WINDOW COVERINGS AND WINDOW BLINDS GLOSSARY OF TERMS
This compilation of window blinds and window coverings terms and definitions are brought to you by www.CuttingEdgeDrapery.com based in the San Francisco (SF) Area. Please call 1-415-824-6000 for all your window blinds, window coverings and window treatments needs in the Bay Area.
A
Align Slats – Align slats are designed at the same level across the window.
Aluminum Blinds – Aluminum blinds, also called mini blinds, macro blinds, or micro blinds, are one of the most affordable horizontal blind where slats are curved aluminum.
Arch Over Standard – Arch over standard helps eliminate gaps by having a single headrail for both arch and shade.
Arch Window – Arch windows are generally semi-circular windows. Arch windows are normally found over the front doors, in family rooms over standard window, in kitchens, and in master bedrooms. Ask about custom blinds. We can create window blinds for any window at any size.
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B
Bamboo Shades – See woven wood shades.
Basswood – Basswood is a premier wood type for horizontal blinds.
Bathroom Window Treatments – The bathroom window blind or bathroom window shade should be balance with the rest your bathroom decoration. Bathroom window treatments should be able to endure the humidity caused by the shower and bath.
Bead Loop Chain – Bead loop chain is a décor lift system where the pull has small beads one after another.
Blackout Liner – Blackout liner is an optional white polyester backing feature that ensures 100% light and privacy coverage.
Blackout Shades – Blackout shades are for cellular shades that gives 100% light coverage.
Bottom Rail – The bottom rail is a bar-like piece of material that secures the ladders and cords to the bottom of the blinds.
Bottom Rail Tape Button – The bottom rail tape buttons are plastic buttons that cover the small openings on the bottom rail in order to secure the ladders.
Box Bracket – A box bracket is used to create easy mounting. A box bracket can either mount inside the window casing or outside the window casing, depending on how you want to mount your horizontal blind, so that the blind can slide easily into the bracket.
Braided Ladder – Braided ladder is a long life cord, usually made of polyester, that runs through the slats of the blind to controls the raising and lowering of the blinds.
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C
Café Shutter – A café shutter is a shutter that covers only the bottom half of a window.
Carrier Clips – Carrier clips are clips used in vertical blinds to attach to the vertical vanes.
Casement Window – A casement window is a window that hinges on its side and opens by swinging outward.
Ceiling Mount – Ceiling mount is a standard type of mounting for inside mount horizontal shade and vertical blind where the brackets are mounted to the top of the window or ceiling.
Cellular Shades – Cellular shades, also called honeycomb shades, is a fabric shade with two or more sheets of pleated fabric.
Center Support Bracket – The center support bracket supports the weight of the horizontal blinds and is intended for wider blinds.
Chain Tilter – The chain tilter is a metal link chain used to control the angle of the vanes on a vertical blind.
Clearance – Clearance is the amount of space available for inside mounting of your window treatment.
Cloth Tape – A cloth tape is an added décor for your window blind and is mounted over the ladders of the blind. Cloth tapes are also a great way to cover up the holes used for threading the ladders of your window blind in order to get maximum light coverage.
Common Headrail – A common headrail exists when there are two or more window blinds or window shades mounted on the same headrail.
Common Valance – A common valance exists when there are two or more window blinds that are covered by one valance.
Controls – Controls are cords, wands, or chains that allow you to raise, lower, open, close, or tilt your window blind or window shade.
Control Length – The control length is the lift and tilt length, and it is normally half the length of your window blind or window shade.
Control Location – The control location is where you would like the tilt on your vertical blind.
Continuous Cord – The continuous cord is a looped cord where the cord length never changes. The cord is designed to be pulled in one direction to adjust the raising of the window blind or window shade, and to be pulled in the opposite direction to adjust the lowering of the window blind or window shade.
Cord Cleats – Cord cleats are small brackets used to hang cords to the wall.
Cord Lock – The cord lock secures the horizontal blind to your preferred height.
Cord Tilt – The cord tilt consists of 2 cords that is used to tilt the slats in one direction or the other.
Cordless – Cordless is a lifting feature where no cord is needed to raise or lower the blind.
Cordless Lift – The cordless lift is when the blind are raised or lowered by pushing or pulling lightly on the blind’s bottom rail.
Cutout – A cutout permits your window blind to cover the window as well as provide an opening when there are things such as doorknob or crank handle that may be in the way.
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D
Decorative Pull – Decorative pull is a décor feature for cordless blinds.
Deluxe Cordless System – The deluxe cordless system is designed for cellular shades so that no cord is necessary to lift the shade. The shade is raised or lowered by pushing or pulling lightly on the shade’s bottom rail.
Depth – The depth is the distance between the front edge of the window casing and the back.
