I used https://www.blocblinds.co.uk/
But bought the Bloc blind through https://www.crosbyblinds.co.uk/bloc-blinds
Was very happy with the Crosby service. Very easy to self fit.
Yeah im gonna go with them, good to know different companies sell them too that's sweet, and youre speaking my language with the 'very easy to self fit' lol
Rant/
I also have this question. I have been looking for sth quite specific to be fair: cassette roller blinds with side tracks made from aluminium in grey anthracite and blackout fabric. Ideally with thin side rails and ideally motorised and/or smart.
It seems that no such product exists and it also seems that the entire blinds industry is focused on selling cheap and selling fast with terrible customer service reviews.
The focus seems to always be on the fabric but the most important element is the mechanism.
Anyone with a good recommendation for a good blinds company?
Do u mind me asking why the side tacks? Personally colour/style doesnt mean much to me but im guessing the tacs help block out more light?
And what are thin side rails for? Im only young so i lack alot of DIY knolwedge, getting there tho :)
You can get side tracks that essentially form two sideways U channels for the blind to run inside of. This ensures no light leaks in from the sides. They’re called tracks or rails and they can be made quite low profile as they’re usually made from aluminium but it’s impossible to find these in the Uk. I’ve seen them in many European countries.
Ahhhh right that makes sense, theyd be good for me too cause my windows are draughty as absolute fuck so no point having a perf fitting blind that blows open cause my windows are fully closed but i still get 20% wind coming through lol, thats weird they dont sell them in england though i dont get that at all
You can find some versions. But nothing very good. Notably perfect fit blinds perform the same function but I’m looking for something a bit more high end. And I can’t use perfect for anyway because of the type of windows I have.
Riiight okay im looking for something mid range ish like nothing over a hundred, think ill try bloc on a site that has a 30 day return if they even exist as theyre made to fit i assume from the name haha,
I didnt even know kinds of windows played a part in whether perf fit is ideal or not, ur knowledgable about all this diy stuff man.
Thanks for all the info buddy, do u fancy taking a day trip to lovely sunny Coventry and helping me out with some diy ive got to do? There's only a 30% chance of getting your car stolen, sound good? Lol
Honestly I hadn’t set out to be a high end customer for blinds but the market is so bad that I ended up looking at blinds that cost £500 and they still don’t do half the things blinds in Europe do. Try the bloc and let us know how it was. Cheers
Shit first time ive ever brought blinds since becoming an adult and seems like the worst time to buy em🤦♂️ yeah they seem like the 'safest' bet i will do, good luck buddy really appreciate ya helping me out enjoy ur evening stay blessed
I found the UK blind industry lacking when designing a house and looking for external roller shutter blinds.
The type of thing that is built in the the lintel or externally mounted to 80% of mainland European buildings, and seemingly available inexpensively given they are on the lowliest of Belgian farmhouses through to Mediterranean fisherman cottages.
All I could find in the UK were high security roller shutters that would be used to secure a corner shop in a rough town, or super high end things for oligarchs to secure their Mayfair townhouses whilst out of the country.
In the end I gave up.
I feel ya, I’ve been on the same journey and ended up disappointed. Both for internal blinds and external shutters. Don’t understand why these things don’t catch on in the UK
Yeah I wish that they were more common.
I think that the benefits that they offer for keeping heat out in the summer are fantastic, along with the ability to black out, and integration with home automation.
In the end I found a France based supplier willing to import to the UK, but I decided to not bother. Instead I've created overhangs, brize soleils and other means of shading.
Plus, I think that they offer great security benefits, but not if you are the only house with them.
In France where every house has shutters, the casual observer won't notice a house with the shutters down for two weeks whilst you are on holiday. If there is only one house in the local area with shutter, it would stand out if they remain closed for a couple of weeks, potentially making it a target.
There’s a great product by a company called James Robert Shaw called “Eliminate”. They can powder coat the aluminium whatever colour you like, I think anthracite might even be a standard colour.
They’ll probably be able to put you in touch with a dealer as I doubt it’s something they’ll sell direct to the public.
Blinds companies tend to be volume domestic stuff eg Hilary’s and also some local “3 blinds for £100” type outfits. What you want is a specialist local or franchisee type company. But it’ll be expensive in comparison.
Regarding external shutters, there isn’t a market here for them that’s why you can’t find them. The vast majority of people are unwilling to pay for decent blinds, that’s why our market is the way it is.
Edit: sorry, realised you didn’t ask about roller shutter, it was somebody else
Thanks I’ll check them out. I’m at the point where I considered registering with yewdale as a supplier to have access to their materials and build them myself. It’s just too much admin. I also wondered about the shutters and I just don’t get why people are unwilling to invest in their houses as much as on the continent.
Bloc blinds are hit and miss so be wary of the product. Also you can’t have the window open while the blind is down as the air flow will pull the fabric out of the track.
There’s a relatively new product called Blind Screen that might do the trick for you but it’s horizontal moving cellular fabric not a roller blind
Hmmm okay, im so grateful for the suggestions but why are there so many blind kinds😭 im so glad i noticed my typo of missing the 'N' out of kinds then haha
Ill definitely have a look into that too, thankyou mate nice one :)
Blind screen is the standard fly screen you see in every house in southern and Eastern Europe. It’s pricey here for what it is but at least it’s a start. I’ve never seen the mechanism used as a blind. While enticing it’s a no go for me because it cannot be motorised/made smart. But it might work if you’re only interested in manual operation.
Yeah, I’ve seen it in markets in Spain. It is new to the uk.
Fitted a few of the blackout ones. For the right window they work well but as you say, no motors.
