Do You Need Side Tracks for Blackout Shades in Orchard Park?

When it comes to looking for new window coverings, you’ll likely want blackout shades in Orchard Park. These are great for bedrooms, home theaters, and other rooms where you just need to block out all the light. Something you’ll want to consider with the blackout shades is side tracks.

Side tracks sit either side of the window. They cover up the small gaps that form between shade and window, making sure there are no small sections where light can shine through. Do your blackout shades need them?

How Will You Mount the Blackout Shades?

Take a look at the way your blackout shades in Orchard Park are going to sit. Will they mount on the inside of the window frame or are you mounting them on the outside. This is going to affect the need of side tracks or not.

If you mount on the inside, you’ll likely leave a small gap between the window frame and the shade. This is to prevent the material of the shade getting caught on the window frame as it moves up and down. If there’s just a small catch on the wooden frame, you can end up fraying the window shade, and you don’t want that.

The side track helps to cover that gap that’s formed. Just the smallest gap will take away the full blackout benefits, so the side track will help to avoid that situation.

You don’t need side tracks for all blackout shades in Orchard Park, though. If you buy shades that mount on the outside of the window, you’re getting something that is a little larger than the window frame. There are no gaps that form, so there’s nothing that you need to cover with the extra material. With the way the soft material sits, it will rest gently against the window frame, so you won’t even get gaps between shade and frame when the shades hang down.

How Are the Inside-Mounted Shades Fitted?

You don’t always need side tracks for blackout shades in Orchard Park that are mounted on the inside of the window frame. It’s going to depend on how the frame is fitted.

A lot of people are now switching out the corded window coverings for safety reasons. You could get blackout shades that sit within a runner on the window. The shade pulls down within the runner, keeping it in place at all times. This gets rid of the need of a gap between frame and shade.

The runner ends up acting like a side track. The material of the runner is going to cover that small gap that would usually form, so you don’t need a side track to block the light.

Take a look at the style of window shade you’re getting for the windows. Take a look at the way your blackout shades in Orchard Park will be placed in the window. This will affect whether there’s a gap or not that needs to be blocked. If there’s a gap, you’ll want to consider side tracks.