Blackout blinds are for rooms that need to be genuinely dark — bedrooms, a shift worker’s room, a child’s room in summer, or a room where you watch films in daylight. The fabric is only half of it; how the blind is fitted decides whether you actually get darkness or a glowing halo around the edges.
How dark do you want it?
“Blackout” gets used loosely, so it’s worth separating the options:
- Blackout fabric with a light gap at the sides — the room is dimmed, not dark. Common where a blind fits inside a window recess and the recess is wider than the blind.
- Blackout fabric fitted over the recess, with a cassette or side channels — much darker, because the edges are covered.
- Dual roller with a blackout layer plus a sheer layer — dark at night, and a lighter screen for daytime privacy, on one window.
- Blackout cellular shades — darkness plus the warmth that honeycomb cells provide, which is the usual choice in a cold bedroom.
If true darkness matters, tell us that at the start and we’ll fit for it rather than fitting a blackout fabric and hoping.
Why this matters more in PEI than people expect
Two local reasons come up constantly. In summer, sunrise here is very early — around half past five in June — so a bedroom with east-facing windows wakes the whole house unless it is properly darkened. And in winter, the sun sits low in the south, so light comes in almost horizontally and a blind that’s slightly short will show a bright band along one edge.
Where blackout is worth the money
- Bedrooms and children’s rooms — especially east or south-facing
- Shift workers, who need to sleep when the sun is up
- Media rooms, where daylight washes out a screen
- Cottages and guest rooms, where people sleep later than they do at home
- Rooms facing a street light, where the problem is night-time light rather than daylight
Not just darkness: heat and cold
A blackout fabric blocks light well; how it handles heat depends on the fabric and on whether it faces the sun directly. On a window that takes strong afternoon sun, a solar or sunscreen fabric is often the better answer than blackout, because it cuts the heat and glare while keeping the view. If a room needs both, a dual roller is the usual solution. We’ll tell you which is right for the window rather than selling you the darkest option.
Questions we’re asked most often
Will blackout blinds make the room hot?
Generally no. A light-coloured blackout fabric reflects more than a dark one, and the room’s temperature is mostly governed by the window itself. What matters more is whether the blind sits close to the glass.
Can I add blackout to blinds I already own?
Often no — a blackout layer is built into the product rather than added afterwards. That said, if your existing blinds are in good condition we’ll say so honestly rather than pushing a replacement.
What about curtains instead?
Lined blackout curtains work, and combined with a blind they are very effective. Blinds usually win on neatness and on not covering the wall; curtains win if you want softness. There’s no wrong answer — it depends on the room.
Do blackout blinds need special cleaning?
No, but the coatings used on blackout fabrics don’t like being scrubbed or soaked. Dust them, and spot-clean lightly.
Next step
Call +1 902-314-0877, email [email protected], or request a consultation. Tell us how dark you need the room and we’ll fit for it.
Serving Charlottetown, Stratford, Cornwall, Summerside and communities across Prince Edward Island.