Glossary

Aluminum Blinds

Blinds made from horizontal aluminum slats.

Blackout

Blackouts are designed to block all external light.

Cordless Shades

Shades that are raised and lowered without hanging cords.

Cornices

Decorative molding that covers the mounting.

Frame Mount

Mounted on the outer molding or frame of a window.

Honeycomb shades

Like the cells of a honeycomb, the horizontal slats of honeycomb blinds are actually cells made of fabric. From the front or back, they look like pleated shades, but without any visible strings. These are hidden within the cells of the honeycombs. From the side, the individual cells are visible.

Single Cell Shades

Shades made from a single layer of cells.

Double Cell Shades
Shades made from two layers of cells, providing extra insulation.

Blackout Cell Shades
Shades made from a single layer of cells, treated with a Mylar/ aluminum lining, allowing the shade to block all external light.

Inside Mount

Mounted within the frame of the window, rather than the surrounding wall or trim.

Insulation/R – factor

R-factor is a measure of how much insulation a given material provides.

Lifting mechanism

The device that controls how high or low a blind or shade is lifted, usually a cord or looped chain.

Light filtering

Shades or blinds that block out some light, but not all.

Motorized Shades

Shades that are lifted and lowered through a battery operated motor, either by a remote control or wall switch.

Motorized Blinds

Blinds that are tilted through a battery operated motor, but are still lifted and lowered with the use of a manual cord.

Outside Mount

Mounted on the surrounding wall or trim, rather than within the frame of the window.

Pleated Shades

Shades made from a single piece of material (typically fabric or paper) that has been pleated, or folded. Each fold is the same width, like an accordion. From the side, the folds form a zig-zagging pattern, like a W.

Roller Shades

Shades made from a single piece of material (such as fabric or vinyl) mounted on an aluminum roll, controlled with either a spring-loaded mechanism or a looped chain.

Room Darkening

Window treatments that block a large amount of light, to ‘darken’ a room.

Tilting mechanism

The device that changes the angle, or tilt, of the blind’s slats.

Top Down Bottom Up Shades

Shades that can be raised and lowered at both ends.

Valance

Decorative fabric, wood or vinyl hangings that cover the mounting.

Verticals

Blinds made with vertical slats (made from either fabric or vinyl) that are attached to an aluminum track. These can be tilted and moved from side to side.

Wood Blinds

Blinds made with wooden slats.

Woven Wood Shades  

Blinds made from very thin slats of bamboo, reeds, grass, jute, or wood. These blinds are raised and lowered like shades, and do not tilt or angle.