FAQ's

Almost always a factor, price will sometimes lead you to a product that will cost you more grief than whatever you may have saved in dollars. Let’s look at the options. One of the most inexpensive products is Aluminum Venetians. Aluminium Venetian Blinds offer impressive light and vision control and great value for money but lack the energy efficiency of some of our other products which over time could more than offset the initial cost difference. If you’re looking for an inexpensive product for a guest room, rental and short term home ownership then this may be just the thing. If you plan on staying in the home or office for let’s say 5 years or more then consider more than the initial cost of the product.

Here are a few of the more affordable options from our range

1. Roller Blinds
2. Vertical Blinds
3. Aluminum Venetian Blinds
4. Timber Venetians
5. Sunscreen Roller Blinds

Great question! It would not look appropriate to install verticals in a beautiful old Victorian home. You will also want to consider what the blinds will look like from the outside of the home. Another consideration is the neighborhood itself. If you live in a condominium or have a strict homeowners association, such as a strata title, you may need to check on their guidelines. Most will at least require the blinds or shades to be neutral on the exterior.

Here are some general product suggestions:

Verticals, Aluminium Venetians Blinds, Timber Venetians, Honeycomb Blinds, Roman Blinds.

Honeycomb Blinds, Roman Blinds, Roller Blinds, Timber Venetians.

Roller Blinds, Aluminium and Timber Venetians, 

Roman Blinds, Roller Blinds, Honeycomb Blinds, Timber Venetians.

Roller Blinds, Venetians, Vertical Blinds

If you have east or west facing window you will want to keep the hot weather out, southerly facing windows will require insulation as these windows rarely receive sunshine; but experience the wind chill factor of winter. Some newer homes have well insulated windows but the older homes with single panes of glass can get pretty drafty. Windows that have east or west exposure will also have to deal with sun and heat exposure.

Sunscreen or Blockout Roller Blinds – If the view is important but the sun is driving you crazy you’ll want to check our Sunscreen Fabrics out. The most popular product for sun control while still offering a view of the outdoors and maintains daytime privacy. If the view isn’t as important try our full blockout Roller Blind fabrics to help insulate your home.

Honeycomb Blinds – The most energy efficient product. No rout holes in the fabric so it has a solid fabric face to block out all of the direct sunlight. Traps the air in its pockets and slows the cycling.
A soft shade available in blockout and light filtering fabrics with an array of colours to suit your home.

Only three metres between you and your neighbours? Opposite a busy road? Apartment? Town House? Try one of the products listed below:

Whilst in the lowered (closed) position, this product offers great privacy control during daylight, yet enabling you to retain your great view.

Again, great for privacy and control of light and exterior view. Tilt half way closed and you can continue to see outside but people outside can’t see in. Great choice for the front of your home.

Total privacy but limited in viewing options. If you add the optional bottom up/top down feature you can lower the shade from the top just enough to have a view yet still have the needed privacy. This addition is highly recommended, and great for high rise applications.

Plentiful lighting in a room is excellent, at the right time of day. But if I was trying to sleep in on Saturday or watch a football game on the big screen TV or if my baby is waking up early from excessive sunlight in the room then I would want to find a window treatment that does the job.

This product is deceiving in that it will prevent light translucency through the fabric but still allow light control when you decide you’d like to tilt the slats to control your light situation. Having control of light and view when needed is a real plus here.

This is another excellent product for blocking light . When you lower these shades be ready for excellent room darkening. Works best for a baby’s room or master bedroom (especially for those who like to sleep in). You’ll have a hard time telling if it’s day or night when you wake up. Be sure to ask for blockout as these blinds are also very popular as a shade in translucent. Gives a softer finished look.

The polyester material itself does an outstanding job of blocking all of the sun and light; no translucency, however a small gap at both sides will allow some light. One advantage of this product is price. If you’re looking for a value priced product for light blockage this is your cheapest choice.

