Patio Blinds
These blinds are ideal for Gold Coast living
Living in the sunshine state as we do the use of outdoor areas is common place but we still have the problems of insects, privacy, heat and cold. The use of patio blinds in Queensland is well recognized as being a useful addition to our homes.
Enclose your Alfresco area
As in the pictures above patio blinds can close off an area to virtually add another room to your home. In some cases it is necessary to have a tradesman add extra posts to enable the best result.
Create an insect free area
lock down from inside
There are different degrees of quality and in particular different means of sealing the area. The blinds pictured above and adjacent to this are known as 'slide-track' blinds which have a double channel on the sides and a narrow opening that houses the fabric and completely closes off any gaps. Needless to say these are almost double the price of the basic channel blind.
Guides and locking mechanism
Winch Driven Channel blind offers a stronger option
This blind is almost double the price of the standard as it comes with extras like a head box, a winch driven blind, much wider channels to keep the fabric edge hidden away. As for enclosure of an area is concerned this offers a much better solution. The bottom rail can be locked down and then the fabric tensioned with the winch so it doesn't go anywhere.
Winch driven channel blind
Basic Channel Blind to close off areas
This blind is the most reasonably priced patio blind and will certainly help to shade an area and to some degree keep the wind out. However if there is strong wind it may want to blow out of the channels as the spring unwinds at the top. The bottom rail is able to be twisted and the end caps grab hold of the channel keeping it where it needs to be. A piece of the side channel can be seen in the pictures under here. These are not being done much so stocks are scarce for the channels. The main reason is that they often will not stay inside the channels and do not seal as well as the slidetrack blinds.
Basic channel blind
Stainless Steel Cable Blind
The cables allow for the blind to be held in place even in the wind. These are a good option for blinds on balconies. The blind will not stay taut in the wind, however it does hold it in place with the tension on the spring.
Fabric Choices
The fabric that is generally used in these applications is a woven one and can vary in quality depending on the number of cross weaves used. The thicker ones will form a decent barrier to weather but still allow some air to pass through. Even though you are really outside, it will feel like another internal room.
Pictures above show various differences between types of patio channels
Stainless Steel cable