A double roller blind is two separate blinds on one bracket, normally a sunscreen and a blockout, each on its own tube with its own chain or motor. You run whichever one the time of day calls for, or both at once.
How one bracket carries two rollers
The bracket is a single plate that holds a front and a rear roller, one sitting behind the other. Because it has to carry two tubes and two rolls of fabric, it projects further off the wall than a single bracket does, usually somewhere between 100mm and 130mm depending on the tube sizes and the fabrics.
Each blind works on its own. Nothing shares a mechanism, so one fabric can be down while the other is rolled right up out of sight.
Which fabric goes in front
We normally run the sunscreen on the rear roller closest to the glass, and the blockout on the front roller facing the room. The blockout is the fabric doing the sealing at night, so it wants to be the one nearest you where it can cover the full width.
It can be swapped if there is a reason for it, a deep sill or a window handle in the way, for instance. Worth deciding at the measure rather than after the brackets are on the wall.
The depth you need before a double will fit
This is where most double roller plans come unstuck. A single roller bracket sits happily in about 60mm of reveal. A double wants roughly 100mm or more of reveal depth to tuck in fully, and more again if you want a cassette over the top of both rolls.
A shallow reveal, or no reveal at all, and the answer is to face fix onto the architrave or the wall. That is not a compromise. Face fixing lets you run the blockout 150mm past the glass either side, which kills the light gaps a reveal fit always leaves.
Remember the roll builds up as the fabric winds. Two long drops mean two fat rolls, so a tall window needs more room behind the front fabric than a small one does.
Where a double actually pays off
Open plan living, because the same window needs glare control at three in the afternoon and privacy at eight at night. Bedrooms with a view worth keeping. Home offices where a screen sits in front of the glass. West facing rooms of any kind.
Where a double is overkill is a window that only ever does one job. A bathroom window that needs privacy full stop does not need a sunscreen sitting behind the blockout. Same goes for a laundry, a garage or a hallway.
Chains, motors and keeping it tidy
- Two chains. Both on the same side is common, or one each side if the reach suits you better that way.
- Each chain needs a cleat or a tensioner fixed to the wall. The Australian rules do not allow a loose chain to form a loop of 220mm or more within 1600mm of the floor.
- You can motorise one or both. Plenty of people motorise the blockout and leave the sunscreen on a chain, since the sunscreen tends to stay down through the day anyway.
- A 100mm cassette or a timber pelmet hides both rolls if you want the top of the window closed off.
A double is not a day and night blind
They get confused often. A day and night blind is one tube with a single striped fabric, alternating sheer and blockout bands that line up or offset as you adjust the drop. It looks good and it handles daylight well.
What it will not do is give you a true blockout, because the sheer bands are still sheer when the striped bands line up. If a room has to go dark, you want a real blockout fabric on its own roller, which is exactly what the double gives you.
Tube sizes matter here too. A double usually runs 38mm or 45mm tubes, and on a wide window the blockout will need the larger of the two so it does not sag in the middle.
If you want to see one working before you commit, we bring the fabrics to your window as part of the free measure and quote. Read up on double roller blinds and how they are built, compare them against a day and night roller blind, and have a think about whether you want the blockout running off a motor instead of a chain.
Common questions
How deep does a reveal need to be for a double roller blind?
Around 100mm, and more again if you want a cassette covering both rolls. A double bracket carries two tubes so it projects further than a single, usually 100mm to 130mm. Shallower reveals get face fixed to the architrave, which also cuts the light gaps down.
Can you motorise just one blind of a double?
Yes. Motorising the blockout and leaving the sunscreen on a chain is a common setup, because the sunscreen usually stays down all day and the blockout is the one you move at night. Both can run on motors if you would rather not have chains.
Is a double roller the same as a day and night blind?
No. A day and night blind is one tube with a single striped fabric that alternates sheer and blockout bands. A double is two independent blinds on one bracket with two real fabrics, so you get a proper blockout when you want the room dark.