How to select the best blackout window treatment

1: How dark do you really need the room to be?

How dark are you trying to make the room? For many, making a room significantly darker is enough, for others, the room must be totally blacked out.

As it turns out, ‘dark’ is far from simple or objective. There are degrees of opacity of the material, and the construction and installation options also influence the amount of light coming in from a window. Remember, room darkening and blackout aren’t the same and you may or may not need true blackout. To keep it simple, decide if you want your room totally dark or mostly dark. If totally dark is your goal, go for blackout and then choose your style. If not, choose the style you like and then decide if it provides sufficient darkening. If you need help, call a pro.

2: How much do you want to spend?

Is this for an apartment window that you will leave behind in a year – and no extra spending is justifiable, or are you settled in a home with a very distinct style that you would like to maintain or improve, and you’re willing to purchase quality?

The least expensive kind of window treatment that will darken a room is roller shades. While these will darken a room and they may be great for your needs, these are not truly blackout shades. (More info below on roller shades.)

3: What is your style?

Is this purely utilitarian where a simple, even spartan look will do, or should the function of the blackout window covering be ‘invisible’ to visitors, who will only see a beautifully styled window treatment.

For most window treatments, blackout is achieved by sewing a liner onto the window treatment. For this reason, the ‘interior styling’ of the window treatment is virtually unchanged and blackout can be considered an a la carte option.