Complete Roller Shade Buying Guide:
How to Choose the Right Shades For Your Home
Introduction: Why Choose Roller Shades
In hundreds of years of window treatment fashions, few designs have grown in popularity as fast as the roller shade. Its simple design, versatility, and ease of use have made it a client favorite. Their inherently simple design will help to bring a minimalist modern feel to any space while providing maximum functionality in light control, privacy, and automation. With their simple upkeep and maintenance, install these treatments once and enjoy years of functionality.
What To Consider When Buying Roller Shades: The ABC's
When selecting a roller shade it's important to keep in mind the ABC's (C is repeated in this acronym) of selecting a roller shade.
A - Application: Consider how the space will be used. Will too much heat or glare in the space disturb those in your home? What is required of the shading functions?
B - Building (Home) Location: Consider the orientation and the elevations of the space. Do the windows face east and get the morning sun, or west and get it in the afternoon? What is the solar load during the year?
C - Color and Composition: Possibly one of the most important choices, not just the aesthetics but the performance of the fabric under a solar load. Dark colored fabrics reduce glare & improve one way privacy, but they do absorb more solar heat. Light Colored fabrics reflect light, preserving lighting conditions and may help to reduce solar heat gain. The composition helps to determine the view-through of the shades, how tight is the weave? Also an important factor is the material used for the manufacturing of the shades. The wrong shade may even lead to odors from the off-gassing of the materials.
The Different Types of Roller Shades and What They Offer
Roller Shades can be broken down into simple groups:
- Single Shades
- Double Shades
- Blackout Shades
- Zebra Shades
And these can all be manual, motorized with AC current or battery, or even automated with a smart system.
Motorization vs Automation
Technology
Would you like the shades in your home to open when you turn on the light in a room, or every morning at 8 am? The motorization and/or automation of shading solutions is one of the fastest-growing and dynamic segments of the industry.
What is the difference?
Motorization
Motorization means simply "to equip with a motor." For
example, flip a switch up, and the
shade motor rolls up, flip a switch down, and the shade motor rolls down. Typically, a more straightforward means of operation, this requires the occupant to actively participate in telling the shade what to do.
Automation
Automation or automatic control is more complex and almost always involves various control systems for operating a shading system. These systems can operate independently, requiring minimal or reduced occupant intervention, within the guidelines we program or input. Often referred to as intelligent control, the primary goal of automating shading systems is to make your life easier, and have the shades do what you want when you want. With connectivity options to your phone, a Google Home or an Alexa device, you will have improved accessibility, ease of operation, and overall convenience.
Exterior Shades
Also known as outdoor patio shades, outdoor roller shades or patio blinds are a higher spec product designed for exterior use. Often times the heat rejection factor is much greater with exterior shades as any heat absorbed or rejected from the material does not reach the glass or interior space. They block UV rays and sunlight but wont obstruct your view out, unless you want them to of course.