This is a really popular question. You probably didn’t put that large picture window or sliding glass door in your home just to cover it up, right? Let take a look at some of the options available today.

This is by far the best choice when trying to maximize the view and minimize the glare and still maintain a fair amount of privacy, particularly during daylight hours.

When rotated closed this product offers excellent privacy and rotated open the fabric facing offers decent glare reduction and some privacy.

Aluminum and Timber Venetians are ideal for total privacy and light control.  Venetians are quite good because the metal is a great reflector and wood is an ideal insulator.

Bathrooms are always an issue when it comes to humidity, especially if there is a shower and the bathroom is lacking an exhaust vent. Maybe it’s a damp garage or basement? Sun Room or Patio?

Whatever the cause for dampness we have the answers.

Here are the best choices:

All of the choices here work well as they are 100% polyester, a great deterent against mould and mildew common in a constant wet area.

Our Visionwood Timber Venetians offer great moisture resistence without sacrificing beauty or light control. They repel condensation and are designed to eliminate moisture absorbtion. Purewood Timber Venetians are not considered a great choice for wet areas as the cord rout holes cannot be sealed leaving them exposed to soak up moisture and consequently warp or distort.

Aluminium Venetians are an excellent choice as the water beads off the aluminium slats. Just be very careful spraying caustic cleaners that can etch into the coating process causing an oxidized look.

Most products today fight the elements like harsh sunlight well and offer years of trouble free service. Internal soft products should be polyester not a blend as in poly/cotton, or vinyl, or plastic that is not uv stabilized. Beware these imitations they usually have a cheap price tag and a very short shelf life two or three years if you’re lucky. But there are some unique advantages to each of the blinds listed below.

All of the Blockout Vertical Blinds are an excellent choice for blocking intense sun and heat. You can actually feel the temperature drop in the room as soon as they are closed if the sun was beaming in.

Out of these three options this is one of the most cost effective. With superior blockout abilities Blockout Roller Blinds are a great choice to reduce the heat and sunlight coming into your room from the harsh Australian sun.

For harsh sunlight areas, you can’t beat this one. If you have a view that you’d just hate to block out or maybe a commercial storefront that you don’t want to look like it’s closed then this is the product for you!  Sunscreen Blinds come in a wide variety of colours. 

Remember that children love to play and long drapes can be a tempting plaything for them as well as pets. They will grab anything in sight and it may be better to go with another solution, such as “roller blinds” that will stay off the floor or at least hang high enough out of a child’s reach. High-end window treatments can be ordered with many options, including light sensitive and remote control operation. If you decide on transparent shades remember that they offer restrictive privacy, but will still cut the UV rays and glare considerably. They work like a regular roller shade and are made from spun polyester. If you are equipping a baby’s room with vertical blinds, will you need light-blockout? Will you need controls to be short and fastened back to the wall? 

These are real easy to care for. Just use a damp cloth with nothing stronger than dishwashing detergent to wipe away those annoying marks

Pretty much the same as the Blockout Roller Blinds. A little more expensive but what price do you place on retaining your view? The ability to have your view while the shade is down gives you the best of both worlds.

Same matching fabric as roller blinds but with the added advantage of light and sun reflection control.

The metal slats  come in different thicknesses, some crowned or curved for superior closure. Don’t buy thin gauged slats if you want to help prevent creasing,  I’m sure you’ve seen them at the local surgery or accountants. Ask TailorMade Blinds for the necessary tips in purchasing the correct Venetian for your application.

Any drapery or sheer type fabric not scotch-guarded, may stain and this means the whole window treatment needs removing and professionally cleaned.

One of the most beautiful products you could put on a window, but not the best in areas that may take a beating. The price to replace slats can add up real fast. Cedar slats in particular are very soft wood and easily dented and bruised. Try a basswood hardwood, such as our Purewood Venetian Blinds, this will take far more abuse without showing the telltale signs.