Talking about blackout blinds or curtains is tricky. Why? There’s no strict definition of what a blackout blind or curtain should be, and customer expectations vary widely.
To explore all the available blackout options, we need to clearly define what we mean by the term “blackout.”
We will define blackout as:
Any blind or curtain that completely covers a window area, blocking out any light whatsoever. Not even a tiny bit of light! We have completely excluded all natural light from entering our room through the window we just covered.
The most significant aspect of this definition is that we have completely excluded all natural light (100% of it)!
With few exceptions, almost all blackout blinds and curtain options available on the market fail to meet this criterion. There will always be some light leakage, and the moment we achieve less than 100% light exclusion, we cannot claim to have achieved a truly blackout solution.
Let’s consider a curtain, for instance. If you have a curtain with a blackout lining and mount it on a curtain pole, the pole pushes the curtain away from the wall. Consequently, light escapes behind the curtain and over the pole. Technically, the curtain material is blackout, but the way it’s been fitted allows some light to seep through.
The most common type of blackout blind we would say is a blackout roller blind. The blind’s material is blackout, but the nature of a roller blind means there are gaps along each edge, allowing some light to seep in.
In simpler terms, most blackout solutions available on the market will never achieve complete light exclusion. Remember, even a tiny bit of light left over after installing a blind or curtain means we’re less than 100% light-blocked. Therefore, the options you have are those that accept a specific level of blackout, which is less than 100% total blackout.
There are broadly two ways in which you can achieve 100% total blackout:
A total blackout roller or pleated blind is a standard blackout blind enhanced with all the necessary parts to eliminate any light leakage. The blind will be encased in a fully enclosed box at the top. There will be side channels on each side of the wall, and there will also be a channel across the width of the window ledge, where the fabric sits. Pleated variations of this use the same types of channel, with a different method of raising and lowering the blinds.
In our over five decades of experience measuring windows, we know the vast majority of windows are not perfectly square from top to bottom, measured to the nearest millimetre. We frequently encounter windows that are 9 millimetres or more wider at the bottom compared to the top. Therefore, the channels positioned down each side of the wall need to have adequate thickness to accommodate any variation.
Most windows, from top to bottom, rarely have the same drop all the way. Some may even bow up in the middle. To cater for this, a complete blackout solution must have a channel in which the fabric sits, running along the width of the window, at the bottom.
Roller blinds tends to allow blinds up to a larger size than, for example, total blackout pleated blinds solutions.
These solutions are available, but they can look quite industrial.
The alternative method to achieving a complete blackout solution is to combine two or more solutions. In reality, blackout options are only necessary during the summer months when the sun rises so early. By combining solutions, you can vary your blackout options throughout the year.
There are numerous combinations when it comes to blackout options. For example, blackout curtains attached to a flush-fitting track mechanism can be paired with a blackout roller or Roman blind. Another option could be blackout Roman blinds combined with Perfect Fit Pleated blinds. The possibilities are endless.
With over five decades of experience, we have some opinions on many of the solutions we see advertised online. Ultimately, as a consumer, you decide what level of quality, performance, and durability you expect from any product you buy.
We’ve seen many solutions advertised using misleading photography, videos, and clever wording that hide many of the issues with the product’s durability and longevity. The pictures you see may look like complete blackout, but if you read the wording carefully, you’ll realise they don’t promise a 100% blackout.
These solutions are always presented in perfectly sized windows, with the width and drop being exactly the same from top to bottom.
Some of the inexpensive, very tempting solutions we’ve identified advertise cassette roller or pleated blinds with side channels. Most of these channels come with self-adhesive for easy installation. What could possibly go wrong?
First, roller and pleated blinds have straight bottom bars. If your ledge isn’t level, the blind can never sit level. That’s why it’s crucial to have a fixed frame along the width of the window, mounted on the ledge. This ensures that all four sides of the blind are completely covered, preventing any light leakage.
Secondly, the width of your window will almost certainly vary, not just from top to bottom, but also from front to back. If you measure the width of your window at the top, near the front, and compare it to a measurement at the top but close to the window frame itself, you’ll likely see differences. How these side channels connect to the top is crucial. Either they won’t look straight or may even let a tiny amount of light in.
Thirdly, the frames should be infilled to prevent light leakage around the edges of the material. Every time you raise the blind, the material rubs against the infill, causing friction against the operating mechanism, rubbing on the material, and putting tension on the side channels’ attachments.
During extreme heat and UV exposure, many of these frames simply peel away from the wall due to the low quality of the adhesives used. The fabrics fray at the edges and start splitting after only a year or two. The mechanisms also become less smooth to operate as the springs inside them wear. Pleated blinds are particularly susceptible to wear and tear on the cords used to tension them.
Finally, in the case of pleased blinds, the unique shape of each pleated cell makes it impossible to achieve complete blackout without damaging the material by friction against anything fitted inside a frame. The frame itself won’t stop all light seepage. Most pleated blinds also have too many width and drop restrictions, often preventing a consumer from covering every window they want with a uniformed solution.
Above all, the most frustration we have in what we see, is how misleading the images and videos are. They appear to give total blackout (100%), but in reality, do not.
Below, we explore the various types of blinds that offer blackout options, and we’ll discuss their advantages and disadvantages.
For most people, a complete blackout isn’t a strict necessity, and one of these solutions will be sufficient. However, if you genuinely require a 100% blackout, we’ll be delighted to guide you on how to combine solutions as required.
