Cafe curtains / Outdoor Blinds

Can anyone recommend a good yet affordable blinds and awnings shop in Brisbane that can provide good advice and possibly install an outdoor blind on a balcony area?

So far I’ve received 3 quotes so far from Franklyn, Apollo and OneSolomons and all of the quotes are over $1200 for one relatively simple, non-motorised exterior blind, e.g. a zipscreen, including installation.

Unfortunately the Bunnings DIY blinds don’t fit my balcony.

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Welcome to the Community @ripples88. You might also find and query a local Brissie area Facebook group for recommendations, all taken with scepticism but sometimes there are some good replies that are helpful if not just suggestive.

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Good luck with your hunt.

We live at the southern end of the Gold Coast and the quotes I received to replace our Aldi blinds DIY (similar to the sort you probably saw at Bunnings) were extortionate.

We have five blinds joined together with the zip sections that came with the blinds. From memory the blinds cost something like $50 each, so a total of $250. The quotes we received from a couple of larger firms to replace these blinds were is the order of $2,500-$3,000 (non motorised).

Two difference were that our current blinds are a 2.4m drop, and the quoted blinds would have been about a 2.9m drop all the way to the floor, and these would have had 20mm aluminium tracks vertically to hold them in place.

Basaed on recent purchases, the cost of the aluminium would have been about $105 if they paid retail price. Plus add say another $100 for the extra material to get it to the floor. Call it $200 extra cost. Therefore a quote of say $1,000 could have been justified, but not the $2,500-$3,000 quoted.

Still, compared to your $1,200 quote, our quotes were cheap. :thinking:

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Hello, we are wanting to get outdoor blinds installed on our deck using a zip track system. We have received a couple of quotes ranging between $12k-$20k. It would be great to hear from others who have these and any tips and traps. We live in Canberra which has 4 distinct seasons and can get gusty wind days.

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We have had them for more than 10 years. They are plastic ziptrack and are used to enclose our outdoor areas. We lower them almost full time in winter to keep out the rain. They have withstood quite strong winds and keep everything in these areas clean and dry. We’d get them again as they are much better than the outdoor awning type blind.

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I have just installed a second hand ziptrack 3m by 2.5m. The design is good as unlike many blind systems the blind cannot flap in high wind which greatly extends its life.

For those who haven’t seen one, the blind is fastened on all sides when down. It is on the roller at the top, in the tracks on each side and it has a stiff bar that can be locked in position at the bottom. In my second hand item there is some sun bleaching on part of the blind but no signs of wear including the section that slides in the track.

The material of the blind and the fittings are all good quality and I expect it to last well.

However they are expensive. The one I bought would retail for over $1000 plus installation. I paid $120 and installed it myself. I think the variation in price you have been quoted is in installation assuming they are all actually Ziptrack ™ and not an imitation. I would be examining the cheaper quotes and asking for references so you can check with previous customers about the quality of installation, timeliness etc.

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I bought outdoor blinds through blinds online … look good work on a crank handle which is a bit clumsy … my issue is ( which I should have taken into account) is the blinds don’t withstand any wind … blow out of the tracks …they really aren’t suitable for outdoors unless u never get more than a breeze

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Hi TrickyT - I have moved your post to an existing topic. Having lived once upon a time in Canberra, I know that depending on where you are, it can be both very hot and very cold, and sometimes very very windy. Consequently, I would not be getting any plastic track fittings as the strong sun and possibly sub-zero temperatures would perish them very quickly. Aluminium tracks would be what I would go for.

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Thanks for the tips thus far, very helpful. We’re reviewing ziptrak and helio systems (helio much more expensive). Probably getting a mesh screen for sun reduction/privacy, rather than plastic. Would be good to hear if anyone has the mesh screens and how they fare with rain. Cheers :slight_smile:

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The screens are a mesh that is great long warranty the tracks are aluminium & quite deep but blinds still blow out of the tracks with any wind…I think the sides need to be have some rigidity these don’t

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Are you suggesting expanding metal mesh?

Our experience with them on doors is variable,

  • Good at seeing out but not in and do keep the sun out
  • Resistant to strong wind
  • Light rain tends to runoff
  • Can rattle in a breeze
  • To keep small insects out they require a fly screen backing
  • Tend to block lighter breezes
  • Strong winds with heavier rain water will come through and spray across the flooring
  • Galvanised steel versions (powder coated) in various colours. They will progressively rust from the sharp cut edges in sea exposed or humid environs.
  • Great dust catches best cleaned with soapy water and a light spray rinse.

While not necessarily providing Australian Standards rated security they are more resistant to lightweight attempts at forced entry, compared to fabric or plastic blinds.

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The tracks are solid aluminium it is just the blinds they are rigid at all on the sides so blow out of the tracks

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Hello, I am new to this community and could not find a similar post on this topic. I am thinking of installing a meshed outdoor roller blinds to “enclose” my patio for entertainment & privacy. Anyone installed one of these? And if you have, what do you think of the company that installed and the quality of both materials & workmanship? Currently we have 1 quote for 3 panels of about 4 metres and 2.4 metres drop each of meshed blinds operated by rod & crank for $7500.00. Is that a reasonable quote?

Welcome to the Community @khuen,

I merged your query into this existing topic while a bit broader is germane. I modified the topic title to make it more obvious of its inclusions.

In 2016 I purchased a ‘Lifestyle Awnings & Blinds’ (Melbourne) 4960x2350 mesh blind, installed, with a manual crank. It was/is an excellent product at $2,527. The dated purchase price could be irrelevant today but suggests your quote is probably reasonable.

The sales person was excellent in selling me what I needed and not more. Others tried to sell motorised blinds at $$$ (plus a sparky) but my application would not require adjustment more than a few times a year; the cranking effort is very low.

I hope that helps.

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