Bamboo shade help

9 years ago

I'm thinking of putting bamboo shades on my4 season sun porch. There are 8 windows; typically I only have two shades drawn that block out my very near neighbor's deck. In short, they don't need to be super heavy duty as the two are 99% always drawn and the other six 99% always up. I've got some wicker pieces on the porch so I think bamboo shades will look right at home.

Just wondering if there are suggestions for what to look at/where to shop. I'm wondering, in particular, whether anyone can comment on the quality of those offered at Home Depot and Lowes.

Featured Answer

Lars

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

The wide bamboo shade was ready made, and it is (ETA) 120" instead of 96" wide. I bought it three or four years ago, and I almost bought two, in case one would wear out. When I bought it, it was inexpensive - under $50, but I don't remember the exact price.

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Comments (8)

Lars
9 years ago
I have a very wide bamboo shade (from HD) in my pergola. Here's how it looked when it was fairly new:
And here is how it looked two years later:
I guess it has gotten a bit bleached by the sun, but it does not appear to be two-toned, and so that could just be from the light or the photography.

I have another much smaller one that I use to block sun from orchids and bromeliads, and because it started out much darker, it has faded noticeably.

I would not hesitate to put HD bamboo shades in a sun room, but I would definitely choose a light or natural color.
laughablemoments
9 years ago
Lars, was that bamboo shade ready made or custom? May I ask how wide it is?
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Rudebekia
Original Author
9 years ago
What a beautiful space Lars! Yes, I now know I need to consider fading in this decision. I am looking at a "natural"--caramel--color.
laughablemoments
9 years ago
Thank you, Lars. You have a wonderful outdoor room, there. Hope your project comes together nicely for you, Emory. : )
Lars
9 years ago
Thanks! We do spend a lot of time in the back yard, and that is where we do most of our entertaining. This year we've had a lot of rain and so have stayed indoors more than usual, but we did barbecue outdoor last week-end, when there was a brief let-up from the rain.

I also measured the shade, and it is 120" wide instead of 96". I did notice also that it has indeed faded a bit, but it's been outdoors for more than three years now. Normally I keep it raised in the winter and only lower it in the summer, to block some of the sun, but the creeping fig vine on the wall has grown tall enough now so that it blocks most of the sun that we used to get. I also used to have a curtain on the side wall (when needed), but you can see from the photos that the vines have grown tall enough to shade that side as well. We get morning sun from the side opposite the "X" table, but it is not bothersome.
laughablemoments
9 years ago
Lars, can I ask you a couple more questions about your shade? (My apologies to you, Emory; I hope I'm not derailing your thread too much!)

1. Would you recommend your shade for an interior picture window where the shade would need to be operated a couple times per day? Is it prone to rolling crookedly?

2. Is it a good candidate for being trimmed down? Our picture window is 113" wide, which puts us into $$ territory for a custom shade. DH is extremely handy with a wide variety of tools at his disposal, and he would be quite capable of trimming it if it would work.

Thank you for checking the measurements!
Lars
9 years ago
The shade does not roll crookedly and is fairly easy to operate. I'll have to look at it again to see whether it could be cut down, but personally, I would not do that.

I'll let you know tomorrow.