Bamboo blinds in Dubai, roman or roller
A bamboo blind is a window blind woven from thin strips of bamboo, so daylight comes through the gaps in the weave instead of being shut out.
Curtains Express measures each window, then supplies and fits bamboo blinds that fold up in roman style or roll up in roller style, each blind up to 200 cm wide. Bamboo takes the glare off a room and keeps the daylight in; unlined, it is not a blackout. Bamboo curtains and bamboo shades are the same thing under other names, bamboo is one of the weaves sold as woven wood shades, and the roller style is also sold as a roll-up blind.
No set rate yet: send each window's width and drop for a price. Usually fitted within about a week of your go-ahead, and covered by a two-year warranty.
Folds up or rolls up
Roman style raises the blind in folds that stack at the head; roller style rolls it up from the bottom into a round roll.
Up to 200 cm in one blind
Wider glass, such as a sliding door, is split between two or more blinds side by side.
About a week, two years
Usually fitted within about a week of your go-ahead, with a two-year warranty on every blind.
Bamboo blinds, in short
- A bamboo blind is woven from thin strips of bamboo, so it filters daylight through the gaps in its weave rather than shutting it out.
- Curtains Express supplies and fits bamboo blinds across Dubai in two styles: roman style, folding up into a stack of folds, and roller style, rolling up from the bottom into a round roll.
- The widest single bamboo blind is 200 cm, and wider glass takes two or more blinds side by side.
- An unlined bamboo blind cuts glare but is not blackout, and after dark it shows a lit room through the gaps in its weave.
- A bamboo blind belongs where it stays dry, such as a living-room window or a covered balcony, and not in open weather, a steamy bathroom or over a sink.
- A motorized bamboo blind runs on a wired Somfy motor, which is priced at the measuring visit and carries Somfy's five-year warranty.
- Bamboo blinds are priced window by window, as there is no set rate yet, and are usually fitted within about a week of your go-ahead, with a two-year warranty.
What decides the price, window by window
There is no set rate yet. WhatsApp us the width and drop of every window, with a photo if you can, and each one gets its own price.
What moves the figure:
- Size
- Each blind's own width and drop. A window wider than 200 cm takes two or more blinds.
- A motor
- A wired Somfy, priced at the measuring visit and added to the blind. Remotes, switches and hubs are extra.
- Work at height
- Double-height glass that needs scaffolding or a lift adds to the fitting, priced at the visit.
- A whole home
- A large order, such as every window in a flat or a villa, gets a better price.
Measuring is free. We take cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and Tabby or Tamara split the cost into instalments.
Bamboo roman blinds or bamboo roller blinds?
A bamboo roman blind folds up and a bamboo roller blind rolls up.
| Roman style | Roller style | |
|---|---|---|
| How it rises | Folds up into a stack of flat folds at the top of the glass | Rolls up from the bottom into a round roll, carried on two lift cords |
| Half raised | The lowered part hangs flat below the folds | The roll sits across the glass wherever you stop it |
Both styles go to 200 cm in one blind, take a wired Somfy motor and are priced on your sizes; light, privacy and care depend on the weave, not on how it is raised.
Daylight through the weave, and privacy after dark
Bamboo blinds for a balcony, covered or open
Outdoor bamboo blinds are still bamboo, only hung somewhere more exposed, and the roof over them decides how long they last.
Under a roof, out of the rain
A covered balcony or a shaded terrace keeps rain and the worst of the sun off the weave, and that is what lets bamboo last outdoors.
Rain, sprinklers and air-conditioning drip
Bamboo takes up water. Wet again and again, it swells, pulls out of line and grows mould where it stays damp. Rain is rare in Dubai; a garden sprinkler or the drip from the air-conditioning unit above wets a blind far more often.
Dew on a coastal balcony
Near the sea, humid nights can leave a balcony wet by morning. A blind left down overnight soaks that up, and a weave that never fully dries is the one that moulds.
Dust and sun
Summer dust settles into the weave faster outdoors, and unshaded sun changes the colour of a natural fibre quickest.
If the screen has to live in the open
Then bamboo is the wrong material. A blind made for open weather, in PVC or mesh, is the one to look at.
Sizes, sliding doors and wider windows
Over 200 cm, two or more blinds
One blind goes up to 200 cm, so a 160 or 180 cm window takes one. A 240 cm balcony door takes two side by side, with a thin line of light where they meet, and wider glass is split into as many blinds as it needs.
Where it is fixed
Where the blind is fixed is settled at the free measuring visit. Fitted inside a recess, any blind leaves a narrow strip of light at each side, because it has to clear the frame to move.
Room for the raised blind
Raised, the folds or the roll need room at the top of the glass. Under a gypsum bulkhead or a low ceiling, that is checked at the free measuring visit, before anything is drilled.
Motorized, with a wired Somfy motor
A bamboo blind can run on a motor instead of being raised by hand. On bamboo it is always a Somfy, always wired; an electric bamboo blind is the same thing.
Power at the headrail
Wired means power at the headrail. Plan the power point before a ceiling or bulkhead is closed, because adding one later means opening it up again.
Price and warranty
The Somfy is priced at the measuring visit, on top of the blind's own price, and carries Somfy's five-year warranty on a wired motor. The blind keeps its two years and its 200 cm width.
Remote, switch or app
A remote, a wireless or smart Wi-Fi wall switch, or the TaHoma app and hub, which works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. We set up the hub and app. Remotes, switches and hubs are extra.
A blind you already have
An existing blind can take a motor when the blind and its parts are compatible. Send photos first.
Or by hand
Raised by hand, the blind runs on a cord or a bead chain. A loose cord or chain loop within a small child's reach is a strangling hazard, so keep it tied up on the wall, out of reach.
Our motorized blinds page sets out the motor for every type of blind we fit.
Book a free measuring visit
Tell us which windows or balcony doors, roughly how wide and tall, which way they face and whether they are under cover. On the free measuring visit, anywhere in Dubai, each one is measured and the room is checked for the raised blind.
Colour, and how bamboo changes in the sun
Strong sun changes any natural weave over a few summers, most of all behind west- and south-facing glass. Undyed bamboo, the colour of pale straw, tends to darken towards amber, and a weave dyed dark tends to fade.
So judge a colour at the actual window, in daylight, before choosing: one that looks warm under a ceiling light reads differently against a Dubai afternoon.
Are bamboo blinds worth it for this window?
Yes, where the job is glare and a natural texture. For anything else, another blind does it better.
Over a kitchen sink
A roller or an aluminium venetian blind, which is what we recommend there: both wipe clean, and neither swells when it is splashed.
Slats that tilt, in a wood look
A faux wood wooden blind with 50 mm slats, which tilt to angle the light in a way a woven blind can't.
The cheapest cover for a stock-size window
A ready-made roll-up from a homeware store or an online marketplace costs less. It comes in the store's sizes, so unless your window matches one, light leaks round it. On a window that does match, it is a sensible buy.
Woven bamboo, lowered and raised
Bamboo in heat, damp and the dark
How much do bamboo blinds cost in Dubai?
There is no set rate for bamboo blinds yet: send us each window's width and drop and we price each one. A window wider than 200 cm takes two or more blinds, a Somfy motor adds its own price, set at the measuring visit, and a large order, such as every window in a flat or a villa, gets a better price.
Can bamboo blinds be used outdoors on a balcony?
Under cover, yes; in open weather, no. Sprinklers, drip from an air-conditioning unit and morning dew on a coastal balcony swell the weave, and mould starts where it stays damp. Outside the glass on a covered balcony, a bamboo blind shades the glass itself.
What are the disadvantages of bamboo blinds?
Unlined, bamboo blinds are not blackout, they show a lit room at night, and they swell when they get wet. In practice:
- A curtain in front, for sleep and for night privacy.
- No steamy bathrooms, and nothing over a sink.
- Dust settles in the weave: brush it out every few weeks.
- Sun changes the colour, fastest on west and south glass.
- Raised, the folds or the roll stay at the top of the glass.
Do bamboo blinds keep heat out?
Not much, when the blind hangs inside the glass: it takes the glare off the room, but most of the sun's heat has already come through the window. Shading the glass from outside, on a covered balcony, does more.
Can you see through a bamboo blind at night?
Yes, with a light on inside. After dark the room is the brighter side, so an unlined weave shows light and moving shapes to anyone outside. For night privacy, hang a blackout curtain on its own track in front of the blind and draw it after dark.
Is a bamboo blind blackout?
No, not on its own. Light comes through the gaps in the weave, so a bamboo blind cuts glare but does not darken a room for sleep. For that, hang a blackout curtain in front or fit a blackout roller blind instead.
Can a bamboo blind be motorized?
Yes, on a wired Somfy motor, which is priced at the measuring visit. The headrail needs power, so plan it before a ceiling is closed. Somfy's five-year warranty covers a wired motor, and the blind keeps its own two-year warranty and its 200 cm width.
How wide can a bamboo blind be?
Up to 200 cm for one blind. A 160 or 180 cm window takes one; a 240 cm balcony or sliding door takes two side by side, and so does a 96-inch (244 cm) opening.
What is the difference between bamboo roman blinds and bamboo roller blinds?
A roman-style bamboo blind folds up into a stack of flat folds; a roller-style one rolls up from the bottom into a round roll. The 200 cm limit and the Somfy motor are the same in both styles. For a roman in fabric, blackout, dimout or sheer, see our roman blinds.
How long does a bamboo blind last?
Curtains Express puts no number of years on a bamboo blind, but every one it fits carries a two-year warranty. Past that, water and strong sun wear the weave out before age does: splashed or soaked again and again, it swells and moulds, and behind west- or south-facing glass the colour changes first.
How do you clean a bamboo blind?
Dust it; don't wash it. Use a soft brush, or a vacuum on low with the brush attachment, every few weeks. Lift a single mark with a damp cloth and let the weave dry fully. Never soak it or wipe it wet all over: the weave swells.
Can a bamboo blind go in a kitchen or bathroom?
Not over a sink, and not in a bathroom that steams up every day: splashes and steam swell bamboo. Over a kitchen sink, Curtains Express recommends a roller blind or an aluminium venetian blind instead.
Send us each window's width and drop
Send a photo of each window with its width, its drop and the way it faces, and we will price a blind for each one. Or call to book the free measuring visit.