Selection and installation of slats for blinds

A lamella is a plate made from various materials. The term is used with different meanings in construction, photography, woodworking and car making. But today, most often the word lamel is used to denote a component of a blind. What are the slats on the windows, what are their pros and cons, how to choose, install and dismantle blinds - you will learn about this by reading our article.

What are blinds for blinds

Blinds consist of lamellas - strips of fabric, plastic, wood or metal. From such plates, the fabric of the light-shielding device is formed. Lamellas can be stationary or rotate around their axis. The mobility of the plates allows you to adjust the level of illumination in the room.

Lamella requirements:

• resistance to deformation;
• the ability to repel dust;
• resistance to fading and wear.

The strips are attached to the cornice using special holders. The color, type of material, its texture determine how the canvas will look externally. Today we offer a wide selection of blinds with different types of lamellas. Using them, you can harmoniously complement the interior.

Application area

It has already been mentioned above that lamellas are widely used in various areas of life. If we talk about blinds, then the slats have several areas of application:

• Interior decoration. Blinds help to freshen up the interior and make it more modern. If you apply a volumetric pattern to the canvas, then the space of the room can be completely transformed.

  

• Sun protection. Vertical or horizontal plate design makes it easy to adjust light saturation in a living room or office. Fabric curtains are becoming less and less relevant today. Their place is taken by durable, reliable, easy-care blinds.
• Space zoning. Any room can be zoned using hinged slats. A blinds partition allows you to create several separate areas in one room. Due to its airiness, the conditional wall will not "eat up" the space, which is very important for small-sized premises.

  

• Separation in cabinets, openings, niches. Blinds can be used as a partition not only for a room. With their help, it is easy to divide the space of niches, openings, storage rooms and built-in wardrobes into several parts. This will allow you to better organize the area and place things more efficiently.
• Design of public institutions. Designers often use lamellas to equip spa salons, medical centers, shopping centers and other public spaces.

  

• Bathroom arrangement.In the bathroom, the slats can be used for different purposes: to separate the combined bathroom, mask water meters and as a screen to hide the space under the bathroom from prying eyes.

Varieties

There are several 2 types of lamellas according to the way they are located:

• Horizontal. The planks are in a horizontal position. When adjusting, the stripes turn up or down in the direction transverse to the window.

  

• Vertical. Blinds slats are fixed vertically on the eaves runners. The number of slats for vertical blinds varies depending on the width of the window, so this device can be composed of a small or large number of strips - up to 76 pieces.

  

The types of lamellas also depend on the material from which they are made:

• fabric;
• plastic;
• metal;
• wooden.

The most popular of these are fabric blinds. This demand is simply explained: fabric curtains are more familiar to the domestic consumer, they are considered a classic option for protecting windows. Let's consider each type, its pros and cons.

Plastic slats

Plastic slats are the most budgetary. They are easy to care for, do not fade under the influence of detergents. Due to their low weight, they can be mounted on frames, individual window sashes, walls, ceilings. They are often used to decorate partitions in hospitals, cafes, swimming pools, offices. The material retains its original appearance for a long time: it does not deform, does not fade, does not absorb dust and does not absorb grease. Available in a wide range of shades.

Pros:

• increased rigidity;
• durability;
• high wear resistance;
• easy care;
• budgetary cost;
• wide range of shades;
• resistance to UV rays, humidity, temperature changes.

Minuses:

• if low quality plastic was used in the manufacture of the lamella, then after a while it turns yellow;
• curtains made of plastic sheets should not be installed near a heat source. They can deform from warm air currents.

Metal slats

Most often, aluminum is used for the manufacture of plates. Such lamellas are reliable, do not lend themselves to moisture, do not deform, and are fireproof. They are UV resistant and reflect sunlight well. This quality is especially important where the windows are under constant sunlight. They are mainly used to shade the windows of the living room and kitchen.

They require minimal maintenance: they are cleaned with a cloth with a special detergent liquid. Some models of aluminum blinds can provide burglary protection. On top of the aluminum, paint is applied in various shades. There are also perforated lamellas. Small holes on the surface of the strips allow diffused light into the room.

Pros:

• easy care;
• strength and reliability;
• good sun protection;
• do not fade and fade;
• not subject to corrosion.

Minuses:

• under the influence of gusts of wind, they can thunder.

Fabric slats

Outwardly, they are similar to the usual fabric curtains. They create an atmosphere of comfort in the house, therefore they are most often used to decorate living rooms. According to the ability to shade rooms, there are three types:

• translucent;
• blackout;
• opaque.

