When considering roof lantern blinds, one of your first considerations should be whether the blinds are to be installed against the glass as in a traditional glass conservatory roof or whether you are happy to have a blind or blinds across the opening at the base of the roof lantern.

Blinds fitted against the glass

This option allows you to have the same choice of blind types as are available for a full glass conservatory roof but generally this would be either pleated blinds or roller blinds.
Either of these blind types are available as rectangular and shaped, usually one blind per glass panel, (although one blind can cover more than one glass panel depending on the size of the glass panels) and can be manual or motorised operation.

Blinds fitted at the base of the roof lantern

This option usually requires much fewer blinds (generally one or two are sufficient) and depending on the choice of blind and the size of the opening, can often be achieved without the need for visible support wires when the blind is retracted.
The choice of blind for the base of a lantern roof is either pleated, cellular or roller but your requirements and the size of the opening will have much more influence on which of these options is most suitable.

Blind Options

Roller blind – suitable for all sizes of roof lantern, the roller blind is probably the most popular choice for the larger roof lantern apertures.

Available in a wide range of fabrics including

• screen fabrics which diffuse rather than block the light.
• solar reflective fabrics which reduce heat gain and glare
• blackout fabrics which prevent any light from passing through the fabric

The roller blinds for roof lanterns have a cassette at each end which are the width of the opening and side channels which run the length of the opening and are attached to each cassette. One cassette houses the fabric roll, the other cassette houses the spring system and the fabric travels in the side channels between the two cassettes. (explained fully in the video)

Pleated blind – whilst not quite as suitable as the roller blind for the larger roof lantern apertures, the pleated blind is a very popular choice due to its unobtrusive style and it’s heat retention properties when manufactured with a cellular fabric.

The pleated roof lantern blind requires support wires running through the fabric to prevent the blind form sagging. Historically, these support wires have been visible when the blind is retracted and if a single pleat fabric is used, they are visible to a much lesser degree when the blind is extended.
However, in many situations we are now able to manufacture pleated roof blinds with support wires that are not visible when the blind is retracted and if the blind is manufactured using cellular fabric then the support wires are not seen when the blind is extended.

Operation of the pleated roof blind can be manual by means of a pole which locates into the floating rail and the rail is them simply drawn across the lantern aperture, or as with the roller roof lantern blind, it can be electrically operated by remote control and as with the roof roller blind, it can be battery operated.

Sail Blinds – more suited for medium to large roof lanterns, sail blinds can offer a more contemporary and modern option to the traditional roller and pleated blinds.

Sail blinds are not designed to provide 100% complete shading but with careful design and installation, sail blinds will provide shading where required thereby reducing heat gain and glare.

Sail blinds are a semi-permanent installation meaning they are not capable of being opened and closed in the normal way that roller and pleated blinds can but sail blinds can be removed in a matter of minutes if the shading is not required during the winter months or if the sail blinds require washing.

Whilst the sail blinds may not always be suitable as a solution for roof lanterns, they do offer a very different option to the roller and pleated blinds and have one major advantage in that they can be easily removed and are fully machine washable therefore ensuring your sail blinds always look their best.

For our sail blinds brochure with further information please click here

Summary

Whilst there are not endless shading options for roof lanterns, the options that are available may involve a significant investment and require careful consideration to ensure they meet your requirements.

We would recommend you ask yourself the following questions: –

• What is my budget? – Probably the most important question to ask yourself. The answer to this question will almost certainly affect the options available to you.
• Do we want the blinds against the glass or across the opening? This will affect whether you are able to see the roof lantern or not when the blind is open.
• Are we concerned how many blinds there will be?. Your previous answer will possibly affect this answer
• Do we want 100% shading? This will possibly determine the options available.
• Do we want to open and close the blinds regularly? This may determine your blind choice (Sail blinds are not designed to be opened and closed regularly) or your control options (electric blinds might be a better choice of you intend opening and closing the blinds regularly)
• How are we going to operate the blinds? The previous question will have some bearing on this but also the blind might be too high to reach easily which would suggest motorised might be a better option.

Once you have an answer to these questions you will be in a much better position to know what solution is going to be right for you and you are likely to make the right choice that suits your individual needs.

Overall, roof lantern blinds are an essential addition to any space with skylights, offering practical solutions for controlling light, regulating temperature, enhancing privacy, and preserving the longevity of interior furnishings.

What can you expect from Marla Custom Blinds?

We want you to be 100% sure you made the right choice by using Marla Custom Blinds so ersvice and product quality is at the heart of everything we do but please don’t just take our word for it,  see how we compare with others

• We have been manufacturing and installing blinds since 1995.
• Blinds manufactured in our Hampshire factory.
• Every blind we manufacture is individually inspected to ensure quality and performance.
• All our products have a minimum 5-year guarantee.
• Full BBSA manufacturing members
• We offer a price promise guarantee on all our products.
• We have over 600 customer reviews on Checkatrade.