Best Window Blinds

Glennman · December 09, 2021, 01:03:05 PM

It is a bit early in my conversion process, but some things have to be considered in advance. I've seen some pretty nice window blinds that provide either total blackout, light but no visual, and sheer (obscure) coverage. I've seen these in various quality levels. Has anyone here researched these very much to come up with a quality unit that can be custom ordered? Thanks for your help everyone!

lvmci · December 09, 2021, 05:26:23 PM

Cellular blinds, honey comb with insulating paint on the inside, lvmci...

Glennman · December 09, 2021, 11:05:46 PM

Quote from: lvmci on December 09, 2021, 05:26:23 PM
Cellular blinds, honey comb with insulating paint on the inside, lvmci...

Nice! Blinds.com. I used them when I built my house (the louver type). I should have thought of them. Thanks lvmci. Your pictures even show the same/similar bus as mine. How perfect is that?

luvrbus · December 10, 2021, 05:06:46 AM

You have a lot to choose from,I used Hunter/Douglas in our Eagle and the strings drove me crazy breaking,the coach we have now has M/D electric shades they seem to be good shades so far I like the way they work with less strings they only have 1 string and are the same type as Tom's but no paint

chessie4905 · December 10, 2021, 06:10:11 AM

Ikea has shades without pull strings. But they come in limited sizes.

lostagain · December 10, 2021, 06:59:17 AM

Insulating for sure against heat or cold. And definitely no strings.

dtcerrato · December 10, 2021, 07:24:01 AM

We have insulated multi layered curtains so can't help with blinds. We are old schooled & dated with mostly carpet over insulated padded ceilings, real solid multiple species wood throughout. Love the R - value and sound absorption.

Glennman · December 10, 2021, 12:52:34 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on December 10, 2021, 05:06:46 AM
You have a lot to choose from,I used Hunter/Douglas in our Eagle and the strings drove me crazy breaking,the coach we have now has M/D electric shades they seem to be good shades so far I like the way they work with less strings they only have 1 string and are the same type as Tom's but no paint

Problems with strings is what I needed to hear. I'm hoping to avoid the issues you guys have already vetted out for me! When you say "paint", are you saying the blinds have some kind of paint on the fabric?

edvanland · December 10, 2021, 01:03:15 PM

Go to Home Depot. They have all kinds. Thats what we used.

richard5933 · December 10, 2021, 01:30:23 PM

We recently replaced our blinds at home and got them from selectblinds.com

At first I was skeptical of ordering them online vs. getting them from a box store, but I was quite impressed once we got them.

The ordering was easy, the selection MUCH better than at Home Depot or Lowes, and the fit was exactly what we asked for.

The cost? A slight bit higher than the box stores, but not very much. In the end I'd buy from them again in a heartbeat vs. trying to get them locally.

I wasn't sure at first what I wanted, and getting samples was quick and easy.

When I went to Home Depot to get them at first, there were only a few options in the store. When I asked about ordering something from one of their books I was met with some really blank stares. Seemed they were doing their best to dissuade me from placing a special order. It worked.

windtrader · December 10, 2021, 01:37:56 PM

Our bus has the honeycomb style blind that has two shade options. Lift up and it is less light and push down and it is darker. Both are translucent and not insulated. If it is too hot or cold, I unroll some of that bubble refletix insulation and slip between the window and shade. Not the best but works quite well

Dave5Cs · December 10, 2021, 04:30:13 PM

MCD
https://mcdinnovations.com/
Solar blind that helps keep heat out and you can see through from inside but not from outside and the inside second off white vinyl that shuts out all light inside and out. Each blind has both and you can get the pull down type or electric motorized ones.

BusNit · December 10, 2021, 05:12:30 PM

I used Selectblinds.com for my rig. Mini cellular blinds that are motorized with remotes custom sized in length and width. Total for 6 windows with remotes was around $1200. It was much cheaper than custom blinds at Lowes or Home Depot. Off the shelf at Lowes or Home Depot would leave me with excess material and a wider girth of the blind itself which may or may not be an issue for some. I wanted a thinner profile. (And motorized for sure)

lvmci · December 10, 2021, 06:26:31 PM

The insulation is on the interior of the cells, see previous picture, insulates heat and cold thru the window, or can get it with no insulation and only filters the light...

Tedsoldbus · December 11, 2021, 10:39:11 AM

Our bus is 1980 and had sycodelic valences and purple shag carpet. Redid the valences myself because oddly I know how to upholster. Put vinal flooring in. Tore out the day/night shades first day. They had the little plastic thimble with cords that ware out, need constant adjustment, and just basically suck. Then we looked at lots of things. Found a grey pull down shade at Lowes that matched the valences, They said they could custom cut. We took one home that seemed very close to width of our 6 opposing windows. Fit perfectly! Bought 5 more and put them in. They pull down by hand and just push back up. The jury is still out on will they start to sag over time or due to road bouncing, but so far they stay up. Some like the day/night stuff. When we boondock we keep shades up until it gets dark. At a campground she keeps a few open but doesn't want people watching what we are doing and our windows are pretty tinted, but she usually just closes them. We keep the windshield shades open until dark.
Best of luck finding what works for you, but stay away from string tension ones would be my 2 cents.