Are blackout blinds expensive?

No, not compared to the price you’d pay for exactly the same type of blind but with a standard or non-blackout lining. Whilst choosing a blackout lining or finish for your blind will potentially increase the price, it’s not likely to represent a really steep step up in price.

This blog post will tell you more about how blackout blinds or finishes compare on price to non-blackout blinds of various different types.

Are blackout blinds expensive as a type?

One thing that I need to point out from the get-go for those who aren’t as deeply into blinds as I am, is that a blackout blind isn’t a specific standalone type or model of blind in itself. Rather, it refers to a blind of any type or style that achieves a blackout effect, due to the addition of a special coating or finish, or a blackout lining.

For the purposes of this blog post, what this means is that there can be quite a range of price variance for different types of blackout blinds. Different types or styles of blinds can themselves vary quite considerably in price; and so, one type of blackout blind might be quite economical or comparatively cheap, whilst another could be undeniably expensive.

This has less to do with the blackout side of things and more to do with the comparative cost of the different types of blinds that come with a blackout option or alternative.

What type of blinds can be blackout blinds?

The three main types or blind families that can be made as blackout blinds are roller blinds, Roman blinds, and vertical blinds respectively.

You can also theoretically get day and night blackout blinds; or rather, you can find these offered for sale from some retailers, but they don’t in my opinion achieve a full fabric blackout, which is why I am leaving them out of the rest of this blog post for practical purposes.

How expensive are blackout blinds of different types?

As I mentioned just above, the range of variance in the prices of different blackout blinds will rely more upon the type of blind you’re dealing with and how it compares in price to another blackout blind of a different type than on whether or not you choose the blackout option compared to the standard option for a specific blinds type.

For the types of blinds that can be made as blackout blinds (being roller blinds, Roman blinds, and vertical blind respectively), the price in each instance will depend on the window size and the usual other variable factors like the fabric quality and finish.

You will generally find that in any given range of different types of blinds (whether they be cheap and not overly sturdy readymade ones or top quality made to measure ones) Roman blackout blinds will be quite a lot more costly than either blackout roller blinds or blackout vertical blinds.

Overall, blackout roller blinds tend to be the least costly type of blackout blinds, but vertical blackout blinds are often quite close to them in price, and for particularly tall or large windows, there is sometimes a degree of crossover too.

As a very simple comparative example (prices correct at time of writing, November 2022, and factoring in our current 25% off sitewide discount offer) I’ve looked up the cost for a basic plain blackout blind for a 100cm by 160cm window recess in all three options, and the results are:

• Vitsy white blackout roller blind: £35.36
• Vitsy white blackout vertical blind: £59.85
• Solo ivory blackout Roman blind: £149.93

As you can see, the blackout roller blinds are the lowest priced option overall, but the verticals are likely to be within budget for anyone looking for low-cost blackout blinds too. However, the Roman blackout blinds are a significant hike up in price compared to other two types of blackout blinds.

This reflects the fact that Roman blinds are luxury blinds made of high-end materials and often in exclusive designs and finishes, and they require both a lot of fabric and time to make, and are hand finished and sometimes intricately detailed.

Are blackout blinds expensive compared to an equivalent non-blackout blind?

They’re more expensive but not necessarily “expensive” per se, No. Whether you choose a blackout blind or a blackout lining/finish as opposed to sticking with a standard or dim-out finish or lining, the blackout option will usually be a bit more money, but not completely out of the ballpark if you’re trying to work out the rough costs of buying new blinds.

Sometimes you will find blackout linings or finishings offered as an optional add-on for a standard blind, and sometimes you’ll be offered the choice of a standard blinds range and a blackout blinds range separately. However, when you look at either the cost of adding on a blackout lining or finish where possible, or of comparing two blinds that are virtually identical in every way aside from the blackout finish or lack thereof, choosing the blackout option won’t generally represent the need for a huge addition to your budget.

Are blackout roller blinds expensive?

Blackout roller blinds are the most economical choice of blackout blinds available, and objectively I think it is reasonable to say that blackout roller blinds are not expensive.

Running a quick comparison of two different roller blinds we offer that are blackout and non-blackout respectively but otherwise very similar, for a 100cm by 160cm window recess as I ran with above, the blackout roller blind came to £35.36, whilst this Neo white roller blind in a dimout fabric is £31.16, making the comparative cost of the blackout option not even 15% more than the standard.

Are blackout vertical blinds expensive?

Blackout vertical blinds tend to be fairly inexpensive too, and running a comparison like the one above for a blackout roller blind versus a standard one, my blackout vertical blind for a 100cm by 160cm window recess was £59.85, whilst this Bianco frost vertical blind from our budget range in a dimout fabric is £41.57.

This Sana white vertical dimout blind from the middle of our range and more commensurate with the quality of the blackout blind example I used is £59.85, or exactly the same price as the same sized blackout option!

This quick example shows that the price difference between a blackout vertical blind and a standard one might be non-existent for two blinds of equivalent quality, but that if you’re looking for the very lowest priced vertical blind of all, the cost of going for a blackout instead could be around a third more.

Are blackout Roman blinds expensive?

Yes, potentially. Roman blinds as a whole are comparatively expensive, but that’s because they’re basically luxury goods. From my example above, a distinctive quality Roman blackout blind in a premium fabric but with an understated ivory white finish for a 100cm by 160cm window recess currently costs £149.93.

How much is a blind of this type with a non-blackout lining? Exactly the same. As is sometimes the case with higher end and higher priced goods, the sort of add-ons and extras that might attract an additional cost in more economical goods are already offered as standard in premium products.

Whether you choose a blackout lining or a standard lining for your Roman blind, the lining fabric itself is carefully selected for excellent quality and a premium finish, costing us (and so, you) about the same, regardless of whether you want the blackout or the standard option.