Welcome to Behind the Blinds. Our series where we dive into the finer details of everything shades and blinds. Today we’re going to talk about vertical blinds.
When you think of vertical blinds, you might think back to your very first apartment that had some really worn down plastic blinds that were just rough around the edges.
Today, I’m going to show you how that’s not all there is to vertical blinds, and there are lots of different things you could do to really spruce up a look in a large window.
When it comes to vertical blinds, there are lots of different options. Your standard three and a half inch wide white plastic slat tends to be what everybody thinks about when they hear the words “vertical blinds.”
But we’ve also got options such as faux wood, where it’s still a plastic slat, but you get those nice natural wood colors and a little bit of texture to them to give them a little more depth when you’re in the window, as well as fabric vertical blinds. And these are where you can really have some fun with it! You can pick a fabric option that’s coordinating to other things in the room or have a little fun and add a bit of a pop of color to the space.
All of our vertical blinds are going to come on a track based system, so you’ll have a headrail here with however many stems are needed to cover the entire width of the window opening. They will typically have a wand or sometimes a pull cord on a loop that will then open and close the blinds as well as twisting; this is what will allow them to tilt open and close.
Another nice thing about vertical blinds is they’re very easy to repair. If for any reason you need to take any of the slats off after installation, it’s as simple as grabbing something like a credit card, sliding it inside the stem right next to where the slat is, and then simply pull the slat right out and then remove your card. And you’ve now got it free.
If you have something like a broken slat where there’s no longer a clip for the slat to hang on to the stems on the head rail, we offer replacement parts called vane savers, like this guy here that kind of recreate that bridge at the top and allow you to reinstall your slat just like that.
Another very popular type of vertical blind is actually a shade called a panel track. Panel tracks are closely related to roller shades. They very often use the same materials, which is a big plus because you can coordinate a panel track shade with a roller shade in the same room.
Panel tracks can be a much more elegant and modern solution to covering large window openings. They tend to have either a wand or some motorized options, but you’ll have multiple panels on a single track here that can slide both open and closed.
You’ll have options where everything stacks on the left. You’ll have options where everything stacks on the right, as well as options that are called free flow. I can’t quite show off here with only a two panel, but where each panel can move independently. So you could split them to the sides, open them to the middle, whatever you prefer in your specific use.
One of the nice finishing touches that comes with most of our panel tracks is the ability to add a cornice. That’s this guy right up here. Similar to a valance or a cassette with any of our other products, a cornice just adds that nice fabric matched finishing touch to the shade that really hides all of the unsightly parts and just adds a little bit of polish to it.
The last type of vertical blind that will be covered today is a vertical honeycomb shade (also known as vertical cellulars), very similar to your standard horizontal honeycombs where they move up and down on the window frame, except this one will go left to right to fill a very wide opening or sliding back door or something like that.
These do come on a track based system. I just don’t have a track here with me today. That’s what these little wheels up here are for, so it slides inside that track and then you’ve got a handle right here that allows you to pull it open and push it shut.
Just like our standard horizontal honeycomb shades, honeycomb verticals are great for energy efficiency, have lots of different color options with very often matching rails – so everything is nice and color matched – they can add a very nice look to the window with the pleated fold style that they come in
Vertical blinds have a lot more options than most people tend to think. So many options that if you run into any questions and you need some help, please feel free to give our Design Consultant Team a call. They’ll be more than happy to answer any questions.
That’s all for this week’s episode of Behind the Blinds. I’m Brandon. See you next time!
Behind the Blinds is our series where we dive into the finer details of everything shades and blinds. For more information about vertical blinds, call or chat with one of our Design Consultants at (888) 257-1840. They’re easy to talk to!