Several factors influence the combination of solutions, such as the location and placement of the blinds, the depth of your window openings, and so on.
Most roller blinds come with a cassette box. In terms of blackout levels, a cassette box offers both advantages and disadvantages. When a roller blind is placed inside a box, the physical material covers slightly less of the window compared to a roller blind not fitted in the box. However, the box prevents any light from seeping through the top of the window, restricting light leakage to the sides (and the bottom of the window if your window sill is not level).
Rollers blinds that aren’t fitted in a cassette box cover 10 millimetres more of the available glass, thereby restricting light leakage to the edges (and the bottom of the window if your window sill isn’t level). However, the absence of a cassette box will result in light leakage from the top of the window.
These blinds offer excellent blackout, as they’re attached to the glass panels. This makes them easy to combine with other blackout options like roller blinds. However, the concertina nature of the material causes some light to seep through the edges of the fabric.
A major consideration with Perfect Fit Pleated Blinds is when you want to leave a window open for fresh air. As soon as you open a window, the blind on that glass panel becomes ineffective because the light will pour in through the opening.
Ironically, the summer months are when we need the highest level of blackout, but also when most people leave windows open.
A tensioned or freehanging pleated blind is usually installed inside a window opening to cover it with a single blind, or occasionally outside the recess. This design addresses the drawbacks of Perfect Fit Pleated blinds when you want to sleep with the windows open.
While the amount of light that seeps down the edges is slightly less compared to, for example, blackout roller blinds, there’s a chance of light seeping across the sill if your window sill isn’t level.
A Roman blind with blackout lining is an effective solution for blackout. The gaps along each edge are minimal.
The biggest issue with Roman blinds for many people is when they’re pulled up. The stack is significant, and you permanently lose a lot of the available glass.
It’s more common to attach Roman blinds outside the recess, so it’s possible to combine blackout Roman blinds with another type of blind to achieve a higher level of blackout or even reach the magical 100%.
There are numerous vertical blackout materials available. Since a vertical blind has light bleed along its top and bottom edges, as well as the sides and between each strip of material, it’s not the most effective choice for blocking out light.
Visions offers blackout options, but technically, we can’t call them that. There will be visible light bleed between the two layers of material, along the sill and down each edge.
To achieve the best level of blackout with curtains, it’s crucial to use blackout lining on the curtain itself and have it fitted to the aperture with a flush-fitting track mechanism.
This prevents light bleed at the top of the curtain, which would happen if it were fitted to a pole.
Shutters block a significant amount of light, but there will always be light seeping around the edges of the doors. Since the doors span the entire width of your window, they allow light to bleed across the entire width of the window instead of just confining it to the edges. Additionally, shutters can restrict air circulation if you leave a window open.
Like any Perfect Fit blind, opening a window eliminates the blind’s light-excluding feature. Perfect Fit Shutter Lite blinds can darken a room, but there will be light leakage around the edges of the Shutter Lite.
Achieving a complete blackout solution with shutters installed can be challenging. The shutter typically prevents other blinds from being installed inside the recess, either behind or in front of it. When installed behind the shutter, daily use can be inconvenient because you have to open and close the shutter doors to raise and lower an additional blackout blind. These blinds often don’t provide a 100% blackout.
Blackout curtains can also prevent the opening of shutter doors unless they are pulled back far enough to avoid partially covering each end of the window opening.
Depending on the type of window, Perfect Fit Pleated curtains may be a suitable supporting solution for some, while for others, it may be necessary to install a blind on the outside of the aperture.
We frequently receive requests for solutions that achieve a high level of blackout while maintaining adequate air circulation. For instance, a solution that enables air to flow from an open window.
Regrettably, the answer is quite straightforward. The more effective the blackout, the lower the air circulation will be. Air can only circulate when there are gaps for it to move through. However, any gap introduces light leakage.
The only truly effective solutions are with properly fitted air conditioning units or what we refer to as “hacks.”
The simplest hack is a portable air conditioning unit that allows the exhaust pipe to protrude through an open window. Alternatively, you can use oversized curtains that you can fold down and around the exhaust pipe. While not the most aesthetically pleasing solution, it’s usually only required a few times a year due to the UK’s weather patterns.
Choosing the best blackout options can be confusing. Below we have developed our own rating for each type of blind and included some example combinations and how we would rate them.
There is nothing scientific in our ratings - they are just that, our ratings, our opinions. However, we have found they do help people with comparing options.
Type of Blind
Blackout roller blinds in a cassette box
Blackout roller blinds, no cassette box
Perfect Fit Blackout Pleated Blinds
Tensioned Blackout Pleated Blinds
Freehanging Blackout Pleated Blinds
Blackout Roman Blinds
Blackout Vertical Blinds
Blackout Visions Blinds
Blackout Curtains / Flush fitting track
Shutters
Perfect Fit Shutter Light
Our non scientific rating
65%
60%
80%
75%
85%
90%
50%
55%
95%
87%
55%
Combining Solutions
Perfect Fit Blackout Pleated Blinds with a Blackout Roller
Perfect Fit Blackout Pleated Blinds with a Blackout Roman
Blackout Roman Blinds with Blackout Curtains / Flush fitting track
Perfect Fit Blackout Pleated Blinds & Shutters
Our non scientific rating
95%
98%
98%
95%
There are too many permutations of combining solutions to list here, there are just a few examples. And remember, these ratings are our own, provided as a guide and completely unscientific!