Room Darkening Shades
Perfect Roller Shades - Room Darkening
The Perfect Roller Shade in room darkening fabric absorbs nearly 100 percent of all light and is one of our most popular blackout window shades throughout Maryland and Virginia. The design is clean and minimal, it comes with a cordless lift system for child and pet safety, and the shade offers a variety of fabrics, such as Greenguard and flame-resistant. Suitable for bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms or any window where maximum light control is necessary.
Roman Shades
Custom fabric Roman shades with a room darkening or blackout liner are crafted with elegance and functionality, creating a custom Roman shade that is both room darkening and room dividing. The soft fold drape of a Roman shade when raised and flat, clean face when lowered will create a sophisticated look to fit traditional, transitional and contemporary bedrooms and living rooms. Custom fabric Options available.
Bamboo Shades
Our woven bamboo shades come with a room darkening liner feature which cuts out a lot of light transmission while holding up the natural feel of woven bamboo, woven grass, woven reeds and woven rattan weaves. Perfect for bedrooms and living areas where there is a desire for the natural beauty of woven wood, while providing increased privacy and control of light and/or glare.
Blackout Blinds for Windows – Block Every Ray of Light, Sleep Better Tonight
Often in the morning you feel like your blinds aren’t working as they’re supposed to. It is now the gaps of light and center illumination, and another hour of sleep was erased. If you’re hearing this, then standard light filtering blinds won’t do, so it’s time to invest in blackout blinds for windows.
Blackout window blinds are one of the most effective additions you can make to any room in your house, whether as a shift worker who wants to nap during the day, a parent of a toddler that needs to nap, an enthusiast of the home theater with the need for complete darkness at all times, or anyone who appreciates deep, uninterrupted rest – they are the finest window blinds for the bedroom.
BuyHomeBlinds specializes in creating blackout blinds and shades tailored to the exact window size you need, while providing homeowners in Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia free in-home consultation and professional installation.
What Are Blackout Blinds – And How Are They Different?
Most people would use the words blackout and room darkening in the same way – but they’re not synonymous and understanding the difference is important when you’re shopping.
Room darkening blinds are able to block most of the light, usually 95-99% of it. These cut down drastically on light from reaching the subject and have a good degree of privacy, yet leave some light around the corners or through the weave. They make great options for bedrooms and living rooms for most other rooms.
True blackout blinds are specifically designed to block all outdoors light at 100% when installed correctly. They utilize one of 3 approaches to do this:
- Blackout fabric or coating – A dense, opaque fabric or vinyl coating that will not allow any light to pass through it when the blind is closed.
- Side channels or cassette housing – Materials attached to the sides of the blind to close the gap between the blind and window frame, which prevent light seepage to the edges.
- Inside mount with tight tolerances – Custom cut to fit your exact window opening, and the fabric fits the frame to within a minimum gap.
Blackout fabric and side channels together provide the best blackout. We recommend this to the nurseries, home theaters, and anyone who absolutely requires no light.
Who Needs Blackout Blinds for Windows?
Black out window blinds don’t simply belong in the bedroom, though that is where they have the maximum impact. Here are examples of where they do make a difference in households and use cases.
Shift Workers and Night Owls
If you work nights, have a rotating schedule, or work irregular hours, naps during the day aren't a luxury, but a health requirement. Your bedroom should make it feel like it's 10 am on July 1st. Regular blinds will not suffice. Blackout blinds with secured side channels and opaque material are the only window treatments that are created for this task.
Parents and Nurseries
Pediatric sleep physicians all agree that dark environments are ideal for babies and young toddlers sleeping. Black out blinds for nurseries can help to regulate sleep-wake cycles, lengthen nap times and make bedtime so much easier. Cordless blackout blinds are a must have in a nursery as it's so easy for young hands to get caught in a cord.
Home Theater and Media Rooms
When ambient lighting is present, the quality of an image on a projector is seriously impeded. Black out window blinds to a media room or basement theatre cast out no screen wash-out, and make it fun to watch in the day. In this context, button-operated motorized black-out blinds are the best option.
Guest Bedrooms and Vacation Rentals
Guests sleep better in darker rooms – it's that simple. Blackout blinds in the guest room are an expression of thoughtfulness and hospitality, and Airbnb DC metro hosts always mention them in their positive guest reviews.
Inside Mount vs Outside Mount: Which Works Better for Blackout?
If you are looking for blackout performance, this is the most crucial technical decision and one that most buyers don’t inquire about until it is too late to change their minds.
Inside mount Blackout blinds are installed in the window recess. They appear clean and architectural, but as the material should be slightly narrower at the end, as it needs to move, the edges provide spaces for light to penetrate.
Outside mount Blackout blinds are hung over the windows, over and past the window frame. There is no edge light bleed at all, the fabric fully covers the frame. An outside mount with a 2–3 inch overlap on all sides is best for true 100% blackout.
For inside mount use, side channel tracks fill this void as they run vertically along each side of the window and provide a physical seal of the fabric against the frame. Available side channel systems for roller blinds and cellular shades provide inside-mount looks and outside-mount blackout performance.
Our in-home consultation staff not only measures all your windows but also determines the correct reveal depth and suggests the best mounting method for your particular windows so you get the best light blocking from each window – all of which you cannot do from a box.
Types of Blackout Blinds We Offer
BuyHomeBlinds offers blackout capability on multiple styles of blind and shades, ensuring you won’t sacrifice room aesthetics for room darkness.
Blackout Roller Blinds
The most popular black out performance. Simple, uncluttered, and current – blackout roller blinds feature one sheet of dense coated fabric which rolls up smoothly and is level with the window frame. Cordless and motorized lifts are available. Operates in the bedroom, nursery, media room and home office.
