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Vertical Blinds Slat Sizes Of Vertical Blinds
Vertical Blinds Slat Sizes Of Vertical Blinds | Slat Sizes Of Vertical Blinds |
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Slat size is one of the most important considerations when choosing vertical blinds. The width of your slats can greatly affect the efficiency and durability of your blinds, as well as the level of control you have over lighting and shade. The wrong slat size can make your vertical blinds unnecessarily bulky, unattractive, and hard to operate. Vertical blinds generally have wider slats than horizontal blinds. While horizontal slats can be less than an inch wide, vertical slats rarely fall below three inches, except for custom-made blinds for smaller areas. Most vertical slats come in standard sizes of three and five inches (seven to 12 centimeters), with several models available in between. Specialized blinds for industrial uses can have slats as wide as seven inches (18 centimeters). Different materials have different standard ranges in slat size. Below are some of the most commonly used slat sizes according to material. Types Aluminum While aluminum is a relatively light metal, it is the heaviest among the commonly available slat materials. Aluminum slats range from three to five inches in width. Anything wider makes them too heavy for home use; most aluminum vertical blinds are used in offices or commercial buildings. Also, since aluminum tends to rust, they are usually placed at closer intervals. This makes it even more important to keep the slats as thin as possible, so that weight can be minimized. Wood Wooden slats are lighter than aluminum, but heavier than vinyl. Standard slat sizes for wooden blinds are three to five inches as well, but six- to seven-inch slats are also common since weight is not a major concern. Wooden slats are usually thicker than other slat materials, so making them wider will keep the weight evenly distributed. Vinyl Vinyl slats are the thinnest and lightest in the market, which allows them to be cut into any width. Some even exceed the seven-inch mark, but such blinds tend to tear or break more easily since more surface area is open to damage. Thinner slats need to be supported by weighted cords or rods at the bottom to keep them from slipping off track or getting blown aside by strong winds, and wider slats must be reinforced with more layers or a lacquer finish to keep them rigid. Custom blinds If you need a slat size different from the ones available from your retailer, you can have your blinds custom-made. This will give you more control over the dimensions of your blinds and slats. However, it is best to stay within the standard sizes, or keep as close to them as possible. Slats narrower than three inches tend to be inefficient, and those above the seven-inch limit are more brittle and require more maintenance. |