Privacy Roller Shades & Blinds

Roller shades are the most common privacy fix: one flat panel covers the glass and rolls away into a closed cassette when you want the view. The real question is which fabric. A roller that hides you completely at noon can show your silhouette at nine in the evening, because privacy reverses once your room is the lit one. Choosing privacy roller shades and blinds comes down to matching the fabric to the hours that matter to you. Every shade here is made to the width and height you measure and shipped direct to you.

Roller shades and blinds for privacy, by fabric

Blackout roller shades are the full privacy option. The fabric is specified at 100% blackout, so there is no view through it in either direction at any hour. It is the right choice for bedrooms, bathrooms that face a neighbor, and street-level rooms you use after dark.

Light filtering roller shades are the daytime answer for living rooms and kitchens. They pass soft, even light while closing the sightline in. Our light filtering fabrics are rated from about 45% to 70% shading depending on the series, so for a window close to a sidewalk or a neighbor, pick from the denser end of the range.

Solar roller shades are screens rated by openness: 1% carries about 80% shading, 3% about 70%, 5% about 60% and 10% about 50%. They keep your view out by day, but like any screen they will not hide a lit room at night. Zebra shades layer sheer and solid bands on one roller, so you can offset the bands for filtered light or line up the solid bands for a closed shade without raising it.

For a quiet look, match the cassette to the window trim. Cassettes come in white, beige, grey and black.

Sizes, roll direction and edge gaps

Blackout fabrics are milled on narrower rolls, so they reach less width than light filtering. On our squared cassette a blackout roller reaches 94 1/2 inches wide and a light filtering roller 98 3/8 inches. Any shade over 100 inches high moves to the large cassette with a heavier 43 mm tube, which reaches 118 inches wide and 120 inches high. A chain operated roller starts at 11 3/4 inches wide, a motorized one at 20 1/8 inches and a cordless one at 23 5/8 inches.

Roll direction matters for privacy. A standard roll lets the fabric come off the back of the tube and hang close to the glass, which keeps the shade tight to the window. A reverse roll hangs the fabric off the front of the tube, which you need to clear a deep sill, a handle or a crank. For the most privacy at night, consider an outside mount that overlaps the opening on each side, so less light and less of the room shows around the edges.

Measuring and installing it yourself

For an inside mount, measure the width at the top, middle and bottom of the opening and use the smallest figure, then measure the height on both sides and use the smaller. Send us the exact numbers, because the factory applies its own deductions for the tube, fabric and bottom bar.

The cassette hangs on two brackets. Drill with a 0.2 inch (6 mm) bit, set the screws at 1.1 inch spacing, and use the anchor that matches your wall, since both drywall and masonry anchors come in the box. Each bracket has four pre-drilled holes, and two screws on opposite sides hold it on a standard wall. Hook the valance groove onto the bracket latch, press it back until it clicks, and check that the top and rear are both locked. To take the shade down later, press the metal washer at the back of the bracket rather than prying the valance off the front.

If your goal is a clear daytime view rather than full cover, our one way shades and blinds go deeper on solar screens. Otherwise, order a blackout and a light filtering sample, check them at the window after dark with the lamps on, and choose the one that gives you the privacy you need.