Blackout Cellular Shades
Honeycomb cellular shades provide 2-in-1 functionality—total block-out and superior window insulation. The cell design also contains trapped air, minimizing heat transfer across the glass surface – keeping rooms cooler in the Maryland summer and warmer in the DC winter, while blocking out all incoming light. Single, double and triple cell versions are available.
Blackout Faux Wood Blinds
For homeowners who prefer to choose blinds that are both warm and textured, but still provide blackout benefits, faux wood blinds equipped with a blackout liner or tight weave slats are the perfect choice. They're also moisture resistant, ideal for use in moisture-proof bathrooms and laundry rooms for blackout purposes.
Cordless Blackout Blinds
All of our blackout blinds offer cordless lift options – highly recommended for any room with children or pets. Cordless blinds provide loop-free performance that is otherwise a risk of corded blinds and offer a less cluttered, more streamlined window design.
Motorized Blackout Blinds
Smart home technology meets complete blackout. Our motorized blackout blinds are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit to schedule automatic close times, control blinds by voice command, or configure sunrise/sunset automation. Perfect for home theaters, big windows and awkward installations.
Blackout Roman Shades
For those rooms where soft-soft looks are important, but so is light control as well, blackout Roman shades combine elegant fabric folds with a blackout liner to create a soft look. Visually you have the softness of Roman shades, but with the actual blackout performance.
Blackout Blinds for Every Room in Your Home
Master Bedroom
Motorized or cordless blackout roller blinds or cellular shades. Complete seal to be achieved by mounting or sidelights. Light and medium neutrals that look great in photographs.
Nursery / Child’s Room
No other blackout blinds work without an exception in terms of safety. Year-round, cellular shades provide insulation, helping to keep this room a nice sleep temperature.
Home Theater / Basement
Motorized blackout roller blinds in charcoal or black. Eliminates ambient light from more than one window at a time with full outside mounting.
Home Office
Motorized blackout roller blinds in charcoal or black. Eliminates ambient light from more than one window at a time with full outside mounting.
Why Choose BuyHomeBlinds for Custom Blackout Blinds?
Each blackout blind is cut to the precise measurements of your window, there are no trims, there are no gaps, there are no adaptations. We have the ability to work with the top manufacturers, such as Norman Window Fashions to provide blackout certified fabrics and hardware precision engineered with your windows.
For homeowners in Maryland, DC, and Virginia we provide:
- Free in-home consultation – Measuring all the windows in your home, our design experts will suggest the perfect blackout solution for every room
- Professional installation – Professionally installed to guarantee correct mounting, tolerances and correct side channel fitting for true blackout performance
- Free fabric samples – Get a sample first, so you can see the blackout fabric and color in the conditions you will be using it in
- Motorized and smart home options – Full Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit support for motorized and smart home options
- Financing available – 9-month terms with no interest through Regions Bank on approved credit
Frequently Asked Questions About Blackout Blinds
Q: What is the difference between blackout blinds and room darkening blinds?
Room darkening blinds reduce the transmission of 95-99% of light, which makes them ideal for most bedrooms and living rooms. When combined with side channel tracks or an outside mount with overlap, true blackout blinds block 100% of light. For complete darkness (shift work, nursery or home theater), buy blackout blinds, not room darkening.
Q: Do blackout blinds help with heat and insulation?
Yes – particularly blackout cellular shades. It is due to their honey comb shape that they trap air against the glass of the window eliminating heat gain during summer and heat loss during winter. Blackout roller blind curtains with thermal backing provide a little bit of insulation improvement over regular fabrics as well.
Q: Are cordless blackout blinds safe for children's rooms?
Yes, indeed – we highly recommend them. Corded window blinds have been shown to have a danger of strangulation to young children. Cordless and motorized blackout blinds don’t have this problem and provide the same blackout coverage. All rooms in the nursery and children’s home are wireless or electric unless otherwise indicated.
Q: Can I get blackout blinds that still look stylish?
Yes. It’s a fabric and mounting specification and not a style constraint. Blackout is available on all types of roller blinds, Roman shades, cellular shades, and faux wood blinds, and comes in dozens of colors, textures and finishes. It is not an either/or situation when it comes to choosing a beautiful room or a dark room.
Q: How do I know if my blackout blinds will actually block all the light?
Fit is the next most important aspect, even after fabric quality. Inside mount side channels and/or outside mount overlap (plus custom-made blackout blinds to fit your window) provide true blackout performance. Standard size blinds that are cut to a close but not perfect fit will allow a considerable amount of light to leak in. That’s why we are offering a complimentary in-home measurement and professional installation service.
Q: Do you install blackout blinds in Maryland, DC, and Virginia?
Yes. Serving the whole DMV region, covering the entire metro area from Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Hyattsville and more. Request an in-home evaluation and we will measure, suggest and fit your custom blackout blinds in 2-3 weeks from your order.
Q: Can blackout blinds be motorized and connected to my smart home?
Yes. Motorized blackout blind range supports Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit. Automated open/close schedules, smartphone apps and voice control are all options. Motorized blackout curtains are by far the easiest and most rewarding option for rooms like home theaters or larger rooms in which blackout curtains will be used more than once.
Ready for Total Darkness? Let’s Get You There.
Window blinds made from blackout fabric for a window or two are one of the easiest, most impressive home addition ideas there is – and as long as you know how to measure and install blackout window covers, the difference will be significant. No more getting up early for sunrises! No more bending over to look at the laptop. No more 45 minute nursery battles.
At BuyHomeBlinds, we specialize in creating blackout window blinds that fit your windows perfectly, and they install them professionally throughout Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia.