Double Layer Zebra Blind

The fabric is one continuous loop with alternating sheer and solid horizontal stripes, running over a roller tube. Pulling the chain moves the front layer against the back layer. When solid sits over solid, the window is closed and light drops to a dim glow. When solid sits over sheer, you get an even band of filtered daylight across the whole window instead of a single gap at the top or bottom, which is what makes it more useful than a plain roller in a room you use all day.

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.

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.

A loose bead chain is a strangulation hazard, and it is entirely avoidable. Every chain blind we install comes with a cleat or tensioner that is screwed to the wall or frame so the loop is held taut and out of reach — please let us fix it rather than leaving the chain hanging. In a child's bedroom the safest answer is a motorised blind with no chain at all, and cots should never be placed against a window with a hanging cord.