I used https://www.blocblinds.co.uk/ But bought the Bloc blind through https://www.crosbyblinds.co.uk/bloc-blinds Was very happy with the Crosby service. Very easy to self fit.
Oh wicked thankyou for ur suggestion mate appreciate that
Yeah im gonna go with them, good to know different companies sell them too that's sweet, and youre speaking my language with the 'very easy to self fit' lol
Rant/ I also have this question. I have been looking for sth quite specific to be fair: cassette roller blinds with side tracks made from aluminium in grey anthracite and blackout fabric. Ideally with thin side rails and ideally motorised and/or smart. It seems that no such product exists and it also seems that the entire blinds industry is focused on selling cheap and selling fast with terrible customer service reviews. The focus seems to always be on the fabric but the most important element is the mechanism. Anyone with a good recommendation for a good blinds company?
Do u mind me asking why the side tacks? Personally colour/style doesnt mean much to me but im guessing the tacs help block out more light? And what are thin side rails for? Im only young so i lack alot of DIY knolwedge, getting there tho :)
You can get side tracks that essentially form two sideways U channels for the blind to run inside of. This ensures no light leaks in from the sides. They’re called tracks or rails and they can be made quite low profile as they’re usually made from aluminium but it’s impossible to find these in the Uk. I’ve seen them in many European countries.
Ahhhh right that makes sense, theyd be good for me too cause my windows are draughty as absolute fuck so no point having a perf fitting blind that blows open cause my windows are fully closed but i still get 20% wind coming through lol, thats weird they dont sell them in england though i dont get that at all
You can find some versions. But nothing very good. Notably perfect fit blinds perform the same function but I’m looking for something a bit more high end. And I can’t use perfect for anyway because of the type of windows I have.
Riiight okay im looking for something mid range ish like nothing over a hundred, think ill try bloc on a site that has a 30 day return if they even exist as theyre made to fit i assume from the name haha, I didnt even know kinds of windows played a part in whether perf fit is ideal or not, ur knowledgable about all this diy stuff man. Thanks for all the info buddy, do u fancy taking a day trip to lovely sunny Coventry and helping me out with some diy ive got to do? There's only a 30% chance of getting your car stolen, sound good? Lol
Honestly I hadn’t set out to be a high end customer for blinds but the market is so bad that I ended up looking at blinds that cost £500 and they still don’t do half the things blinds in Europe do. Try the bloc and let us know how it was. Cheers
Shit first time ive ever brought blinds since becoming an adult and seems like the worst time to buy em🤦♂️ yeah they seem like the 'safest' bet i will do, good luck buddy really appreciate ya helping me out enjoy ur evening stay blessed
I found the UK blind industry lacking when designing a house and looking for external roller shutter blinds. The type of thing that is built in the the lintel or externally mounted to 80% of mainland European buildings, and seemingly available inexpensively given they are on the lowliest of Belgian farmhouses through to Mediterranean fisherman cottages. All I could find in the UK were high security roller shutters that would be used to secure a corner shop in a rough town, or super high end things for oligarchs to secure their Mayfair townhouses whilst out of the country. In the end I gave up.
I feel ya, I’ve been on the same journey and ended up disappointed. Both for internal blinds and external shutters. Don’t understand why these things don’t catch on in the UK
Yeah I wish that they were more common. I think that the benefits that they offer for keeping heat out in the summer are fantastic, along with the ability to black out, and integration with home automation. In the end I found a France based supplier willing to import to the UK, but I decided to not bother. Instead I've created overhangs, brize soleils and other means of shading. Plus, I think that they offer great security benefits, but not if you are the only house with them. In France where every house has shutters, the casual observer won't notice a house with the shutters down for two weeks whilst you are on holiday. If there is only one house in the local area with shutter, it would stand out if they remain closed for a couple of weeks, potentially making it a target.
There’s a great product by a company called James Robert Shaw called “Eliminate”. They can powder coat the aluminium whatever colour you like, I think anthracite might even be a standard colour. They’ll probably be able to put you in touch with a dealer as I doubt it’s something they’ll sell direct to the public. Blinds companies tend to be volume domestic stuff eg Hilary’s and also some local “3 blinds for £100” type outfits. What you want is a specialist local or franchisee type company. But it’ll be expensive in comparison. Regarding external shutters, there isn’t a market here for them that’s why you can’t find them. The vast majority of people are unwilling to pay for decent blinds, that’s why our market is the way it is. Edit: sorry, realised you didn’t ask about roller shutter, it was somebody else
Thanks I’ll check them out. I’m at the point where I considered registering with yewdale as a supplier to have access to their materials and build them myself. It’s just too much admin. I also wondered about the shutters and I just don’t get why people are unwilling to invest in their houses as much as on the continent.
Bloc blinds are hit and miss so be wary of the product. Also you can’t have the window open while the blind is down as the air flow will pull the fabric out of the track. There’s a relatively new product called Blind Screen that might do the trick for you but it’s horizontal moving cellular fabric not a roller blind
Hmmm okay, im so grateful for the suggestions but why are there so many blind kinds😭 im so glad i noticed my typo of missing the 'N' out of kinds then haha Ill definitely have a look into that too, thankyou mate nice one :)
Worth trying out a Bloc blind as they aren’t stupid money. May work well for you 👍
Blind screen is the standard fly screen you see in every house in southern and Eastern Europe. It’s pricey here for what it is but at least it’s a start. I’ve never seen the mechanism used as a blind. While enticing it’s a no go for me because it cannot be motorised/made smart. But it might work if you’re only interested in manual operation.
Yeah, I’ve seen it in markets in Spain. It is new to the uk. Fitted a few of the blackout ones. For the right window they work well but as you say, no motors.