One of the most popular types on blinds for conservatories is pleated conservatory blinds, which do a great job of protecting your conservatory from sunlight, heat and glare, as well as keeping in warmth during winter.
By far the most attractive type of blind (in my view!), a pleated conservatory blind is the style that is folded up like a fan (concertina) when closed, and spreads to open. They are usually installed on a wire guide to help them to retain the same shape while being opened and closed daily – this also means that they don’t sag, unlike some other types of blind. Pleated blinds can be either manually or remotely (electrically) opened and closed – but bear in mind that if you choose the remote opening option, you will need to factor in additional maintenance and possible service charges. .
Another big advantage of pleat blinds is that they are often made to measure blinds, custom made to fit any size or shape of conservatory. They can be used either as side-window blinds for your conservatory, or can be used as conservatory roof blinds.
One potential disadvantage of pleated blinds is that there can be a gap between the edge of the blind and your conservatory frame, which can let in a bit of unwanted sunlight. Many manufacturers have chosen to fix this problem by putting the edge of their blinds inside a box framework, which means that there is no gap between the edge of the blind and your conservatory framework. Naturally, this does add cost but, provided they are well designed, in my opinion, they’re worth it.
Pleated blinds usually come in different types of fabrics, and colours, to suit your taste. When buying, we advise that you take care to look out for blinds whose fabric has been treated to make sure it doesn’t fade in the sunlight and heat. We also recommend that you make sure that your blinds have been treated with ’sun block’on their top side to reflect some of the incoming sunlight, and that they are insulated on the lower side to keep in heat during the colder winter months.
As with most conservatory blinds, pleated blinds are usually best fitted by a professional. However, they can be bought in kit form and installed by the homeowner. One of the best DIY pleated conservatory blinds kits that we know of is the EZ fit system, which can be slotted into existing UPVC conservatory windows, without any need for screws or drilling.