Fabric blinds are the most popular among buyers today due to the varying degrees of shading and the comfortable environment they create. For their manufacture, different types of fabrics are used: polyester, cotton, linen, silk. All of them are impregnated with a special compound that repels dust. The impregnation also protects the paint from fading and the surface from moisture. Due to these qualities, fabric slats can be placed on the windows of loggias, balconies and verandas.

For the manufacture of curtains, fabrics of various shades are used. Drawings and patterns are applied to the canvas. A wide range of models attracts designers who often use fabric blinds to decorate a room.

Pros:

• a large selection of colors;
• creating a cozy atmosphere;
• the ability to apply prints;
• the presence of various textures: jacquard, fiberglass, blackout.

Minuses:

• despite dust-repellent impregnation, they get dirty over time;
• may lose their shape after cleaning;
• expensive price of curtains made of high quality fabrics.

Horizontal

They are used both in residential premises and in offices. Various materials are used for their manufacture: plastic, metal, including aluminum and steel, polymer materials, artificial and natural fabrics, wood and bamboo.

There are several options for fastening structures with horizontal lamellas:

• on the sash of the window;
• on the ceiling;
• in the window opening on the upper slope.

Composite models look especially beautiful. They are made from a combination of wood flour and polymers. The horizontal direction of the lamellas allows you to achieve uniform illumination of the room. Fully enclosed plates securely conceal the view of the room from the outside.

According to the method of placing the folded canvas, horizontal slats are of several types:

• Open type. In the raised state, the canvas is openly located above the cornice.
• Closed type. When folding, the canvas is placed in a special box.

According to the features of the installation, models are distinguished:

• Outdoor. Installed on the outside of the window. Often called raf blinds or roller shutters.
• Internal. They are used for shading and decoration of the interior of windows.

Advantages and disadvantages

Vertical and horizontal lamellas have advantages and disadvantages. Knowing them, you can choose the most suitable model of blinds for different rooms.

Pros of lamellas:

• Easy maintenance. It is necessary to wipe them once a week with a rag or vacuum them using a special nozzle.
• An uncomplicated system for attaching lamellas to the cornice.
• Not too high cost compared to other models.
• The ability to adjust the degree of lighting.
• Choice of design options for interior decoration in a variety of styles.
• Adjustment of the degree of illumination of the room, protection from prying eyes from the outside.
• The outer cover repels dust and moisture.
• Possibility of piece replacement of lamellae, if one of them is deformed.

Cons of slats:

• Vertical streaks of light passing through the plates can cause eye fatigue over time.
• Do not install near a heat source - strips deform quickly.
• Sometimes the weight of the structure does not allow you to attach the curtain to the ceiling.
• Blinds from lamellas can "eat up" the space of the room.
• In windy weather, the curtains from the plates loosen and create noise.

How to choose the right

When choosing lamellas for blinds, pay attention to the following nuances when buying:

1. The direction of movement of the vertical slats, depending on how the window sashes are opened.
2. The larger the window, the wider the plates should be. Conversely, for narrow windows, choose blinds with a narrow slat width.
3. When choosing vertical stripes for the entire length of the wall, keep in mind that they should not reach 5 cm to the floor.
4. The length of the blinds should be shorter than the height of the opening by 1.5-2 cm. If this nuance is not taken into account, at the bottom the canvas will be assembled into an "accordion".
5. When fastening the curtain to the window sash, the curtain width should be 30 mm wider than the glass width.
6. If you plan to install blinds on the wall, then their width should be 10-15 cm more than the width of the window opening. The length of the canvas is chosen according to personal preference. The curtain can either close the window sill completely, or not reach it a little.

Installation rules

To assemble vertical blinds, you need to unfold the sliders perpendicular to the plane of the window. The runners have special seams or clips. A tongue from the canvas is inserted into them. Horizontal lamellas are assembled strictly according to the scheme. They should be equidistant from each other. The plates are also secured with sliders. At the bottom, they must be connected with a chain.

How to remove slats from blinds

Most often, this question arises among the owners of vertical blinds. The slats are removed from them in the following order.

• Remove the plug on the cornice.
• Remove the lower chain and weights.
• Disconnect the strips one by one from the runners in the manner of removing the curtains from the hooks.

With horizontal bars, the procedure looks a little more complicated. But, if you learn to dismantle the horizontal canvas once, later this procedure will not take much time.

The scheme of work looks like this:

• Detach the eaves from the brackets that hold the structure with the canvas.
• Remove the decorative covers.
• Find the tabs of the clips at the top.
• Lift the plates up.
• In this case, direct the latches first towards yourself, then to the right.
• Pull the plates towards you, then down.

It can be difficult to carry out such manipulations alone. Therefore, it is better to find helpers, especially when it comes to removing large structures. Dismantling can be simplified if you initially install more than one large system, but form it from several identical compact structures.

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