Buying Guides
Ready-Made vs Made-to-Measure Outdoor Blinds
Outdoors is where the blind either survives the weather or doesn't.
Outdoor blinds live harder than any window blind: sun, rain, wind and dust all at once. Whether to buy ready-made or made-to-measure outdoor blinds is less about price and more about exposure.
When ready-made outdoor blinds work
Ready-made sizes suit standard balcony door widths, and they make sense for sheltered areas — a covered balcony that never gets driving rain. The trade-offs: a fixed width means gaps or overlaps, the fabric grades are basic, and the hardware is usually lightweight. For a rented flat or a temporary screen, they are the honest budget choice.
When made-to-measure earns its cost
- Wide or tall openings — one blind across a 3 m balcony beats two ready-mades and a leaky join
- Wind exposure — high floors catch gusts; custom hardware options include bottom rails and side guides that stop flapping
- Full sun + rain — UV-stable, water-repellent fabrics rated for exterior use (the full fabric logic is in the outdoor shades guide)
- Looks — a flush, wall-to-wall run reads built-in, not afterthought
Buying outdoor blinds online — what to check
- Fabric rating: UV stability and water repellence, not just "outdoor" in the title
- Hardware finish: powder-coated aluminium or stainless — untreated steel rusts within a season
- Wind plan: side channels, tensioned cables or a bottom rail
- Who measures: for exterior mounts the overlap rules matter — the measuring guide applies outside too
Our range is made to measure, with exterior-grade fabrics and hardware as standard — configure your sizes on the outdoor blinds page after measuring with our AR tool or the measuring guide.
Not sure of your sizes?
Read our measuring guide or try the AR self-measure tool to get exact numbers.