Learn More About Blackout Shades

Find the best blackout blinds and shades for your space

Types of Blackout Blinds and Shades

Some window treatments are better suited for blocking light than others. For example, traditional wood or faux wood blinds provide privacy, but their horizontal slats can still allow light to enter the room even when closed.

Blackout window shades are designed differently. Because they are typically made from solid fabric materials rather than slats, they are far more effective at preventing light from passing through. These specialized materials help create darker rooms that are ideal for sleeping, relaxing, or watching movies.

At Easy Blinds, we offer several styles of blackout window shades designed to match different rooms and décor preferences, including:

Blackout Cellular Shades

Cellular shades use specially designed blackout fabric that blocks light while also providing excellent insulation. The honeycomb structure helps improve energy efficiency by reducing heat transfer through your windows.

Blackout Roller Shades

Blackout roller shades use light-blocking fabric to prevent sunlight from entering the room. Their sleek and modern design makes them one of the most popular blackout window treatments.

Blackout Roman Shades

Roman shades combine soft fabric styling with effective light control. By selecting a blackout liner during customization, you can create a stylish shade that also provides room-darkening performance.

Benefits of Blackout Window Shades

Blackout shades offer several advantages for different areas of your home. They are especially useful in rooms where controlling light and improving comfort are important.

Rooms with strong sunlight

Blackout shades help reduce bright sunlight and glare while protecting furniture and flooring from harmful UV rays.

Nurseries and children’s rooms

Perfect for daytime naps, blackout shades help create a darker and more comfortable sleeping environment.

Bedrooms

Block light from streetlights, early morning sun, and other outdoor sources to improve sleep quality.

Media rooms and home theaters

Create a movie-theater experience by reducing glare and outside light while watching television or movies.

Night shift workers

Blackout window shades are ideal for anyone who needs to sleep during the day, helping regulate rest and improve sleep conditions.

What to Expect from Blackout Shades

Blackout window treatments are designed to block light from passing through the fabric of the shade itself. This dramatically reduces the amount of light entering your room.

However, because window shades do not completely seal the edges of the window, some indirect light may still appear around the sides or bottom of the shade. When bright sunlight is present outside, you may notice a small halo of light around the edges.

This is normal for most window coverings. Even with this small amount of edge light, blackout shades still provide significantly better light blocking compared to standard light-filtering shades.

It is also helpful to understand the difference between blackout shades and room-darkening shades. While the terms are often used interchangeably, room-darkening shades reduce light but do not completely block it the way true blackout shades do.

Tips for Getting the Best Blackout Performance

If you want the best light-blocking results from your blackout shades, a few simple steps can make a big difference.

Measure carefully for inside mount shades

Accurate measurements ensure your shade fits properly inside the window frame. Easy Blinds will make the necessary deductions so the shade operates smoothly.

Consider outside mount shades

Mounting the shade outside the window frame and extending it several inches beyond the edges helps reduce light leakage around the sides.

Understand roller shade spacing

Roller shades require mounting brackets that create a small gap between the fabric and the window frame. In some windows with narrow frames, this may allow a small amount of edge light.

Use curtains or drapery for maximum darkness

Adding curtain panels or drapes over your blackout shades can help block additional light around the edges of the window.

Custom Blackout Window Shades from Easy Blinds

Easy Blinds offers custom blackout blinds and shades made to fit your exact window dimensions. You can also choose convenient features such as cordless lift systems or motorized operation for easy control.

Browse our collection of blackout window shades today or contact us if you need help selecting the right blackout window treatments for your home.