There are hundreds of different fabrics available for Roller Blinds so it can seems a little over powering when you first open a pattern book.

To make choosing your fabric easier you need to decide how much light you want to come into the room. Do you want as much light as possible, or do you need your room to be as dark as possible.

There are really only 3 different types of fabric when it comes to light filtering, ‘standard’ fabrics, ‘dimout’ fabrics and ‘blackout’ fabrics.

The picture below shows how much light you will get with each type of fabric.

Left is standard fabric, middle is dimout and right is blackout.

Standard Fabric: These are the most common fabrics available. Huge range of colours and designs. Ideal fabric if you want to keep the rooms nice and bright but still with a good level of privacy. Some could be a little more see through than others so hold the sample at your window to see.

Dimout Fabric:  These fabrics can also be know as Energy Saving Fabrics. They are fabrics with a silver reflective coating added to the back that will reduce the glare when compared to a standard fabric. Perfect choice for areas where glare on TVs and computer screens is a problem, but you still want some light to enter the room.

The reflective coating works really well in reducing heat build up from south facing windows and in conservatories.

Blackout Fabrics: A blackout fabric will do a very good job in reducing the light entering the room. Commonly used in bedrooms you will get no light coming through the fabric itself, but will still get some light from the gaps at the sides.

There are a few other added benefits that are available with certain Rollerl Fabric that might be useful and generally come at no extra cost.

Waterproof Fabrics: Made from PVC. These fabric are perfect for kitchens and bathrooms as they are very easy to wipe clean. As they are also Blackout Fabrics they could be a really good choice for children’s bedrooms.

Pollergen Fabrics: If like me, you or your family suffer from hayfever these special fabrics are the ones for you. Specially treated to reduce the effects of pollen during those summer months.

I hope this helps guide you through the 100’s of fabrics available, and should make choosing the right Roller Blinds a little easier.