Thermal Roller Shades & Blinds

Thermal roller shades and blinds are for windows that make a room uncomfortable: cold glass in winter, or strong sun that heats the room in summer. A roller shade is a single flat panel that covers the whole pane when it is down and rolls away into its cassette when it is up, which makes it easy to close at the right time of day. This page groups the two roller shades we make for that job: blackout roller shades in heavy, fully blackout fabric, and solar shades in a screen fabric that cuts sun while you keep the view.

Blackout roller shades or solar shades

Blackout roller shades are the pick for the cold side of the house and for bedrooms. Every fabric in this line is 100% blackout, so when you lower the shade at dusk it puts a solid layer of fabric over the glass. There are 30 colors to choose from.

Solar shades are the pick for windows that take hard afternoon sun. The screen comes in 1%, 3%, 5% and 10% openness. A lower number lets less light through and keeps more of the sun off the room. A higher number keeps more of the view. There are 11 screen colors.

Many homes use both: solar shades on the west and south windows, blackout rollers in the bedrooms and on north-facing glass. Keeping the same squared cassette across a room makes the mix look planned.

We have not included our wood, faux wood or vertical blinds on this page. They are made with slats or vanes rather than a continuous sheet of fabric, and you can find them on our blinds pages.

Width, height and operation limits

Blackout and solar fabrics are heavier goods and are milled on narrower rolls, so they run narrower than light filtering. On our standard squared cassette, blackout and solar shades go up to 94 1/2 inches wide and 118 inches high. For tall glass, any shade over 100 inches high moves to a larger cassette with a 43 mm tube, which reaches 118 inches wide and 120 inches high.

The lift you choose changes the minimum width. A clutch loop shade starts at 11 3/4 inches wide. Motorized shades on the squared cassette start at 20 1/8 inches, because the motor has to fit inside the tube. Cordless on the squared cassette starts at 23 5/8 inches. Motors come in rechargeable battery, solar charged and plug-in versions, with Zigbee and Matter options if you want the shades in a smart home routine.

By default the fabric rolls off the back of the tube, so it hangs close to the window. If a deep sill, a handle or a crank is in the way, ask for reverse roll, which hangs the fabric off the front of the tube instead.

Measuring and installing them yourself

Measure the width of the opening at the top, middle and bottom and the height on both sides, and send us the exact numbers. Do not take anything off yourself. We make the deductions for the tube, fabric and bottom bar at the factory.

The shades hang from cassette brackets with four pre-drilled holes each. On a standard wall, two screws on opposite sides hold a bracket, and the extra two are there for a wide shade or a weak wall. Use a 0.2 inch (6 mm) bit and the anchor that suits your wall, drywall or masonry. Hook the valance groove onto the bracket latch, press it back until it clicks, and check that both the top and rear are locked. To take a shade down later, press the metal washer at the rear of the bracket rather than prying the front.

A roller shade you can close in seconds is often what makes a drafty or sun-baked room usable again. Order samples to compare the fabrics against your window, then send your sizes and we will make each shade to measure and ship it direct to your door.