Blackout blinds/curtains

rodders

rodders

rodders

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I currently have blackout blinds and curtains, but they still let loads of light around the edges.
I've cut the blinds as wide as I can.

Is there any good solutions, I've seen the Velcro on covers, but I can't see them lasting a long time before coming unstuck and needs replacing. Seems OK for a temp solution, but not permanent.

Ideas...?
 
in our last house we had fitted blinds and lined curtains that went past the window edge about 3 inches higher than the window and about 6 inches past either side.

This worked well for keeping the light out.
 
Would also like to know the solution to this. I work nights twice a week and I've currently got a blind and curtains, both blackout. Like the OP says you get light bleed around the edges, enough to not make the room dark enough.
I'm currently in the process of over hauling bedroom and need a better solution.
Was thinking of getting a made to measure blind to see if they do anything that is tight edge to edge
 
I've been looking for a set of blinds that have a rail down the side of the window. Seems to me that other types break a lot. Perhaps I've just never seen good ones.
 
ScoobyDoo said:
Would also like to know the solution to this. I work nights twice a week and I've currently got a blind and curtains, both blackout. Like the OP says you get light bleed around the edges, enough to not make the room dark enough.
I'm currently in the process of over hauling bedroom and need a better solution.
Was thinking of getting a made to measure blind to see if they do anything that is tight edge to edge
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This is stating the obvious, but hey ... the problem is clearly with the gap between the blind and the wall. That is what is letting the light in. So, any real solution will mean eliminating the gap. I'm not saying you should do this, but if your window is in an alcove, you could home make something, e.g. sheet of cardboard, wrapped in aluminium foil. This could then be attached flat over the window alcove, and it would prevent any light getting in. Black out blinds are failing because of the gaps. You therefore need something lightweight and completely opaque (hence aluminium foil) that can be placed flush over the window.
 
BlocOut blinds from Bloc Blinds are probably the best you'll get. I've got them on a number of windows, and they do cut out 99% of light, and are relatively simple to fit.

Only drawback is the customer service was rubbish, although they do now sell through John Lewis, so it may have improved.
 
I quite like the look of the blocout blinds, but my god the price is high for what is essentially a blackout blind with a track around the outer edges.
 
How are you having so much light bleed with binds and curtains. Aren't the curtains over lapping edge of windows buy at least 6". Blinds will let very little light through anyway and as long as curtains go over that and a bit it should stop basically all light.

Or if you own the house, just build like a box around the outside. For the curtains to fit into. Tensioned on three sides and only one curtain rather than a pair.
 
I've got blackout curtains but don't bother with dealing with the light bleed at the edge - colleague of mine has stitched on velcro and velcro strips on the edges of the windows but no idea how long lasting that is.
 
+1 for BlocOut blinds - we've got them on 2 of our bedroom windows... if fitted properly they block out easily as much light as the blinds on our velux windows in our attic rooms (i.e. all of it!)...

They were easy to fit... they don't damage the window frames... will 100% buy them again in our next house despite the high cost... get them in a nice neutral colour so they become an asset to future house-buyers... Honestly in my opinion it was well worth it and we had tried all sorts of other solutions previously too
 
uncle_rufus said:
+1 for BlocOut blinds - we've got them on 2 of our bedroom windows... if fitted properly they block out easily as much light as the blinds on our velux windows in our attic rooms (i.e. all of it!)...

They were easy to fit... they don't damage the window frames... will 100% buy them again in our next house despite the high cost... get them in a nice neutral colour so they become an asset to future house-buyers... Honestly in my opinion it was well worth it and we had tried all sorts of other solutions previously too
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Any pics of these installed, been looking myself but also seen a few things on avforums where there is still bleed but wasn't sure if it was down to installation or not.
 
McDaniel said:
Any pics of these installed, been looking myself but also seen a few things on avforums where there is still bleed but wasn't sure if it was down to installation or not.
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Not with me at work but I might be able to sort some out for you later... what do you want - closed + open with the lights off?
 
Okay bear with me, unbelievably I've never uploaded images via imgur until today, so apologies if I've broken the forum rules with the size or something (I'm trying!) Here we go - this is them both open... (like I said we still have the curtains from before; and also net curtains behind them for privacy (curtain overkill!!!):

MaEP0ujl.jpg

One open one closed:

9dr5sVUl.jpg

Both closed (but note there's still light coming from across the room where the doorway is):

vMacsNwl.jpg

And with the door closed too (pretty much pitch black)...

3Ht6QWPl.jpg

I think the tiny spots of light you can see are because there were little beads of sealant running along the window-sill at the very bottom, and had I thought about it I'd have used a stanley knife to trim it out of the way so that the frame sits more flush to the wall...

Edit: Sorry, images were massive - made them smaller!
 
rodders said:
Looks good, must have been about £400 ?
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Don't remind me! Yes I think it might have been about £450, but my other half is super sensitive to light and pretty much can't sleep at all if it's even slightly bright so I think if you asked her she'd say it was well worth it (I think so too, in the grand scheme of things it's not so much despite being a lot for what you get!!)

Glaucus said:
how is it actually installed? as you said it doesn't damage the frame.
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Basically there are 3 wooden batons which you attach to the walls and top of the alcove using some nails/tacks (not very heavy duty but I think they're for stability rather than support)... then the rest is pretty similar to how you fit Velux style blinds - a metal track butts up against the baton either side and the system containing the blind and mechanism fits to the top of it... Since the whole thing is measured to fit exactly the force of the two tracks at the side does a lot of the work of supporting the whole thing - there's holes for two small screws which screw into the wooden batons you attached earlier right in the top right/left, and another pair at the very bottom of the tracks (these screw into the sil)... Nothing into the window frame itself though (and 5 minutes with some filler would sort out the holes made by the tacks etc. if you needed to take it down)

Edit: Not sure how well I explained, I could try and take photos but I'm not sure you can see much of how it fits together once it's up there... maybe the installation instructions are available on their site?
 
Glaucus said:
that's ok, you have to damage walls, i thought you meant some sort of non mess adhesive you could just remove.
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Ah yeah, little minor wall damage - it was the actual PVC window frames that don't get touched (they're harder to replace/repair)...

If you had some sort of non-mess adhesive I don't see why you couldn't use it in place of the nails though (but unless I'm mistaken things like "no-more-nails" don't exactly come off cleanly either!)
 
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