saves at least 75 dollars.

Now, don’t jump to the conclusion that they may not be worth investing, as they certainly are. But, we like to bring to your notice that as far as material is concerned, these blinds are not as strong as you might imagine them to be. You should understand that as they need to be clipped into the upper edge of window opening, a specialist be entrusted for their installation, else you may damage them or tear their edges. Likewise, large blackout shades tend to get bent in the middle, if not secured properly. That is because of the weight of the fabric. Many a time the metallic rail at the head of the blind may bend on having to support too much of weight or pressure in the middle.

Yet, if you want to have blackout shades, why not entrust the job to a specialist and save yourself from unheeded troubles.

Apart from the blackout blinds another type of blinds are matchstick blinds. The outstanding feature of these blinds is the homely look they present. They may not block the sun or its heat as effectively as the blackout variety, but they are preferred for their naturalness still.

Should you be contemplating of having these blinds for your home, you should not ignore the fact that they go hand in hand with the Oriental decor. You may want to have them if your room has modern look but has some elements of bamboo therein.

Matchstick blinds have a shortcoming! These are more delicate than any other kind of blackout blinds or shades and thus get damaged very easily. But, if you want that exclusive look, then perhaps this is the best choice.

Another thing you would better know before hand is that they very closely follow Roman style of blinds and are thus quite expensive too. This is not to discourage you from going in for those, but just a bit of information lest the high quote floors you when you receive that from your chosen vendor.

If you are planning to set up a nursery for the new arrival in your family in a room that gets plenty of sunlight, here is a word of caution! Excess of sunlight may make it difficult for the baby to sleep, especially during the day. You have to find a solution for blocking out unwanted sunlight. Many users acknowledge that a blackout roller window blind system is the best for the purpose that can block out the entire light coming from outside even during mid-day.

Blackout window blinds make use of soft extraordinary fabric that makes them so easy to roll up or down that’s quite unlike other blackout window treatments. But this facility of easy rolling up or down may cause the blinds to get dirty more often,

Another feature that people often fail to appreciate about rolling blackout window blinds is that apart from blocking the sun out, they offer complete privacy by completely obstructing the view. So, they are especially helpful for rooms that you wouldn’t like to be peered into at all.

There are some other designs of blinds incorporating the concept similar to that of rolling window blinds. Velux blackout blinds and Roman shades are both operated the same way as roller blinds. In case you are interested in roller blackout blinds, it may be worth checking on these.

You may buy blackout window treatments locally or online. Of the many vendors you may check out with JC Penny and Sears. However, you’ll surely get a better deal if you shop online. Though the price of blackout window blinds varies with material and quality, you should expect that to be around $80 per window. Don’t get dissuaded by the price. The functional utility of these blinds enables you recover the cost in a few years.

Once again, for the best deals on blackout roller blinds, you should search the net. The reason is that websites have very low overheads, compared to brick and mortar stores and can thus offer lower prices. Apart from the lower overheads, many websites don’t insist on charging sales tax like local dealers.

Here’s the story of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas.

Mr. Douglas works as a concierge at a hotel in downtown New York, while Mrs. Douglas has a job nearer home. She has normal working hours from 9.00 AM to 5.00PM. They decided not to send their tiny baby out while they both were at work. So, Mr. Douglas opted for working in the late shift from 6.00PM to 2.00AM, so that he could take care of baby Jonathan during the day. They were quite confident that the arrangement should work well for the next two years till the baby was old enough for going to school. However, within a fortnight Mr. Douglas realized that the baby had different time of getting started for the day, as Jonathan would wake up bright eyed and active at the crack of the dawn. It’s not difficult to imagine the plight of poor Mr. Douglas who would barely sleep for three to four hours in the last part of the night. He felt sleepy and he needed sleep badly all during the day.

Soon, Mr. Douglas realized that windows in all the rooms were facing east and the early sun was making him feel uncomfortable, while he tried sleeping in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully for Mr. Douglas, his wife, while cruising the web found the perfect solution- blackout shades.

Soon, Mr. Douglas realized that nothing works better than a standard roll, blackout roller shade for having a total blackout during the day. He further learnt that for optimum blockage of light, it should be fixed on or outside of the window casing. Such an arrangement is called an outside mount or OB. For best results you should have at least three inch extra width to stop light coming thru the gaps and some arrangement in the form of a valance or cassette to prevent light form entering thru the gap over the roller. Further it should lengthen at least an inch and a half beneath the bottom molding or sit squarely on the sill. That is the best blackout arrangement.

A very good alternative is to use a blackout cellular shade that is fixed from the inside of the window casing. This arrangement is known as an inside mount or IB. As it fits snugly to the inside of the window casing there is very little incoming light. Another equally good arrangement is to have Roman or pleated shades on the inside or outside the window but you’ll need to add blackout liner.

