Routeless / Privacy Slats

Standard blind slats have route holes punched through them for the lift cord, and those holes leak little dots of light and sightline even when the blind is closed. Routeless (or privacy) slats move the lift cord to a notch at the back edge so the slat face is solid, eliminating the pinholes for noticeably better closed privacy and darkening. It’s a common upgrade on wood and faux-wood blinds, sometimes standard on cordless designs. The minor trades are a slightly different back-edge look and, occasionally, a small price bump. For bedrooms and street-facing rooms, routeless is one of the more worthwhile blind upgrades to specify.