A common question I am asked is, “What kind of blind can I use for skylight?”  Should I just use frosted window film to cover it or install blinds? There are some blinds that are more commonly used for this type of window, mainly because through years of trial and error it has been established that some blinds just work better in skylights than others.  One thing that you should realize, is that a skylight blind differs from a normal, regular vertical blind in that it needs to be held in place by a side rail or wires.

A favorite blind in use these days, mainly due to it being very energy efficient, is the honeycomb blind.  This type of blind comes in single, double or triple cell, with the triple cell offering better insulation.

Another popular, all time favorite blind for skylight is the simple roller blind. This needs to be installed on tracks so that it is held down securely and rolls up and down easily. You can also buy blackout roller blinds to install on your skylight, which give added protection from sun damage.

Venetian blinds can also be used, and they work very well at regulating the light and temperature flowing in through the skylight.  They are also very easy to open and close, and only need to be secured at the top and bottom of the blind.

While pleated blinds can also be installed, many people find the fabric curtains to be fairly ineffective at both keeping out the hot sun and offering very much insulation at all. Remember, while your skylight is great during winter days at helping to heat up your room, providing there is a little sunlight, the heat coming through the skylight during a hot summer day can be almost intolerable.  You may not necessarily see the need for curtains or blinds during winter, but as soon as summer hits you will understand why you need to install decent window treatments. Actually, they are also needed and helpful to have during winter too, as if you close them up at night you will find that your room stays much warmer as the warm air has nowhere to escape. Pleated curtains are the type people usually choose, if they go for fabric curtains. Other con’s to using pleated curtains include the fact that they fade very easily when exposed to bright sunlight, and you have to take them down to clean and wash them.

If you are wondering about using plantation shutters for skylights, it is possible. However, you may find that the overall installation costs beginning with measuring, to having the shutters custom made, may be very expensive. They are also often quite heavy and unwieldy and most people find that a cheaper and lighter blind is more effective to use to cover skylights.

One reason for the blind being fairly lightweight is that you will need to be able to open and close the blind with ease.  There are several different ways how to open skylight blinds. The most common, and the least expensive is to buy a skylight blind handle or skylight blind opening pole, and do it manually.  This may not be as convenient as installing skylight remote control shades, but it is generally quite a bit cheaper.

Of course if you can install your skylight blinds with remote opening and closing abilities, you will find that this is infinitely easier to use. One caution though, anything that is automated may well break down. Problems have also resulted when the remote has mysteriously gone missing and the blinds cannot be opened for a day or two until the remote is recovered or replaced.  For some people convenience will win though, and it goes without saying that it definitely is great to be able to sit in your armchair and point the skylight blinds remote at the ceiling and have the blinds open for you.

Usually you can buy a skylight blind opening pole at the same time as you buy your blinds. They are very inexpensive. If you can, see if you can get one that is adjustable and that pulls out or slides in to adjust the length of the pole. Actually, you may even end up finding the opening pole handy for quite a few jobs around the home, not just opening and closing your skylight blinds!

One feature that people are very interested in these days when buying skylight blinds is the UV ray filtering properties.  With UV ray filtering, less harmful rays enter your home during the peak hours of sunlight during summer. This is a very important concern to many, and often the extra that you need to pay UV ray filtering skylight blinds is well worth it.

If you want to somehow have your skylight darken, then you will be looking for some type of blackout blind instead. Roller blinds definitely have the edge here, as they can be made to sit inside the skylight and once pulled down can definitely reduce the light coming in through the skylight tremendously. The skylight opaque blind can be very useful in rooms where you want to totally shut out the light for some period during the day and it is the best if you are wondering how to darken skylight.

One caution with installing window treatments, such as UV ray filtering skylight blinds, is that the better they are at blocking heat from the sun from coming in through the window, the higher the temperature between the glass and the window gets.  If this gets too high, to the point that it overheats, it can actually break the seal around the glass or even crack the window if the heat gets too intense. This is not common but it can happen and it is good to be aware of this before you install your skylight blinds.

It is not that easy to install most skylight blinds. An accomplished handyman could most certainly do it, but if you are not at all confident in your handyman skills you may want to arrange for a professional to come in and install them for you. This is important, as there is nothing worse than trying to install them yourself but instead botching the job to the point that you either ruin the blinds, or have to go ahead and have someone come in and do it anyway.

Skylight blinds can be ordered online, though special attention and detail needs to be given to the actual measurements you use to order your blinds. Keep in mind too, that some blinds may need trimming. Roller blinds are much easier to trim to fit than venetian blinds, for example.  Whatever your decision, make sure that the blinds fit in with the overall décor of your room too. Popular color choices for skylight blinds are white, cream and blue but you could choose any color you like providing it matches with your furniture and other window treatments.

We all know what a skylight is, right?  Skylights are often placed in rooms that need more light, and they do a terrific job at allowing more light into a room. Oftentimes skylights are used to create visual interest in a room with a high ceiling or room with sloped walls, that is besides the predictable skylight in the attic room of course, and skylight blinds cover those windows.

While a great addition to a room with a high ceiling, the inconvenience of a skylight can often be very bothersome to the people living or accessing the room. An unshuttered skylight sends tons of UV rays down and usually heats the room up more than is acceptable.  So, what is the solution to this? Applying frosted window film or sticky back plastic as it is also called? No, skylight blinds, of course.

Skylight shades are usually set to run on tracks so that they can support the blind in any position and they usually have a handle that can either be operated manually or via a skylight window pole which is a much more manual way of operating the skylight blind.

There are different types of skylight blinds available. Some merely filter the light coming in through the skylight, while others offer total blackout. As with most blinds, you can have either inside our outer mount shades.

Light Filtering Skylight Blinds:  These type of skylight shades allow light to filter into the room via the skylight. Shades can be opened and closed, just like any other type of shade and depending on the amount they are opened or shut the same amount of light will be filtered into the room. These are great to use in rooms that are ‘used’ for either a bedroom or study, as you can control the amount of light that is filtered into a room.

Room Darkening Skylight Shades: Do just what their name implies. They darken a room! Light coming through a skylight window can sometimes be a hassle. Using skylight blinds to minimize this light can make all the difference!   These type of blinds are particularly useful in rooms used for media, TV, video games, etc.–anywhere where light would be intrusive.

It is important to note, though, that these do not totally omit all light from entering into a room, but rather significantly reduce the amount of light that enters a room.

If you are wondering how on earth you can open or close your skylight blinds, there’s no need to wonder any further.  The majority of these type of blinds, especially new blinds, are motorized meaning that you can open and close them by the use of a remote control.

Skylight blinds, especially remote controlled skylight blinds are not cheap. For example a 72″ x 84″ semi-opaque blind can cost up to $550. A normal light filtering shade of the same dimension can cost up to $950, while a room darkening blind will set you back a tidy $1200 plus.

Although it is expensive to buy, and difficult to install skylight blinds they do really look good in a room where you have a skylight and are actually often a necessity.