The most common form of outdoor blinds is the roller-style varieties.
These blinds offer excellent sun protection, making the patio much cooler. They are able to retract when not needed and come in a pleasing assortment of colors.
Bamboo and reed shades seem to be the most popular these days. Read on to learn more about outdoor blinds.
Installation
Outdoor blinds are simple to install, only requiring a few screws and perhaps a stud finder.
If installing the blinds directly onto stucco, you will need a stud finder in order to locate the wooden studs inside of the wall.
After locating the studs, drill pilot holes where each screw will attach. Then, screw on the included mounts and attach the blinds to them.
Some blinds do not have mounts but are instead attached directly to the wall. When mounting the blinds to a patio awning, try to fix them to a horizontal wood beam overhead.
The better the installation, the less likely the blind will fall due to wind.
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Roller Blinds | • Retractable Privacy Screen • Versatile And Popular | |
 | Wind Proofing | • ROLL-UP SHADE • QUALITY MADE |
Roller Blinds
Roller blinds are designed for placement over windows or on patios.
They require a solid mounting point such as a wall or wooden support beam in order to be installed properly. These versatile blinds provide on-demand shade by rolling them up or down using a pull cord on the side.
Users can choose to shade a portion or all of their patio area using roller blinds.
Materials like bamboo, reeds, hardwood, and synthetic fabrics are all used in these outdoor shades. Bamboo outdoor blinds are highly resistant to weather damage and have a tropical-island style look.
PVC Blinds
To avoid the potential hassle of cleaning wood blinds regularly, consider opting for ones made of PVC.
PVC is a plastic which has a smooth exterior that is easy to clean. Many PVC blinds are colored to look like reeds or bamboo, eliminating a plastic man-made look.
PVC is durable and not prone to sun rot.
Wind Proofing
The large profile of outdoor blinds can result in them acting like a boat sail, causing them to shake and twist out of control in the wind.
Look for outdoor blinds which have wind cords and/or a weight at the bottom which prevents this from happening. Better yet, pull up the blinds when they are not needed.
Energy Savings
When an outdoor blind is placed over a window or on a patio, it has direct energy saving benefits since it works to cool the inside of the home. With less heat entering the home, energy costs are bound to go down.
- Learn about Coolaroo shades.
- Learn about sun shades.
It’s good to know that outdoor blinds have direct energy saving benefits. My wife and I have been looking at ways we can increase our energy efficiency in order to save money on our utility bills. How long would our outdoor blinds need to be working in order for them to pay for themselves in the energy savings we would gain?