insights
insights
Two words, one fabric. The distinction that matters is blockout against semi-blockout or dimout, which softens light rather than stopping it. For sleep, a nursery or a home cinema, only true blockout does the job.
Both at once: a duo-roller pairs a sheer with a blockout on one bracket for filtered light by day and darkness at night.
| Performance | Roller | Honeycomb | Vertical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darkness | Through the fabric; thin edge line | Tightest edge gap of any blind | Vane overlaps let a little through |
| Insulation | Slows solar gain | Still air in the cells | Moderate |
| Open | Compact roll at the top | Small stack at the top | Stacks to one side |
| No-drill | Yes; chain operated | No | No |
| Motorised | Somfy, MotionBlinds | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Bedrooms, nurseries, offices | Hot or noisy bedrooms | Wide sliding doors |
All three ship nationally from the online shop.
Sunrise before half past five and suburban street lighting. A face-fixed blockout roller gives real darkness; a motorised one can open slowly at your wake time.
FirstNaps in a bright room are a losing battle. Blockout roller or honeycomb, cordless or motorised for safety; no-drill blinds keep a chain, so drilled cordless is the nursery choice.
Darkness and safetyGlare gone from the screen; a sheer on the side windows keeps the daylight.
GlareA face-fixed blockout with side guides turns a lounge into a cinema.
Screens04 The edge gap
Fit it face-fix on the wall with 100mm of overlap each side and above, rather than inside the recess, and most of the line goes. Add side guides, channels the fabric runs in, for the closest fit a roller allows. For the darkest room of all, a blockout honeycomb.
“People always ask which blind is best. I ask them what annoys them most about their window right now. Nine times out of ten, it is light waking them up too early or a bedroom that feels like an oven by midday. That is a blockout problem, and a blockout roller solves it.”Duncan Kane Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
Width and drop in millimetres, three readings each way; for a face fix add 100mm each side. How to measure
Fabric and colour, instant price, free delivery nationwide, made in about 5 to 7 working days plus courier transit.
Wrong measurements supplied: too big is cut down free and returned, too small is remade at a reduced price. Our error: every cost is ours.
Buy online:
Nothing. Blockout is the South African industry term; blackout is used internationally. Both mean opaque fabric that stops light passing through the weave.
Yes. The fabric stops solar gain at the window, most strongly in lighter colours and with a face fix that covers the whole opening. Blockout honeycomb insulates most, with still air trapped in its cells.
Yes. No-drill blockout rollers on tension brackets need 40mm of recess depth and no screws, for renters and apartments, delivered nationwide. They are chain operated, not cordless.
Face-fix on the wall with 100mm overlap rather than inside the recess, and add side guides for the closest fit. For the smallest gap of any blind, a blockout honeycomb.
Yes, fitted cordless or motorised: a spring-operated blockout roller or a cordless honeycomb. No-drill blinds keep a chain or cord, so they are not the nursery choice.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings. Blockout rollers from R671 and blockout honeycomb from R1,308, made to measure in Coulisse and Hunter Douglas fabrics, delivered free nationwide with the Custom Fit Guarantee.
Content reviewed by the Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings team. Visit the online shop for current pricing.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings | South Africa’s trusted blinds, shutters and awnings specialists since 2010.