Blinds may be in metal, wood or plastic and irrespective of being horizontal or vertical, they just can’t provide total blackout, whatever measures you may adopt. Though some may prove to be slightly better than others, for instance wood blinds with route-less feature. Instead of having holes in the center of the slats for their stringing, they are strung together through notches made in the back of the slats to hide the holes and thus keep out light. Another alternative to block the holes and thus prevent incoming light is to use decorative tapes. That takes care to some extent but the main problem of light coming in thru the gaps between the slats, louvers, or vanes persists.

The worst experience of working in the night shift is when you’re unable to sleep during the day with sunlight entering thru the window blinds. It’s indeed difficult to have a comfortable peaceful sleep during the day unless the room is made totally dark. Such an arrangement is needed not only for those who work in the night shift, but also by those who get migraine attacks. You can have night-like darkness with blackout window blinds that induce sleep during the day after you are home at the end of the night shift or if you have migraines.

The drawback of traditional blinds is that they are unable to completely block sunlight. You sure, would have encountered this problem if ever you tried sleeping during the day when the sun is shining thru the window, just as you can’t sleep comfortably in a well-lit room. However hard you may try to close the curtains or blinds, some light continues to peep thru them.

You need to have arrangements that completely stop the glare of the sun. And, an effective way of doing that is to include blackout window blinds in your room. They help you create a night-like darkness and you can rest assured to have good comfortable sleep anytime during the day and at night also.

How to find blackout window blinds?

As a first step, you should take precise measurement of the windows to be provided with this arrangement. Unless you are careful in taking measurements, you may land up with blackout blinds that don’t fit properly, thus wasting your time, money and effort.

Measure from the Inside of the Window Installation:
1. Measure Width and Length along three different places, that’s one way of ensuring accuracy.
2. Keep the right provision for window depth.

Having thus armed yourself, it’s time to go online and search for suitable arrangements for you. Rather than rushing it up, you should be spending sometime online to compare different options and the respective prices and you’ll surely find a good deal.

How to choose the right style for you?

Spend some time looking at what’s available. If you are unable to make up your mind, try asking for samples and you’ll be surprised to learn that quite a few vendors are helpful on that aspect. You may try samples and then decide which best meets your requirements and then order.

Though the samples are not of full size, they are just swatches, but solve the purpose by giving you a fairly good idea of how it would look like in your place plus you can get a feel of the product. Plus, you may get discount coupons in the process that helps you save money and the effort of going out for shopping. And you should know that online shopping is really the best to go.

Selection of the most appropriate blackout window blinds for any room of your home is simple and quick, considering their online availability in hundreds of designs and many materials. Further, you get them over a wide price range, from cheap and affordable to the luxurious kind.

You can choose from among those that allow some light to filter in to the ones that offer complete darkness in fabrics of varying colors. It’s become quite customary for people to go online to research the kind of blinds available and order the selected item in a style and material of their choice. Before ordering your item, it may be good to check if the vendors would deliver it to your place as some of the online and even offline stores have restricted areas of operation.

Though it has become very convenient to order blackout window blinds online, you have to select the right blinds for your home and you should examine each room separately to assess what would best suit a particular room. For instance requirements of blinds for the bathroom will be quite different from those required for your living room or even a bedroom for that matter.

Let’s examine different types of blackout window blinds available. The most often used variety consists of: Vertical, Venetian, Roller blinds, Electric, Pleated, Blind Cleaners, Wooden, and Blackout Blinds. A very convenient feature of window blinds is that you can use them on the windows in any area of your home. Yet, you’ll need to take care in your selection. For example, blinds meant for installation in the kitchen should preferably be treated with fire-resistant material, should be easy to clean and it’s equally desirable that they resist stains. In any case you won’t like to have blinds that attract dust in any part of your home.

Room darkening window blinds, more popularly known as blackout window blinds help you sleep peacefully as they completely block the incoming sunlight. The blackout blinds are made using aluminum sidings and cartridges.  In case your profession demands you to work at night and sleep during the day, you’ll find them of great help. Another feature in their favor is that they are much easier to install, especially over larger windows. Depending on your budget, you’ll not find it difficult to get a set of room darkening window blinds, as they are available over a wide price-range. Yet, you have the option of buying faux window blinds that are much economical, as they are made of fake wood. Go ahead and buy a set of attractive window blinds of your choice and see how beautifully they change the looks of your room. However, it may be worth adding here that blinds with hanging poles are best avoided as they mar the beauty of your skylight window.

Just keep in mind that buying online is the best way to go for the blackout blinds, as it saves you a lot of time and money. Thank Internet that has facilitated the selection and purchase of blackout window blinds to being just a click away.