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E
Easy Tip – An easy tip is when the cord is kept at the same length regardless of the position of the blind, and is generally used for larger blinds in order to make operation easier.
End Cap – End caps are used to hide the ends of the bottom rail in horizontal blinds.
End Lock – The end lock is made to put on the end of the headrail to help provide center support for the window blind.
Extension Brackets – The extension brackets are brackets used in outside mounting to give your window blinds extra clearance.
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F
Factory Deduction – Factory deduction is the amount added or deducted from your exact amount to ensure the proper fit for an inside mount.
Faux Wood Blinds – Faux wood blinds are made from a material that resemble real wood with the exception of a lower cost and longer life. Faux wood is normally 20-30% heavier than real wood and are suitable for extreme climates.
Flush Mounting – Flush mounting is the amount of space needed inside the window casing for window blinds or window shades to be installed.
Full Service – Full service is when the measuring and installation are included in the price.
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H
Headrail – The headrail is at the top of the window blind where the tracks are located, and is used for mounting and operating the blind.
Hobbled – Hobbled is an option that adds horizontal pleats to the fabric of roman shades.
Hold Down Brackets – Hold down brackets are beneficial when you don’t plan on raising or lowering the blind. An example of this would be door blind that you want to stay flat against the window when you open the door; so you would then screw the hold down brackets into the frame of the door.
Honeycomb Shade – See cellular shade.
Horizontal Blind – Horizontal blind, also called Venetian blinds, is a blind that has horizontal slats that can be lifted or tilted.
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I
Inserts – Inserts are long plastic sleeves that provide solid backing to some fabric verticals in order to have a greater degree of light or privacy coverage.
Inside Mount – Inside mount is a mounting option for your window blinds or window shades where blinds are installed inside of the window frame.
Interlocking Slats – Interlocking slats have tighter closure, which gives greater light or privacy control.
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L
L-Brackets – L-brackets are brackets use for outside mounting in order to extend the window blinds over the window sill.
Ladders – Ladders are thin cords threaded vertically through each slats of a horizontal blind.
Ladder Grommets – Ladder grommets are metal clips attach to the ends of the ladders on horizontal blinds, in order to level the blinds and operate the raising and lowering of your window blinds.
Ladder Spacing – Ladder spacing is the distance between the ladder cords.
Lift Cord – The lift cord is a pull cord used to raise and lower your horizontal blinds. On most horizontal blinds, the lift cord is located on right side of the window blind.
Light-Filtering – See semi-opaque.
Loop Ladder – The loop ladder is a braided ladder used in ‘no-holes privacy’ horizontal blinds where each ladder has loops that the cord is laced through in order to raise and lower the window blinds.
Louver – Louver refers to each vane in a vertical blind or each slat in the shutter.
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M
Matchstick Blinds – See woven wood shades.
Metal Tape Roll – A metal tape roll is a cylinder piece of material that mounts into the headrail of a standard blind.
Micro Blinds – See aluminum blinds.
Mini Blinds – See aluminum blinds.
Motorized Lift – A motorized lift is an optional feature where you use a wireless remote to automatically raise or lower a blind or shade.
Motorized Tilter – A motorized tilter is an optional feature where you use a wireless remote to automatically control the angle of the slats or vanes.
Mullion – A mullion is when two windows meet within the same window opening.
Multiple Blinds or Shades on One Headrail – Multiple blinds or shades on one headrail is when two or more window blinds or window shades are mounted on a single headrail, and are used in large windows.
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N
No Holes Privacy – In no holes privacy, each slat has a notch cut into the edges for the lift cords to attach to for raising and lowering the horizontal blind to give you maximum light coverage.
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O
One-on-One Headrail – One-on-one headrail is a default option for window blinds where one blind is mounted on a single headrail.
One-Way Stack – One-way stack occur with vertical blinds that open in one direction and stack to one side of the window.
Opaque – See blackout.
Outside Mount – Outside mount is a mounting option for your window blinds or window shades where blinds are installed above the window opening and mounted to the wall.
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P
Plantation Shutters – Plantation shutters are shutters with louvers over two-inches wide. Interested in shutters, contact Cutting Edge Drapery.
Plastic Tape Roll – Plastic tape roll is a plastic tape used for one-inch and two-inch blinds.
Pleated Shades – Pleated shades are horizontal shades made of fabric with visible cords that runs vertically through the fabric, and are less costly than cellular shades.
Projection – Projection is the distance between the wall and the front of the window coverings.
PVC Backing – PVC backing is an option available on fabric vertical blinds that provide greater light and privacy coverage as well as provide an even outside appearance.
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R
Ramin Wood – Ramin wood is approximately 10% heavier than basswood and is used in many value-priced wood blinds.
Remote Control – A remote control is a battery-operated device used for motorized blinds or shades.
Return – The return attaches to the side of the valance so that when you have an outside mount with a horizontal blind, you do not see a gap on the sides of the headrail.
