Differences Between Vertical Blinds and Horizontal Blinds

Posted: February 10, 2021

While both vertical and horizontal blinds carry their own unique aesthetic flair and practical benefits that make them ideal for different types of rooms and window layouts, they’re both fantastic choices for home or business light flow control. In this blog entry, the window treatment installation experts here at Design Your Blind will detail the main differences between vertical blinds and horizontal blinds.

Similarities Between Horizontal and Vertical Blinds

Both horizontal and vertical blinds provide light protection, and many can provide almost blackout level protection from light, making them good choices for home offices, home theaters, bedrooms, and many other rooms that require light protection. Often both vertical and horizontal blinds are made of slightly similar materials like faux wood and PVC – both lightweight, easy to clean, and measy to maintain or many years to come.

The Differences Between Horizontal and Vertical Blinds

Horizontal blinds are more commonly used than vertical blinds, especially on small and medium windows. Vertical blinds utilize larger slats that hang down from a headrail that’s in turn attached to a track – allowing them to be operated with either a wand or a pulley. Vertical blinds are commonly used to cover up large windows or sliding glass doors.

Advantages of Vertical Blinds

1. Vertical blinds are great for wide windows and sliding doors. Horizontal blinds CAN sometimes be custom fit for sliding doors and wide windows, but vertical blinds are often a better choice in this context, as they can be easily operated and smoothly cover even the largest windows.
2. Vertical blinds are very easy to clean, as they gather less dust than horizontal blinds, and are often made of mixture resistant faux wood or PVC. Cleaning products can easily be used on these materials without concern for staining.
3. Vertical blinds often block more light than horizontal blinds due to their larger slats.

Advantages of Horizontal Blinds

1. Horizontal blinds provide more privacy often than vertical blinds, since vertical blinds can sway sideways creative coverage gaps. Horizontal blinds provide more visual coverage, and are ideal for environments where you want privacy.
2. Horizontal blinds are great for tall and thin windows due to their unique layout and construction.
3. Horizontal blinds never touch the floor, as they rest on windowsills usually rather than the floor, preventing dust or dirt from gathering. 
4. Horizontal blinds are smooth operators, and make very little noise – less noise than vertical blinds, especially vertical blinds that haven’t received regular greasing.
5. Horizontal blinds last many many years with no need for maintenance or replacement, as they have much less moving parts than vertical blinds which utilize a track.