insights
insights
Some filter. Some block. Some let you adjust as the day moves. Privacy by day and privacy by night are two different problems.
| Performance | Sheer roller | Zebra | Honeycomb | Plaswood venetian | Blockout roller | Double roller | Motorised roller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime privacy | Full | Full | Good | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| Night privacy | Silhouettes show | Good, strips closed | Good | Good, closed | Complete | Complete | By fabric |
| Light through | 70 to 80% | 20 to 80% | 40 to 70% | Tilt, 10 to 90% | None | 0 to 80% | By fabric |
Three dots is the most privacy, or the most light through. The word beneath each dot is the rating.
“People always ask me which blind is best. I ask them what annoys them most about their window right now. Half the time it is the neighbour’s bathroom window staring at their lounge. The other half is waking up at 4am because there is no blockout. Two different problems, two different blinds.”Duncan Kane Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
One line on what each does, and the trade it makes.
Roughly 80% of daylight through, a soft glowing surface from outside. At night with lights on, silhouettes show. Pair with a blockout.
Living, officeSheer and opaque strips on one roller. Slide them and the blind moves from open to filtered to private. No double bracket needed.
Living, studyCells trap air, so the light is even and the window insulates. Top-down bottom-up opens the top for light and keeps the bottom private.
Bedroom, nurseryTilt the slats up and light bounces off the ceiling while the street sees nothing. Handles bathroom steam without warping.
Bathroom, kitchenOpaque, back-coated, no light at all. The room is dark when it is down, so most pair it with a sheer.
Bedroom, media roomA sheer in front and a blockout behind on one bracket. Sheer by day, blockout by night. Adds about 40mm of headrail depth.
Bedroom, guest roomAny of the six can be motorised. Somfy motor, remote or phone, and a schedule that keeps the house looking occupied.
A blind that hides the room at 3pm can show it at 9pm. Decide which hour matters, or cover both.
Day
Light in, street out
Night
Lights on, curtains gone
Most homes need both. A double roller covers day and night on one bracket.
A bedroom at 5am is a different problem from a living room at 3pm.
Sheer by day for soft morning light, blockout at night for dark and privacy. On a tight budget, a blockout alone does the job.
Double rollerLiving rooms need light. A sheer glows by day; a zebra shifts to near-opaque when evening comes. Vertical blinds tilt across wide sliding doors.
Sheer or zebraHumidity decides it. Plaswood tilts for airflow with privacy and does not warp. Keep timber and fabric out of wet rooms.
Plaswood venetianGlare on the screen is the enemy. A sheer diffuses it without dimming the room; honeycomb adds insulation in a hot north-facing room.
Sheer or honeycombDark rooms for daytime naps. Cordless or motorised, so there is no dangling chain and no need to enter the room.
Blockout, motorisedFull privacy by day, the option of full privacy by night, without losing the light.
Zebra or double roller05 The night test
With the lights on inside, look back at each window. If you can see shapes, furniture or movement, you need a denser fabric or a blockout layer. Sheer rollers and open venetians fail this test. Zebra, honeycomb and blockout rollers pass it. Ten seconds, before you order.
Ground floor on a pavementA honeycomb top-down bottom-up blind opens the top for light and keeps the lower half private.
Inside the recess or over the frame. Our guide covers both. A double bracket needs about 40mm more headrail depth. How to measure
Choose the type, fabric and your sizes. The price shows straight away, and no-drill options suit rentals.
Free delivery anywhere in South Africa. Made to measure in about 5 to 7 working days, plus courier transit. Garden Route homes can add installation.
For daytime privacy with light, sheer roller blinds and zebra blinds. For privacy around the clock, a blockout roller or a double roller with a sheer and a blockout on one bracket. Plaswood venetians suit bathrooms and kitchens where moisture matters. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings supplies all of them nationwide with free delivery.
By day, no: the fabric blocks the view in while letting light through. At night with the lights on, silhouettes show from outside. Pair a sheer with a blockout on a double bracket, or choose a zebra blind that closes to opaque.
A blockout roller with side channels, which stop the light leaking around the edges. Blockout-grade honeycomb also performs well and insulates. A double roller gives the same bedroom a sheer for daytime.
Yes. Tilt the slats up at roughly 45 degrees and street-level views are blocked while light goes to the ceiling. Closed fully, they give near-complete privacy, and you can change the angle through the day.
It depends on type, size and mechanism, and the online shop shows the price as you build the blind. As a guide for a 1200mm by 1500mm window: blockout rollers from about R600, sheer rollers from about R650, plaswood venetians from about R750, zebra from about R800 and honeycomb from about R900. Motorising adds R800 to R1,500 a blind. Estimates only.
Yes. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings delivers roller, zebra, honeycomb and venetian blinds nationwide, free, with no-drill options for renters. The shop has a size calculator, fabric selector and instant pricing.
Content reviewed by the Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings team. Visit the online shop for current pricing.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings | South Africa’s trusted blinds, shutters and awnings specialists since 2010.