Return L Bracket – The return L bracket is used to attach returns to the face of the valance. It is also intended for 2” wood blinds and faux wood blinds.
Reverse Roll – A reverse roll is an option available on roller shades where the fabric rolls off the front of the headrail instead of the back.
Reverse Stack – A reverse stack is an option on vertical blinds where the blind stack to the opposite side of the controls.
Roller Shade – A roller shade is a flat panel of fabric or vinyl that attach to a dowel.
Roman Fold – The roman fold is a type of layering folds that fold from the bottom up. The roman fold is used for roman shades and woven wood shades.
Roman Shade – A roman shade is a fabric shade that folds up from the bottom in an accordion-style.
Route Hole – The route hole is use to connect the lift cords so the window blinds can be raised and lowered.
Routless – In routless, the lift cords are attached to the edges of the slats in order to prevent light to leak through the route hole.
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S
Semi-Opaque – Semi-opaque, also called light-filtering, is a treatment that transmits filtered light inside the room without a view through the covering.
Shutters – Shutters are hinged vinyl or wood panels that fold across a window to provide light and privacy coverage.
Skylight Blinds – Skylight blinds are blinds used to cover a skylight.
Slats – Slats are the strips that make up the horizontal blind.
Spacers – Spacers are only used for outside mounts to provide extra room between the mounting surface and the blind.
Split Stack – Split stack is an option for vertical blinds where the blind open in the center of the window and stacks equally on each side.
Spring Roller Lift Mechanism – Spring roller lift mechanism is a lift mechanism on roller shades where there are no lift cords, and shades are raised and lowered by pushing or pulling lightly on the shade’s bottom fabric hem.
Stack – Stack is the when the slats or vanes are “stack” together when the blinds are opened.
Stop Ball – The stop ball combines all the lift cords together to keep the cords from tangling when raising or lowering your horizontal blind.
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T
Tape Edges – Tape edges is an optional fabric accent feature on most natural wood shades that are stitched along the slides of the shade.
Tape Roll Support – Tape roll support is a plastic component used to secure the tilt rod.
Tassel – The tassels connects to the ends of the lift cords and tilt cords on your window blind or window shades.
Tile/Molding Cutout – Tile/molding cutout is a when a part of a blind is cut narrower than the rest.
Tilt Bar – The tilt bar is a bar that move each slats.
Tilter – The tilter controls the angle of the slats or vanes on your blinds.
Tilter Location – The tilter location is the location where you would like the tilter on your blinds.
Top-Down/Bottom-Up – The top-down/bottom-up is an option feature that allows you to choose whether you want to open your blinds from the top down or the bottom up.
Track System – The track system is a headrail where the blinds are hung in vertical blinds.
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V
Valance – The valance or cornice is a decorative piece used to complete the look of your window blinds by hiding the headrail.
Valance Clip – The valance clip is a hidden clip used when the valance is not attached to the headrail.
Vanes – The vanes is the vertical louvers in a vertical blind or the slats in a shutter.
Venetian Blinds – See horizontal blinds.
Vertical Blinds – Vertical blinds are blinds that have vertical vanes that can be open and close in either a split or one-way stack.
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W
Wall Mount – A wall mount is when the headrail is mounted on the wall during the vertical blind installation.
Wand Tilter – The wand tilter is used to control the amount of lighting or privacy that is exposed from your window blind by turning the tilter in one direction or the other.
Width – The width is the distance from left to right.
Wood Blinds – Wood blinds are made from either basswood or ramin wood, and are available with 1” or 2” slats. Wood blinds are great alternative to shutters and are very good natural insulators.
Woven Wood Shades – Woven wood shades, also called bamboo or matchstick shades, are made of natural materials and can be raised and lowered like a cellular shade.
Have a question about window blinds, window coverings or window treatments? Just call us at 1-415-824-6000 or contact us via email.
This compilation of window blinds and window coverings terms are brought to you by www.CuttingEdgeDrapery.com
Cutting Edge Drapery offers commercial and industrial window coverings, window blinds, window shades, and window treatments installation services via our professional team of installers in the state of California. Our installers install such window coverings as mini blinds, sun roller shades, fauxwood blinds, wood blinds, basswood blinds, vertical blinds, cellular shades, motorized shades and many other types of window coverings, blinds and shades. If you’re looking for a high quality window blinds installation solution that is installed by professional installers with the highest quality, you should contact Cutting Edge Drapery. For commercial property managers, commercial property owners, general contractors, architects, interior designers as well as other home improvement professionals, we welcome any opportunity to quote or bid on your project. We also offer on-going window blinds maintenance and window blinds service for our commercial property management customers. We proudly serve the San Francisco Bay Area and most of Northern California. Call us at 1-415-824-6000 or contact us via email.
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