Pleated Shades vs Cellular Shades-Check It Out

The comparison between pleated shades vs. cellular shades stands out clearly if you know what to look for.

Let’s demystify the pleated shades vs. cellular shades and be done with it once and for all.

When you first look at both of these shades from a distance, you may think – there’s no difference. And you are right.

However, when you take a closer look – there is a difference you can see straight away – and you’ll be able to feel it as well.

While pleated shades have a single, thin layer of fabric pleats, cellular shades have a honeycomb cell-structured fabric. That means cellular shades have an extra layer of air within these fabric cells.
As insulators and heat-loss "preventers" – cellular shades lead the way over pleated shades.

To increase the insulating properties of cellular shades, simply choose a double or triple-cell fabric. You can always add an extra layer to pleated shades – say a blackout – but doing so does little for the insulating factor.

In fact, it helps little if at all.

Why?

Pleated shades have a row of holes running through the fabric to accommodate the lift cords – for the corded kind. Even with a room-darkening liner, you still see the light coming through the holes – which negates the reason why the blackout is there in the first place.

On the other hand, corded or cordless cellular shades have the lift cords running inside the cells. Therefore, you don’t see any light coming through any holes in the fabric.

The only time any cords show up on cordless cellular shades is with the top down bottom up feature (TD/BU). And the cords that show up are the guide cords that allow the movable rails to travel up and down in an orderly fashion.

Pleated Shades-Liner

Cellular Shades-Double Cell

Pleated shades vs. cellular shades – if we had to choose, we’d go for cellular shades any day because of their superior versatility overall – that pleated shades can’t match.