What
Are Horizontal Blinds?
Horizontal
blinds are window coverings made with slats of wood, vinyl
(PVC), aluminum or fabric that hang horizontally from a
headrail. These are often known as vanes, material, louvres
and hangers. The slats can be adjusted to control light
and privacy by rotating from an open position to a closed
position or can be drawn up.
They
are reasonably easy to clean and can be placed both inside
and outside of the window frame. The slats themselves are
much narrower than vertical
blinds and may not be so attractive.
Some
fabrics are more suitable for horizontal blinds in preference
to vertical blinds and are less likely to make noises in
the breeze than vertical blinds.
The
horizontal slats are held together with ladder cords which
are fixed to the top and bottom rail via driving rods. As
this is rotated, one leg of each ladder cord moves up while
the other moves down, causing the angle of the slats to
change. Lifting cords are attached to the ladder cords are
also attached to the rail. They pass through holes in the
slats and into the housing above, where they go over pulleys,
combine and exit through the cord lock, which for safety
reasons, must always work.
What
windows are horizontal blinds most suited for?
Horizontal
blinds are often more suited for the smaller window or in
windows where you need to keep the glare of the sun off
of a nearby computer screen. They are also used as shutters
outside of the window to provide a safety feature which
can be locked. Horizontal blinds are frequently used to
help keep out the sun in conservatories as these can easily
be put into grooves in the ceiling to reduce the sunshine
depending on the design of the conservatory roof.
The
Pros and Cons of Horizontal Blinds
Horizontal
blinds like vertical blinds are very practical whether used
in the home, factory or office. They are not quite so easy
to clean as vertical blinds and are more likely to attract
dust. Unlike vertical
blinds, individual slats are not easy to replace if
damaged. Horizontal blinds are more likely to be damaged
in caught in a wind than vertical
blinds frequently due to the type if fabric often used
such as PVC and aluminium etc. In the same manner as the
vertical blinds, horizontal blinds also offer insulation
qualities when drawn thus helping to keep the room warm.
Conversely, when it is hot they can help to keep the room
cool when shut. The slats overlap closely and when shut
they create an insulating pocket between the window and
the room. However as the header tends to be thicker than
the vertical blinds,
this together with the bottom rail, when drawn up, take
up more of the window.