New Features of Bamboo Shades and What to Ask When You Buy Them

Bamboo shades have already made its way inside the homes and palaces of Japanese noblemen centuries before it has been commercialized in the west. While bamboo as a raw material is cheap and affordable that even families from the lower class can afford, the sophistication of its natural color and texture have matched the tastes of many Japanese royalties in the past. This liking is due to the fact that bamboo shades can complement almost all sorts of decorating and designing styles.

Today, many homeowners prefer using natural bamboo shades instead of drapes because the latter is quite costly as compared to the former. In addition, bamboo shades have also evolved and are now infused with many different features. Here are some of these features:

Feature 1: Liners

A liner is a special feature added to naturally woven bamboo shades. Since bamboo shades allow natural light to pass through, without the liners you should expect a lot of light coming in. There are two kinds of liners currently available as a bamboo shade feature: (1) Privacy Liners and (2) Room Darkening Liners. The first one is specially intended to allow some light to pass through the bamboo shades but with the gaps within the shade covered by a thin natural fabric. This fabric keeps the inside the room barely visible from the outside. The second one is designed to completely block any light from coming in. When using this type of a liner as a bamboo shade feature, make sure that your bamboo shade is not mounted from the inside or else light will still pass through the sides of the bamboo shades.

Feature 2: Edge-Binder

The edges of the bamboo shade is the portion of the shade that is most likely to get damaged. Edge-binders are used to conceal these edges to protect the shade from damages. Since the edge-binders are made from fabric that is sewn on these edges, this feature also enables the owner to work on the bamboo shade to make it match the decors of the house more. The owner may pick the kind and color of the fabric that is to be used.

Feature 3: Duofolds

A duofolod is also known as a top-down or a bottom-up lift. This feature allows the owner to have full control of the amount of light that gets into the room. With a duofld, the bamboo shade may be pulled down from the topmost portion of the window to as far as the floor.

These features might have convinced you to buy bamboo shades of your own, so it is quite important that you also learn what to ask when buying bamboo shades. The list provided below aims to help you with that.

- Ask about the quality, or to be more specific, about what you meant with “quality”. Ask about the stitching or about the way the bamboo is woven. While you ask, also test the item you are buying. Tesk if the shade raises properly or smoothly.

- Ask about the features of the bamboo shades. Find out if you can have a top-down or ask about the features already given earlier. Just remember that the more features you add, the more that you are supposed to pay.

- Ask about customization options. While there are standard sizes for windows, yours might be sized differently for aesthetic purposes. You should ask if bamboo shades can be customized to perfectly fit your window. Customized bamboo shades are more expensive than ready-to-mount ones so it would be wise if you compare prices first.  So you should not expect cheap bamboo shades that are custom-made.  If you find the cost too high and you can settle for a bamboo shade that is of close fit to your window, then maybe you should buy the latter instead.

- Ask for repair and replacement options. This means that you also have to ask about the possible problems that you might encounter in the future with respect to your bamboo shade. You should confirm if a warranty is provided. Also ask about the terms by which the item can be replaced if damaged.

You can add more questions in the list. What’s important is that you learn how to be inquisitive before you make your purchase.