Conservatories are usually the most hostile rooms in a home. When you are looking for new or replacement blinds or shutters for your conservatory, do you know what to look for? Below are some errors that people make:
Conservatory Blinds and Shutters – Error 1:
The wrong product is selected
There are many different types of blinds and shutters on the world market (pleated, roller, venetian, vertical, wooden, vinyl, pinoleum, etc). It is crucial to select the correct product for how you want to use your space. For example, if you want to use it as a:
* Lounge
You will need the best UV filtering to protect your fabrics (settees, carpets, etc), wood furniture, paintings and other furnishings from fading and damage.
* Dining room
The blinds or shutters need to cope with splashes and spills from drinks, food and other accidents.
* Jacuzzi, Spa, Gym
The blinds or shutters need to withstand moisture in the atmosphere, human perspiration, chemicals from the water, etc.
* Garden room
When you water plants, their leaves transpire, producing a humid environment which can lead to a gradual build up of condensation, mould, mildew, etc. Your products need to be able to cope with this.
* Music room
Grand pianos look beautiful in the centre of a conservatory but specialist blinds and shutters are essential to keep these delicate instruments at a constant room temperature and humidity level.
Conservatory Blinds and Shutters – Error 2:
The wrong colour is chosen
In your home your ceilings are generally white with a different colour on the walls. Carrying this colour scheme into your conservatory will make it an extension of your home. Pale blue blinds roof blinds will make you feel you are sitting under the sky. Green window blinds will simulate sitting in the garden, especially ones with leaf or floral designs. White shutters or pinoleum blinds will produce a dappled light effect across the whole conservatory. If you love a specific bold colour, remember that your ‘colour mood’ can change every seven years or so. As the best blinds and shutters can last for decades, you might regret your colour decision!
Conservatory Blinds and Shutters – Error 3:
Buying products with short guarantees
Conservatories are on constant attack from the heat of the sun, UV light, humidity, insect excrements, extreme temperature changes across the year, and much more. The design and manufacture of your conservatory shutters or blinds must be second to none in order to cope with that very hostile environment. The actual fabric or product is one issue; the hardware that attaches your shutters or blinds to your conservatory is another. Products with short guarantees might be cheaper but will not withstand the test of time.
Conservatory Blinds and Shutters – Error 4:
Not doing background research
Before you decide to invest in shutters or blinds for your windows and/or your roof, ensure you research the following:
* Do you know which direction your conservatory faces – north, east, south or west?
* Do you know how the sun traverses the sky over your conservatory in summer as well as in winter?
* If you live near water (river, lake, pond, etc.) do you know what insects your product has to cope with and why?
* Do you know why it is essential to cover the whole of your conservatory with blinds or shutters and not just part of it?
* Are the trees that currently shade your conservatory evergreen or will that protection disappear in the winter? (The sun can make a conservatory uncomfortable even in the winter!)
Conservatory Blinds & Shutters – Error 5:
The wrong method of operation is selected
Most people think that conservatory blinds and shutters are essential only for the summer heat. They do not realise that specialist products are designed to be used every day of the year. So, mistakenly, you buy manual blinds thinking that you will operate them occasionally. If at all possible, always buy powered or remote-controlled products as, once you realise their assets, you will want to operate them daily!
Conservatory Blinds and Shutters – Errors People Make
SUMMARY
The best and most cost-effective blinds and shutters are specially designed to cope with everything that your conservatory, the most hostile room in your home, throws at them. Keep these ‘Conservatory Blinds and Shutters Errors’ in mind when you invest in new or replacement products for your conservatory and you will have a beautiful space that you can use every day and night of the year.
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Lisa-Michelle Noble says
Hello,
We have had penolium blinds put up in the roof and sides of our conservatory. We have had new double glazed solar glass put in as well. We’ve also had two little velux windows put in. We have indoor cats, so sadly cannot just fling open the doors and windows unless we put them into the annex. Sadly the conservatory is still boiling hot in the summer and a little chilly in winter. It is on the south west facing side of the house and is also part of our kitchen so I am in there a lot! Should we have put in shutters instead? Would shutters work a lot better or is there no difference at all?Would love your help on this matter. Thank you for your time.
Dr Joy Madden says
Pinoleum blinds on both the roof and sides of your SW-facing conservatory should have done the trick in making your it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. (In answer to your query, no, shutters would not have been any better.)
THE HEAT ISSUE
You mentioned that your conservatory also houses the kitchen. This could be where the extra heat is coming from. A solution is to get the air within the conservatory ‘replaced’ regularly by trying the following.
Ensure your indoor cats are in a safe place, then open your Velux windows and all your conservatory doors and windows for about 15 minutes to allow complete circulation of the air. That procedure will also keep condensation (and eventually mould) at bay, as well as being good for your and your pets’ health. If you do that once a week, say, you should find that your pinoleum blinds will do the job they were designed for.
THE COLD ISSUE
The way to use your pinoleum blinds in the winter is as follows. If it’s a sunny day but very cold outside, compress back the roof blinds to allow the sun’s free energy to warm up your conservatory. Then when the sun disappears behind clouds, extend the roof blinds to trap that heat. (The reason this works is that 80-90% of the heat comes into a conservatory via the roof.)
Keep in mind that roof blinds are a ‘living product’ and are designed to be opened and closed regularly as the sun travels across the sky, and with the seasons. Do let me know if all that helps!