The Best Fabrics for External Blinds
Not every fabric is created equal: some are stronger, some are higher quality, some are waterproof and some are specifically designed to hold up against the elements.
External blinds face a host of different challenge compared to an indoor blind. The hardware will need to be protected against rust, the motor will need to be approved for use in damp conditions, and the fabric has to hold up against the wind, rain and direct sunlight.
BS EN 13561:2015 is the British Standards Institution standard for external blinds and awnings. Fabrics don’t have to have this standard to be called an external fabric, but it does add some credibility. This standard means that the fabric has been tested for dimensional stability and durability. Some manufacturers, such as Mermet, will test their fabric through 10,000 cycles to prove their fabric can withstand these conditions!
When choosing a fabric for your rollers, these standards and classifications can give you some guidance on which one to choose. Naturally, a fabric that has been tested and has the standard to prove it will look like a better choice than one without. However, there’s more to a fabric than just it’s ratings. It’s also about what it’s made of.
Fabric Composition
Some of the best performing external fabrics are made with fibreglass yarn. Fibreglass is a common type of ‘fibre-reinforced’ plastic, using glass fibres. This creates a material that is incredibly strong, durable and naturally fire resistant. According to Mermet, who use fibreglass yarn in all of their external fabrics, ‘using coated fibreglass yarn to create solar shade fabrics that meet the highest standards of tensile strength, resistance to harsh weather conditions and superior structural and colour stability for an external blind that will last over time’.
PVC-based roller fabrics can also be used externally, but there are some downsides. PVC is naturally waterproof, anti-bacterial and insulating, but it’s not very stable. PVC fabrics can also delaminate very easily meaning the layers of fabric will peel apart from each other if put under force (like a very blustery day!). A lot of external fabrics will use a combination of fibreglass and PVC yarns so create a fabric that is waterproof but still strong and stable.
Fabrics made from polyester aren’t ideal for external blinds. These fabrics aren’t very strong when put under force or tension. Most polyester based fabrics don’t weld very well, so they wouldn’t work for any external roller blinds with zip-retenton. Polyester is very waterproof, but chances are your blind would fall apart in the wind before you get a chance to see that for yourself.
Here are some of the external fabrics we recommend:
- Serge 1% from Copaco
- Satine 5500 & 5501 from Mermet
- The Soltis range from Serge Ferrari
- Deco N203 from Copaco
- The Natte range from Copaco
- Sunshadow 4000N 5% from Solaye
Case Study
If you ever needed proof that having a strong fabric on your outdoor blinds is important, check out this video!
This is our ExtraLok external roller blind during the 60mph winds caused by Storm Eunice in February 2022. This blind system has zip-retention side channels that held the fabric in place for about 10 minutes before it popped out of the channels. If you were using a fabric that delaminated quickly, this amount of force would have probably ripped the fabric apart. This blind is using Serge 1% screen fabric from Copaco, which is an external fabric, and after its clash with Eunice it was still in one piece!
Even on an external blind system like ExtraLok, we would recommend that the blinds are not used in high winds. We also suggest using a wind sensor which can be programmed to automatically open the blinds when the wind reaches a certain level. This should help prevent wind damage to the blinds.