Outdoor Patio Blinds: A Quick Starter Guide

Outdoor patio blinds help trap some coolness inside the patio and screen out the bright illumination and the heat of the scorching sun. Most will also keep out the rain. In addition, they afford some form of privacy, giving your patio the advantages of the indoors. Patio blinds come in a wide variety both in sizes and shapes. The material from which they are made is also an important differentiator.

Using the right materials

Materials from which blinds for the patio are made include bamboo, wood, aluminum, mesh, PVC and fabric. Each material has its merits and faults. For example, wood can be severely affected by the weather; PVC can completely seal the doorway and restrict airflow; metals may be subjected to rust if not coated.

PVC, however, excels in bad weather being able to provide illumination while keeping out the rain and wind. Bamboos have different hatching which can be made to allow in different degrees of light through. Vinyl patio blinds are waterproof and are easily mounted.

When you are decided on the patio blind material to use, you should also know how much of it you need. Accurate measurements will ensure that your blinds are not too short, in which case they won’t cover the area you need screened, or too long, in which case, the blinds will be not fit and may look unseemly when bunched together.

For outdoor patio blinds, you need the material to be inside the arch it is covering. This leaves a small gap for air to flow through and this is especially important if your choice of material is PVC. Not only will lack of airflow make the patio uncomfortable to sit in for long, it will also make the blinds foggy after a while.

Therefore, measure the insides of the mounting. For the height, measure the inside of the top to the floor. For the width, measure the insides of the two sides of the doorway.

Outdoor patio blinds for windows

Outdoor patio blinds for windows or verandah spaces are measured a little differently. The blinds here need to overlap the edges. Therefore, allow an inch or two more from the insides of both beams when measuring the width needed. As a remainder, you may take measurements from the midpoints of the lintels.

If only a restricted area of your patio sees direct sunlight, you may decide to put blinds only in that area. However, if for some other reasons (privacy, rain, snow, wind) you want the other areas covered, then get blinds for everywhere.

You should also consider roller blinds too for your outdoor patio. These are useful when you don’t need the blinds in place. You can roll them up and let in some air or more illumination especially when you don’t need the shade. Roller blinds are different from roll up blinds in that they are rolled up at the top.

This is done by a loaded spring or a looped cord. Roll up blinds are rolled from the bottom either by hand or by a cord. A newer kind of outdoor patio roller blinds are the motorized ones which can be retracted by a remote control.

Whether you choose between outdoor patio blinds by cost or by features, you should make sure the size, shape and color are fitting for your patio. The patio door blinds should meet your expectations and should be durable and long lasting.