How do roller blinds compare with Roman, Venetian, zebra and vertical blinds?
Updated
A roller blind is one flat piece of fabric that winds onto a tube. Roman blinds fold up in soft pleats, Venetian blinds have tilting slats, zebra blinds have alternating sheer and solid bands, and vertical blinds have hanging vanes. None is best for every window: the right one depends on the window, the light and the look.
Speedy Blinds makes roller blinds for retailers. It does not make the other types, so what follows about them is general, and your retailer can tell you what they offer.
How do the five types work?
| Blind | How it works | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Roller | One flat piece of fabric winds onto a tube, worked by a chain or a motor | Comes in blockout (blackout), light filtering and sunscreen fabrics. Light shows down each side because the fabric is narrower than the brackets |
| Roman | Fabric folds up into soft pleats as it is raised | A softer look, closer to a curtain. The folds gather at the top when it is raised |
| Venetian | Slats are held on cords and tilt to angle the light and the view | Tilting gives more control of light than raising or lowering alone |
| Zebra | Two layers of fabric with alternating sheer and solid bands that shift against each other | Adjusts light and view without raising the blind |
| Vertical | Vanes hang side by side from a track and turn or draw to the side | Often used on wide windows and glass doors |
How does a roller blind compare with each?
- Against a Roman blind: a roller blind is flatter and simpler, with a plain face. A Roman blind has a softer, folded look.
- Against a Venetian blind: a Venetian blind lets you tilt its slats to angle the light and the view. A roller blind is one sheet of fabric, so light control is by raising or lowering it.
- Against a zebra blind: a zebra blind adjusts light through its banded layers. A roller blind is simpler, and a blockout roller fabric stops light passing through. Ask how much privacy a zebra blind gives at night, because that depends on the fabric.
- Against a vertical blind: vanes suit a wide opening where they can draw to the side. A very wide roller blind can show a slight bow in the tube, which is normal, and two narrower blinds side by side can suit better.
What about cellular blinds, and blinds versus shades?
Cellular (honeycomb) blinds are built from fabric cells. Blind and shade are often used for the same product, so ask your retailer exactly what is being quoted.
How well a blind helps with heat depends on the whole window. YourHome, the Australian Government's guide to home design, says snugly fitted blinds, and curtains with pelmets, that trap a layer of still air next to the window reduce heat transfer, and that air gaps around the edges cut the benefit. It adds that internal blinds are much less effective than stopping the sun's heat entering the window in the first place.
Which type of blind is best?
There is no best type. Compare them for the window in question: how much light and privacy you need, how wide the window is, whether it is a door, and who will work it. A blind with a cord or chain should be made safe for children, and a motor avoids the loop.
Ask your retailer to show you two or three types against your window, and to explain how each is worked and cared for.
Other ways people ask this
What is a zebra blind?
A blind with two layers of fabric in alternating sheer and solid bands. Moving the layers lines the bands up to let light and the view through, or offsets them for more cover.
What is the difference between blinds and shades?
The two words are often used for the same product. Ask your retailer exactly what is being quoted.
Are cellular shades better than roller blinds?
Neither is better for every window. How well any blind helps with heat depends on the whole window, including a snug fit with no air gaps.
Are roller blinds or vertical blinds better?
It depends on the window. Vertical blinds are often used on wide windows and glass doors, while a roller blind is one sheet of fabric in blockout, light filtering or sunscreen.
This answer is general information. For your own windows, your retailer's advice and your order with them come first.