Exterior blinds; Advantages, types, materials and which is the best

Table Of Contents

Blinds on the exterior carpentry

Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Blinds on the exterior carpentry

In the market we have many types of sun protections to use on windows; fabric curtains, awnings, blinds… etc. But as we will see throughout the article, the Blinds that we use in the carpentry of our houses, possibly one of the best solutions we can adopt.

As anecdotal data and a bit of history of this type of lattice, they have their origin in the 18th century, in Persia, where a piece of cloth was used to cover doors and windows blocking the passage of light and dust. Its name derives from the French word persienne, which means, from Persia.

A blind is the perfect element to protect the house from the Sun, noise and wind

Used for both indoors and outdoors, they have come to replace traditional fabric curtains over time. Although they apparently perform the same function, according to what the company specialized in motorized blinds in Madrid tells us… "they offer other capabilities that will help us improve our comfort inside the home and that we certainly cannot miss."

What are the advantages of blinds?

The main objective of this type of screens that can be anchored or installed in a window (Curtains, awnings, pergolas, parasols, blinds… etc.) are to control the entry of light or the privacy of the outside, but the advantages of blinds in a home they go further.

The main functions and advantages whether in winter or summer are:

Solar protection. The slats are an obstacle to solar radiation protecting the occupants of the house where they are installed.
Energy saving. They offer insulation values that other types of solar protections cannot achieve, avoiding extra energy expenditure, be it due to cold or heat. Live the exterior blinds!
Acoustic protection. It offers protection against environmental noise from the outside thanks to the qualities of the materials that make it up, mainly aluminum or PVC.
Air and water permeability. It provides extra protection against the carpentry that we have installed in the envelope of our house.
Resistance to wind load. We once again focus on protection against adverse atmospheric agents.
Security. It is an extra "layer" of security against thieves. The new models of blinds, thanks to technical advances, are reaching high levels of anti-theft, and of course, it is to be appreciated.
Privacy. They really form a barrier against those prying eyes from the outside when we practice closing, and there are even installations with perforated or micro-perforated slats that also allow air and light to pass through.

What type of blind is better?

We are facing a sensitive issue and one that undoubtedly provides constant debate. To clarify, although it is not easy to summarize and classify all the benefits. The different sun protection systems based on their ability to contribute to the different benefitsAs a first approximation we can see which ones are better according to needs and alternatives of; Thermal and visual comfort, wind resistance, passive cooling or heating, useful life … etc.

Remember that we must take it as some advice according to our needs as indicated by ASEFAVE (Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Light Facades and Windows) in their user manuals. Two articles of interest that you should review:

Advantages of awnings in homes
Advantages of fans in homes

Types of blinds

To understand this section and practice it coherently, we must reel off the parts of a blind in four relevant elements; The drawer, the guides, by the type of slats and the type of drive.

1.- According to types of drawers

In the structure, one of the main parts are the blind drawers that depending on the situation and needs, we would find three types:

1.1- Compact system. We could say that it is the most widespread system currently on the market, here the blind drawer is positioned - at the factory - just above the window forming a single compact unit and that undoubtedly facilitates installation.

It is recommended when we practice the change or replacement of the windows and in new construction. Very good levels of tightness and thermo-acoustic insulation are achieved in addition to mechanisms that work with home automation in Electric shutters.

1.2- Mini system. It is intended to be used when we have a window without blind and we don't want to practice work. In this case, the box is installed from the outside, either on the façade itself or in front of the window.

An advantage is that there is no thermal transfer in the drawer as it comprises an element attached to the building envelope.

1.3- Traditional system. In this case, there is no drawer as such, a hole is made in the wall for the registration of the blind, where its components will be housed. This system requires more work and produces negative deficiencies in insulation levels.

From a technical perspective it would look like, respectively:

Regarding the materials used, they range from profiled aluminum to profiled aluminum filled with polyurethane foam or PVC.

2.- According to types of Guides

PVC guides and profiles. The pvc guides on blinds they adapt perfectly to all the situations of our drawer-register and the blind itself, some with accessories for mosquito nets. Important variety of extensions, flashing or even a profile with a gutter for the sill with coupling for different types of carpentry.
Aluminum guides and profiles. The aluminum guides they are also perfectly suited to all applications, and also offer a wide variety of terminals and colors.

Whether made of PVC or aluminum material, there is a wide range of products that can be adapted to all possible solutions and that are perfectly integrated into the exterior carpentry of homes.

Normally, we do not find any problem in the installations in front of a window and with reference to the wooden profiles, we could say that it is a practically obsolete product and that it is not in demand in the market.

3.- According to types of slats (Cloth)

Roller blinds: completely prevent the passage of light and isolate the window from the outside. And they are classified according to material - type of slats:
- PVC slats
- Aluminum slats
- Wooden slats

Adjustable rolling shutter. The slats can be oriented to protect against the inclement weather outside and thus achieve well-being.

Alicante blinds. A simple system of horizontal slats where they are initially made of wood and which, from an economic perspective, are cheap.

Adjustable blinds. They offer protection against glare by allowing the intensity of daylight entering the home to be regulated by means of horizontal slats. In addition to overheating and also ensure energy savings. And they are classified as:
- Outdoor venetian blinds
  - Flat slat
  - Strip with beaded edges
  - Z slat
- Metal adjustable blinds

Note: In this article, we do not includesecurity shutters nor theLouvers, which are a classic solar control system with different finishes, although originally with different wooden hinged leaves, attached to the façade or the soffit using hinges.

4.- According to types of drive

They all have the same basic mechanisms and accessories, but the impulses that make them work are different. ways of operating the blinds common would be:

Motor. That automates the process of downloading and uploading with a single press. They already commonly refer to automatic blinds or automated.
Cardan. What does a little girl wear crank to operate the blind.
Headband.

Blinds materials

PVC blinds. It is characterized by being ductile and tenacious; presents dimensional stability and environmental resistance, in addition, it is recyclable by various methods.
Aluminum Blinds. Aluminum is a non-ferrous metal, light, malleable, resistant to corrosion.
Wooden shutters. It is a natural, elegant and very functional product, but in addition, the decorative possibilities it offers are unlimited. Among other products for solar protection in wood, the shutters, shutters, Alicante blinds or Venetian.

To clarify a bit the subject and characteristics about … What material is better for a blind, PVC or aluminum?In the following diagram we can see a comparison of materials for exterior carpentry:

We can see more in the article on PVC, aluminum, wood carpentry and its comparisons with technical details.

Maintenance, use and conservation

Like all things in life, the care, use and maintenance is important and more if we talk about outdoor blinds. We provide a small diagram that is part of a user manual and roller blind maintenance (They are the most common in homes) and windows.

Currently, the market offers a wide variety of models, which means that they are available to any potential customer and with relatively low prices.

They also adapt to different styles and budgets, and although we can play at being carpenters and installers, making unnecessary expenses is not a game, we must ask for an opinion and consult the professionals, who are there for that.

Installation of exterior blinds

This is a complicated subject that due to its complexity in the installation, it will need an expert hand for a correct execution on the window.

There are several ways to install them and it depends, to a large extent, on the technical needs indicated in the Project and Regulations, as well as the type of building. An example of different types of installations for a blind would be:

The following extensive manual details from a professional perspective how iInstall an outdoor blinds, among other sections. In the following video we can see how to install a compact outdoor drawer: