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Mini Blinds Vs. Cellular Shades
Can’t decide between the mini-blinds and cellular shades for your window treatments? Our team has gathered all the pros and cons, as well a comparative chart to make the right choice for your home, your office, or your commercial building.
Pros:
Mini blinds are great for when it comes to dispersing the light throughout a room, it gives the end-user the ability to deflect glare while keeping some of the natural light in the room. Light will hit at the top of the slat, then bounces off the ceiling and it spreads throughout the room. This type of treatment is also very inexpensive and is attractive to homeowners.
Cons:
The big problem with mini blinds is they are difficult to repair and require a considerable amount of maintenance. Keeping them dust-free can seem like an ongoing battle, they also need complete replacement when they are really dirty or brittle. Mini blinds hold little-to-no insulating properties, which means you won’t see a difference in your utility bills year-round.
Product Comparison: Mini Blinds Vs. Cellular Shades
| Insulation | Has little to no insulating properties, which means warm and cool air is lost. | Keep heat and cool air in the room. Acts almost like a blanket and helps you save on utility bills year round. |
| Light Control | Light control is achieved by tilting the slats to minimize or maximize the light coming into the room. Complete blackout is rarely achieved and this treatment doesn’t handle glare particularly well. | This type of window treatment gives you total control over the light depending on what fabric and add-ons you select. UV rays are also blocked, which helps protect your furniture. |
| Cleanability | Can be washed, however, this treatment needs frequent washing. | Dust resistance. can be vacuumed and washed (light filtering can be soaked). |
| Installation | Has side-mounted brackets that need a careful location. | Very easy to install. Most shades need 2 brackets and minimal effort for positioning. |
| Hardware | Plastic brackets that become brittle over time. | High-quality stainless steel brackets. |
| Ideal Use | Work well for interior windows and office privacy. | All interior windows. Perfect for privacy control, insulation, and total light control. |
| Shade Operation | Has a tilt wand and angled slats and a pull cord to both raise and lower slats. | Comes in cordless, corded, and heavy-duty cord loop options. Top Down Bottom Up option also available. |
| Shade Stack | It all depends on the material and blind configuration. | 2-4” (rail and fabric) |
| Durability | Most mini blinds are designed to be replaced in less than 5 years. | Fabric is designed to last more than 15+ years. |
| Energy Efficiency | Mini-blinds tend to be more effective at reducing summer heat gain than winter heat loss. Also, because of the numerous openings between the slats of blinds, it can be difficult to control heat loss through interior window blinds. However, the slats offer flexibility in the summer. | During the colder season, well-adjusted cellular shades can reduce heat loss through windows by 40% or more, which equates to about 20% heating energy savings. During the warmer season, cellular shades can reduce solar heat through windows by up to 80%, reducing the total solar gain to 15% or less. |
| Warranty | Depends on the retailer, most mini blinds come with a 1-3 year warranty. | 10 Year Warranty |
The Winner is…
Cellular shades! Cellular insulating shades are low maintenance and virtually pay for themselves due to their energy-efficient capabilities, they are child safe, they are highly insulating, durable, and easy to care for and to install.
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We're here to guide you every step of the way to finding the perfect fit for your home & style. We eliminate the guesswork when buying cellular shades online. We help you find which cellular shade right for you. During the online consultation or estimate, we help determine the best window treatments for your needs and budget. We encourage you to take advantage of our experience, knowledge, opinions & ask questions.