Blinds - part 1

Whether you are renovating or designing a new home, installing blinds is one of the quickest and easiest ways to update or freshen the look of any room. Blinds come in a wide range of styles and colours that offer different features, benefits and, of course, different looks. The range of blinds available on the market and in store at Mitre 10, really do offer something for every taste and budget.
So what types of blinds are available and what should you be looking for?
Broadly there are three main types:


Aluminium venetian blinds
These ever-popular blinds are the most versatile and offer great light control with durability and a wide colour range. They are now stronger and easier to operate than in the past and offer many looks to compliment your home décor.
Powder-coated finishes common on aluminium venetian blinds provides the added benefit of durability. This also enables them to repel dust and moisture, giving your blinds the longevity you demand.







Wooden blinds
If you’re looking to add warmth and texture into your home, wooden blinds offer an organic feel that only wood grain can bring to a room. Their light control is excellent and the addition of an honest material like wood is never a bad move.















Roller Blinds
The epitome of understated sophistication and a very contemporary design feel, roller blinds have always been popular. The clever control mechanism that employs a continuous chain loop allows you to alter the height to wherever suits.
The latest surge in popularity of roller blinds has been due to the technology of the fabrics now used and the benefit of being able to have blinds that do not interrupt the lines of your room. The use of intelligent fabrics allows the harmful properties of the sun to be blocked out, while thermally insulating your home.
There are also some models that will allow you to reduce glare, thermally insulate and yet will allow you to retain your view – the best of all worlds.


When you visit your Mitre 10 store, you will have three options on how to fit your new blinds:

Pre-packaged blinds
Take the measurements of the windows where you will fit your blinds and take them to your local Mitre 10 store. Once you’ve selected the style you require and checked the size of your window against the size of the blinds printed on the box, take them home and resize the blinds yourself if required. Installation is simple and all the fixtures and directions are included.
Available for fabric roman blinds, matchstick blinds and block-out roller blinds.

Aluminium venetians require special cutters that can be purchased to make resizing easier.
Cut-to-size blinds
The helpful team at you local Mitre 10 will resize your blinds to your exact measurements and then you take them home and install. Cut-to-size blinds will give you the convenience of pre-packaged blinds with the assurance they are sized to your exact measurements.
Available for 25mm aluminium blinds and wooden blinds in both wood and white.  
Custom made blinds
If you are particular about the colour, size, shape and format of your blinds, you can use the Mitre 10 custom service, which allows you to make them from scratch. These will enable you to tailor your blinds to your exact requirements.
Available as aluminium venetians, wooden blinds, vertical blinds, roller blinds in block-out fabric and sun-screening fabric.
Blinds can be installed inside the window frame (inside fit) or outside the window frame (outside fit) depending on the product and the look you are after. 

Inside fit blinds need to be measured exactly; this often means you will require pre-packaged blinds to be resized or you will need to purchase cut-to-size to allow them to move up and down inside the window frame. 
If you have the time, cut-to-size or custom-made blinds are perfect as they are sized exactly to your window frame and provide you with what you want.
 
Outside fit blinds can be chosen in a size close to what you are after, as they are not required to move up and down inside the window frame.  This is where the convenience and price of pre-packaged blinds are perfect.
Blinds can be the perfect compliment to a window on their own, or team them with curtains or sheers for a great layered look. Talk to the friendly staff at Mitre 10 to help you decide on which way you would like to go and remember that the look achieved with blinds can create a wonderful impact and provide some practical benefits too.


Tools for installation

• Cordless drill with screw attachment
• Level to check your blinds are straight
• Pencil for marking placement