The fabric market for indoor blinds is huge! There are blockout fabrics, translucent fabrics, light filtering fabrics, sheer fabrics, screen fabrics... need we go on!? So we thought we’d start showcasing some of our popular blinds fabrics. 

Skye Fabric for Blinds: 

One of our popular blinds fabrics is Skye by Shaw Performance Fabrics. Skye fabric is made from 100% polyester, and the polyester yarns used are dyed slightly differently to each other giving Skye a subtle texture and colour variation. 
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Skye is available in either a light filtering fabric or a blockout fabric. The light filtering version is simply the original fabric that has been stiffened to hold its structure for use as a blind. Both sides of the fabric look exactly the same. Light filtering fabrics create a room darkening effect - it’s not full blockout, but the privacy factor is still pretty good.

There is a debate in many households over the correct way to hang a roll of toilet paper - should it over roll or under roll? You’ll find some people even argue “does it matter which way the toilet paper goes?!”.

Well the debate among households can continue when choosing which way to hang a roller blind. Is there a correct way to hang a roller blind? Does it matter which way the roller blind goes?!

The answer (to both debates mind you) is yes, it does matter.

While the toilet paper debate is pretty clear cut (i.e you either over roll or you’re wrong) the roller blind debate “depends”... on your window or door, your fabric, your home needs, your design, whether you choose motorised blinds etc etc etc!

The way a roller blind rolls and hangs comes down to how the blind is initially assembled. The blinds fabric is attached to an inner tube, and the fabric is either forward rolled over the tube, or reverse rolled under the tube. The blind mechanisms are then attached to either side of the tube. The blind is made to have a specific roll direction, with a specific chain side, and is then ideally installed to follow how it was made. Unlike a toilet roll, you can’t just easily change which way a blind rolls without changing the blind installation or re rolling a roller blind.

From a visual perspective an over rolled blind hides the fabric-wrapped tube by having the blind hang in front of the roll. An under rolled blind leaves the fabric-wrapped tube on show at the front. It’s important to note here that with an under rolled blind it is actually the back of the fabric that is seen on the tube... and because the tube is seen in front of the blind, the back of the fabric is front and centre, on show on the roll. These are important things to know when it comes time to choosing which roller blind fabric is best and which way your blinds will roll. 

If you want your blind to roll as close to the glass as possible, you’ll want to choose an under rolled blind. If however you have obstructions close to the glass such as window locks or latches you might need to choose an over roller blind. If your window reveal is very narrow, you (might not even be able to fit a roller blind in there at all!) may have to install your blinds on the face - in which case the roll direction here becomes very important. An over rolled blind on the face will leave a gap between the blind and the architrave, allowing a large amount of light to come in from the sides. An under rolled blind on the face however will roll as close to flush against the architrave/wall, minimising light and increasing privacy. 

Hopefully you are starting to see that correctly deciding which way to hang roller blinds takes a lot into consideration. A window furnishing expert should help you consider everything that you don’t even realise you need to consider when choosing blinds. Everything from your room layout and design preference, to insulation, privacy and lighting needs should be considered, and your local window furnishing consultant should be able to streamline the decision making for you.

While the decisions are not hard to make, without proper consideration the outcomes are not hard to get wrong. The roller blind “rules” for your house will be unique to everything considered with you for your home. What is correct for your blinds may not be the same for what is correct with your neighbours blinds! This is why there is no clear cut answer to the question “which way should roller blinds be hung”.

To help you choose which blinds are right for your house (and then which way your roller blinds should face), we come to you and see your home (or floorplan if you’re still building!) and show you some options that will suit your needs. We aim to make the selection process as easy as possible for you, so that you end up with the best window furnishing solution for both your home and your budget. 

If you need help choosing the right blinds or other window coverings, contact us today and we will help make your decision process simple!

And to leave you with one massive take home tip: if you have side-by-side windows with side-by-side blinds... make sure they're rolling the same direction!

- RPShutters 
Ph: 1300 003 514
Em: rpshutters@gmail.com
Service Area: Wagga, Griffith, Albury Wodonga, North Canberra. ​

The first month of the new year is coming to a close... How are those renos looking?!

Our 20% off Indoor Blinds Sale is ending this week!

If you're wondering how much new blinds cost then know that the regular price of our blinds is already very competitive - even without us needing to run this sale. We are able to give price estimates from your window sizes or quotes from your new build's floor plan.

So if you've been considering new custom made blinds or you need new blinds for your new home build then Riverina Plantation Shutters has the solution for you. Our blinds are Australian Made and we use high quality blind hardware. Our fabric range is huge with everything from plain finishes to textured fabrics, in a range of contemporary colours. There is even the option to design blinds using almost any fabric you like - the options are endless! 

So to take advantage of our sale, contact us now if you wish to lock in blinds sale prices for new window dressings before Friday 31st Jan comes to a close.

​Happy building and renovating!

RPShutters
Wagga | Griffith | Albury | Canberra
Ph: 1300 003 514
Em: rpshutters@gmail.com
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Following on from our last post about "Blinds that look like shutters", we naturally need to explore zebra blinds.

Sometimes referred to as "day and night blinds" or "sheer roller blinds" these blinds are made from a unique fabric that alternates between wide blockout bands and translucent bands. The blind is double-layered and as both layers slide against each other the fabric bands either stack or coincide. This design allows you to control and maximise your rooms natural lighting and privacy. 

As with a standard roller blind, when a zebra blind is fully raised the window has a completely unobstructed view. When a zebra blind is lowered, the horizontal blockout bands partially obscure the view - creating an effect similar to plantation shutter blades or venetian blind louvres. Hence why, some zebra blinds look like plantation shutters. If you want complete privacy, fully close the blind by stacking the blockout fabric bands, completely hiding the window. 

Our fabric selections for our Zebra Blinds covers the common interior window furnishing styles. The blockout bands don't have to be a complete blockout fabric either. Our fabric range includes light filtering and sheer fabrics for these blinds, as well as blockout fabrics.

Each Zebra Blind is finished with a full cassette to hide the components at the top, and a bottom rail in a colour to complement your fabric choice. 

Zebra Blinds are a standard part of our Riverina Blinds Range. Each blind is custom made in Melbourne and delivered to our Blinds Shop in Wagga Wagga, NSW. From there we supply and install blinds in Griffith, Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga and the surrounding Riverina. 

So if you're looking for new blinds and live in or around Wagga, Griffith or Albury, give Riverina Plantation Shutters a call and we will book a home consultation for you. 

-RPShutters (and Blinds!)

It's a question that we have heard before - "do you have blinds that look like shutters?".

The answer is... Not really... but if you'd like us to explore venetian blinds we can?! (*NB: stay tuned for a post about our zebra day/night fabric blinds)

The closest blind that looks like plantation shutters is the venetian blind. Made from horizontal slats of either timber, polymer or aluminium, venetian blinds can come in a range of colours - most commonly however, white blinds or timber blinds. The horizontal louvres can appear similar to the horizontal blades of a plantation shutter however there are a few key differences you should be aware of if you're not familiar with both products. 

Most commonly, plantation shutter louvres are made at an individual width of 89mm, while venetian louvres are narrower - usually below 63mm wide. Yes, you can get plantation shutters with 63mm blades (or 115mm blades for that matter) but those widths are not the typical appearance when someone is imagining "planation shutters". 

Secondly, individual plantation shutter blades are typically an elliptical shape, and 10.5mm thick at their widest, while the venetian louvres are typically a flat, 3mm wide, rectangular slat.

Plantation shutters are a completely cordless product, opened simply by tilting the blades by hand to any position of your choosing. The only vertical lines seen with a plantation shutter is the vertical control rod - which can be hidden on the internal side of the shutter if you want an unobstructed view and a modern design style. If you want to keep a more traditional style for your interiors, a tubular tilt rod in the same colour as the shutter louvres can be built onto the front of your plantation shutters.

Venetian blinds in contrast however, are laddered together using a number of vertical fabric tapes threaded through small holes in each slat. The laddering tapes feed into the hanging cords at the front of the blind that are necessary to both lift the blinds open and closed and to tilt the individual blades. You can opt to reduce the number of hanging cords to try and achieve a more cordless blind look by replacing the tilt cords with a tubular hanging wand instead. Ladder tapes and lift cords will still remain however, so you will never fully achieve a "no-cord" appearance. 

So why choose one product over the other?

Well obviously design preference is individual! One person, family or house may prefer once product over the other. Both products are available in a range of colours, timbers and wood look finishes so neither is more superior there.

Both products are easy to clean, requiring only a duster or a damp cloth if necessary. Plantation Shutters do have the edge with being the easiest to clean due to the increased size of the blades meaning less blades to have to dust, and no fiddly cords to deal with. 

From an insulation point of view, plantation shutters are the most environmentally efficient interior window covering. Venetian blinds are not terrible with an insulation efficiency better than roller blinds, however plantation shutters are the best internal window covering for insulation. 

For a large job, venetian blinds are faster to have manufactured and installed than plantation shutters. At the time of writing this (August, 2019) our lead time for venetian blinds is custom made and installed in around 2-weeks. Plantation Shutters (while subject to which range is chosen) have a lead time anywhere from 3-weeks upward. 

If price is a factor it's not a simple answer to say that one product is more expensive than the other. Size of your window, material of manufacture (i.e. PVC Shutters vs Timber Shutters vs Timber Blinds), final colour chosen, and framing type can all affect the final price of both products. In some quotes a venetian blind would be cheaper, and in others plantation shutters have worked out cheaper. There is no standard answer and that is why we do individualised consultations to quote from.

So if you are busy searching for venetian blinds on the assumption that blinds are cheaper than shutters, maybe contact us using our Book Now button at the top of the page and we can help you find exactly what you are after. 



- Riverina Plantation Shutters