Window Blinds: A Complete Guide

This is the page we'd want to read if we knew nothing about window blinds. It covers every main type, what each is actually good at, and where each one lets you down.

We sell zebra blinds, so read the rest knowing that. We've tried to describe the alternatives the way someone who sold them would.

The main types

Roller blinds

A single sheet of fabric on a tube. Simple, cheap, low profile. Good light control in one direction: up or down. No middle ground — you either have the window covered or you don't.

Zebra blinds (also called day-night, dual or vision blinds)

One continuous loop of fabric with alternating sheer and solid stripes, running down the front and back up the rear. Sliding the layers against each other lets you have filtered daylight and privacy at the same time. That's the thing no other blind does. Two fabric layers with air between them also does a little more for insulation than a single-layer roller.

Venetian blinds

Horizontal slats in aluminium, timber or faux wood. Excellent directional light control — you can tilt light up to the ceiling. The cost is cleaning: every slat, individually, forever.

Vertical blinds

Vertical louvres, usually on a track. Well suited to very wide windows and sliding doors. Considered dated by many, and individual vanes get damaged easily in a busy household.

Honeycomb (cellular) blinds

Pleated fabric forming sealed air cells. The best insulating blind by a clear margin, confirmed by Consumer NZ testing. If warmth is your single priority, this is the category to look at. We don't sell them.

Shutters

Hinged panels with adjustable louvres. Beautiful, durable, adds value to a house. Comfortably the most expensive option, and usually needs professional installation.

Curtains

Not blinds, but the main alternative. Best thermal performance of any soft furnishing when lined, floor-length and on a track that seals to the wall. Binary on privacy: open or shut. Poor in wet rooms.

How to choose: start with the problem, not the product

Your main problem Best answer
Freezing single-glazed room Honeycomb blinds, or lined floor-length curtains
Privacy but you want to keep the view Zebra blinds
Need it properly dark to sleep Blockout fabric, outside mount, ideally with curtains over
Steam, damp, bathroom or laundry Any water-resistant blind. Not curtains.
Screen glare Semi-blockout or sunscreen fabric
Hate cleaning Roller or zebra. Avoid venetians.
Keeping summer heat out Exterior shading first. Then light-coloured interior fabric.
Budget is the constraint Made-to-measure online, measured yourself

Why online blinds cost less

Most New Zealand and Australian blind companies won't quote until a consultant has visited. That visit is real work and it sits inside your price.

Buying made-to-measure online removes it. You measure, you order at a published price, and the blind is made to your numbers.

"I compared three different suppliers and found Zebrablinds to be 1/4 of the price for a similar blind elsewhere."
— Wendy J., verified buyer

The trade-off is that measuring is yours. It isn't difficult, but it is unforgiving, because a made-to-measure blind can't be re-cut. If that's not for you, a consultant-based supplier is a perfectly reasonable choice.

Inside mount or outside mount

Every blind is fitted one of two ways, and it changes both the look and the performance.

Inside mount sits within the window recess. Tidier. Needs at least 50mm of reveal depth for the bracket, 80mm for the casing to sit flush. Leaves a small gap down each side.

Outside mount fixes to the wall or frame above the window. Covers the gaps, blocks more light, makes the window look larger, and works on shallow or out-of-square reveals.

For darkness or warmth, outside mount wins. For a clean minimal look, inside mount. Our bracket does both, so the decision isn't locked in until installation day.

Cord and chain safety

Since 2008, eight young children in New Zealand have died after becoming entangled in the cords of window coverings. The Government has announced it will be mandatory for new corded window coverings to meet one of four internationally recognised safety standards, under the Fair Trading Act with a transition period.

Whatever you buy and from whoever, fit the safety device. A chain or cord guide screws to the wall so the chain runs taut and cannot form a loop. Product Safety New Zealand recommends fitting one with every corded covering, even in homes with no children.

Our blinds ship with a chain safety clip. It takes about a minute to fit and it is the step people skip.

By room

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Sources