Printed Roller Blind

Every fabric fades eventually under direct sun; the question is how fast and how evenly. Solution-dyed polyester and sunscreen mesh hold colour far better than printed cotton-look fabrics, and mid tones show fading less than deep navy or black. A west or south-west window is the harshest position in a Dhaka flat, so if that is where the blind goes, choose a lighter mid tone and expect the visible side to soften slightly over several years rather than patch unevenly.

Lower the blind fully and go over both faces with a vacuum brush head or a dry microfibre cloth, top to bottom. Do that monthly and Dhaka dust never builds into a grey film. For a mark, dab with a barely damp cloth and mild soap, then leave the blind down until it is completely dry — rolling up a wet blind is what causes streaks and a musty smell. Never soak the fabric, never scrub, and never machine-wash a blackout blind: the coating on the back is what blocks the light and it will crack.

Because "blackout" describes the fabric, not the installation. The cloth itself passes no light, but a blind mounted inside the reveal must be cut a few millimetres narrower than the opening in order to move, and daylight finds that gap. If total darkness is the goal, mount outside the frame with a two to three inch overlap on each side and a deeper drop below the sill. Say so before we measure and we will size it that way from the start.

Three days for a standard blind, five for a motorised one, counted from the day the order is confirmed to the day it is fitted. Those are working targets for stock fabric in Dhaka; a colour we have to bring in, or a very large made-to-order size, can add to them, and we tell you that when you order rather than afterwards.