vertical blinds advice please

ih8stress

I'm due to get a quote on some vertical blinds and would appreciate some advice, please.
I'm looking at going for the cream/off white/beige/ coloured ones in a fairly plain design.

These will be on the front windows which get the sunshine in the morning so would I need to go for the 'blackout' option and if not, how much light do they let in when closed?

How much privacy/opacity do they have in the evening when the lights are on and they are fully closed?

Are any spare slats provided as standard or does this depend on who you buy it from?

Are there any things I need to ask, look out for, do's and don'ts etc.

Thanks

TomsMom

I have a vertical blind in my kitchen which gets strong sunlight (when we have any :rotfl: ).

For daytime use you don't need blackout blinds as those will block out virtually all light.

My blind is an off white/ivory colour and I just draw the blind and close the slats. Shuts out the sun but still enough light in the room.

Our blind was made to measure. No spare slats. If you buy from somewhere like Argos whose blinds are made to fit windows from X' to Y' then you just use the amount needed and should have some spares. You would need to cut the slats to the required length if you buy those.

Not sure about privacy in the evening as we don't close them at night due to being the kitchen and not overlooked but I would imagine that if the slats are fully closed then people wont see in. If you stand between your source of light and the window then, like with curtains, people outside will see a silhouette at night.

Don't forget that if slats are left partially open then depending on the angle people will be able to see into your room from one direction or the other.

paddy's_mum

Make sure you specify that your blinds are washable. I take all mine down/apart once a year and give a cool wash in the machine. How much it would cost if you had to dry clean them doesn't bear thinking about.

Becles

Have a look at blinds made from other materials too such as wood and PVC (sounds naff, but they do look really nice!).

We've got wood vertical blinds in the sitting room and porch (huge windows - floor length and width of room!) As they are solid, they shut out all the light and you can't see in at all when they are fully closed.

They wipe clean with a damp cloth and don't have the chains and weights on the bottom which was the main selling point for me, so I don't get dogs and toddlers tangled up in them!

ih8stress

Thank you to everyone for your tips so far,

Tomsmom, I should save abit then thanks if I don't need blackout ones and I will be getting them made to measure

Paddysmum, good point, they definitely need to be washable

Becles, I'd never considered wood or pvc, bet they're too expensive for me but I'll look into it

27col

If you get them made to measure, there is no reason why you can't get them to make an extra couple of slats for you. Although, I am at a loss as to why you would want any extra slats. Ours get covered with cat hairs at the bottom, as she likes to sit in the sun between the blind and the window. It is easy to remove the slats and to clean them. I am not sure about putting them in the washing machine. Earlier this year the cat got tangled up in the plastic chain at the bottom, and snapped it. I went to our local supplier and they gave me new chains free of charge. They also sent a fitter round f.o.c to sort out a problem that I had, and which was entirely my own fault. Pretty good service I reckon.