Vertical Blinds Buying Guide: What They Are and How to Choose

A vertical blind is a row of fabric vanes hanging from a track at the top of the window. Turn the wand and the vanes rotate together, from open to overlapping closed. Pull it along the track and they draw to one side and stack. That's the whole idea, and on a sliding door or a wide window nothing else does the job as neatly.

This guide covers where a vertical suits, where it doesn't, and the five choices in our designer: vane width, fabric and colour, control, stack and fit. It's all DIY. You measure, we make the blind to your sizes, and you fit it yourself with the brackets we send. You can see the whole range on our vertical blinds page.

How a vertical blind works

The track is powder-coated aluminium, 27mm high and 45mm deep. Inside it, a carrier holds each vane. The carriers are linked, so one twist of the control turns every vane at once, and one pull slides them all along the track.

At the bottom, each vane has its own weight to keep it hanging straight. Ours are chainless as standard, so nothing links the vanes along the bottom. You can also choose sewn-in weights, where the weight sits hidden inside the hem. Either way there's no bottom chain to tangle or rattle.

Because the vanes stack sideways instead of rolling up, width isn't a problem. We make a vertical up to 5,775mm wide in one piece, with a drop of up to 3,650mm, and when it's drawn back the glass is almost completely clear.

Is a vertical blind right for your window?

Verticals earn their place on three kinds of opening:

And they're the wrong pick for these:

Which vane width: 127mm or 89mm?

127mm is the standard in our vertical blind designer. Fewer, broader vanes mean fewer joins, and when you draw the blind back it stacks smallest, so more of the glass stays clear. It's the one we'd pick for sliding doors and wide windows.

89mm vanes are narrower, so there are more of them. They give a finer look on smaller windows, and they're the usual size if you're replacing an old blind like for like. They cost a little more than 127mm and take up slightly more room when stacked.

Which fabric and colour?

Every vertical we make is blockout fabric, in three ranges: Focus, Vibe and Balmoral. The range sets the texture and the price; the colour is just the colour. Focus and Vibe are very hardy fabrics, the ones to pick where a blind gets wet or dirty, like a kitchen or laundry door, and Focus can be wiped down.

We don't make light-filtering or PVC vertical vanes. If you want soft daylight more than privacy, a sheer curtain or a light-filtering roller blind will do that job better.

Colour is where people go wrong. Whites are the hard one, because a white vane beside a warm cream wall can look grey. Order free vertical blind samples (no code needed, and they post separately so they won't hold up an order). Hold each one flat against the wall beside the window in daylight, then again at night. Two rules rarely fail: match the window frame for a quiet look, or go one shade darker than the wall for definition. Dark blockouts stop light exactly as well as pale ones; they just show dust more.

Wand, or chain and cord?

A wand is one rod that does both jobs. Twist it to tilt the vanes, push or pull it to draw them. There's no loose cord, and it's what we'd choose for most homes.

Chain and cord splits the jobs: a chain tilts and a cord draws. It gives finer tilt control on very wide blinds, and the chain comes in white, black or grey. If you pick it, fit the chain tensioner that comes with the blind so the chain can't hang in a loop.

Then choose the control side. Stand inside the room facing the window and put the control where you can reach it without leaning over furniture. With two blinds side by side, put the controls on the outer edges.

Which way should the vanes stack?

On a sliding door, stack to the side that doesn't open, so the vanes never swing into the doorway. On a window, stack away from the side you look out of.

Face fit or recess fit?

Face fit, outside the opening, is standard for verticals and the right call on most doors. The vanes hang below the track and swing as they turn, so a recess fit needs a deep opening with nothing poking into it: no handles, no winders, no security screen. If the recess is deep and clear, an inside fit looks neat and tucked away. If there's any doubt, go outside.

How to measure for a vertical blind

Give us the real numbers and we make every deduction. We check every order before it goes to the workshop, and we'll call you if a number looks odd. If you'd like a second pair of eyes, the Perfect Fit Guarantee is a paid add-on: we video call you to check your measurements before we make the blind. Our measuring guide has the diagrams.

Finishing touches

Fitting it yourself

The brackets come with the blind, one type for face fit and another for recess fit. You'll need a drill, a pencil and screws to suit your wall or frame.

Our vertical blind install guide has the video and the PDF instructions for face fit and both vane widths. And if a hanger or weight breaks years from now, you don't need a new blind: our vertical blind spare parts cover blade hangers, chainless and sewn-in weights, carriers and end caps.

Vertical, panel glide or curtain for a sliding door?

If a vertical doesn't feel right for a wide opening, look at panel glide blinds or S-fold curtains on a track.

Common questions