Cafe Screen

Cafe (Omni) Blinds Features

The Café Drop Down Screen, also known as the Omni Screen, is an easy-to-install and reliable deck screen system that combines style and practicality. Designed and manufactured in New Zealand, Omni screens (or Café blinds) are tailored to meet the needs of both commercial and residential projects. These outdoor patio blinds are fantastic in their simplicity, offering a variety of applications and options to suit your deck features. Available in three different modifications—Lite, Guide, and Channel—each is designed to provide both functionality and aesthetic appeal.

Omni Lite is a minimalistic straight drop screen with floor level stainless steel anchors. Can be crank handle operated or automated, rolls neatly away when not in use.

Omni Guide is fitted with stainless steel guide wires installed at the sides of the screen. The wire guides allow safe operation when rolling away and minimise flapping in the wind when the blind is halfway open.

Omni Channel is the most popular system with aluminium side channels that increase protection and provide a streamlined finish. Blind locks are integrated into the bottom bar, leaving the floor free of hooks or latches.

Optional Features: Full Pelmet and Cast flashing

Optional finishing touches for the Omni screen enhance both its functionality and aesthetics. At the top of the blind, where the blind roll is located, we can cover one side with a flat aluminium flashing in a matching colour to the bottom rail. Attached to the back side of the fixing brackets, this 135mm flashing provides protection to the blinds from one side and covers a small gap at the top between the blind roll and the ceiling/framing above.

Another option is to enclose the blind roll at the top in a 135 mm aluminium pelmet, which resembles a box with a small gap at the bottom for the blind fabric to move up and down. The pelmet provides cover to the blind from all sides and conceals the gap between the blind roll and the ceiling.

If the optional pelmet or flashing is not used, a 20 mm gap remains between the top of the roll and the framing above. A larger gap may occur if the roof slopes at an angle, which can be covered with an extra custom-made flashing or infill.

Outdoor Blinds for Residential and Commercial Use

Cafe style (Omni) outdoor blinds are an excellent choice for both residential projects and commercial areas. Custom-made to fit your specifications in terms of width, drop, colour, and fabric, these versatile blinds enhance decks, pergolas, balconies, and the exterior of sunny windows or ranch sliders.

Additionally, we cater to businesses, including restaurants, bars, and wineries. We also provide solutions for schools, kindergartens, and other institutions. For added customisation, we can print your logo or text on our mesh or PVC outdoor blinds, helping your business stand out and attract patrons, providing both functionality and a personalised touch.

Component Colours and Fabric Options

Our Cafe screens are available in a variety of component colours and fabric options to suit your design preferences and functional needs. The standard component colours include White Pearl, Silver Pearl and Satin Black. If you prefer a custom colour, we offer Dulux custom powder coating for an additional charge, allowing you to match the screens seamlessly with your existing decor.

For fabric choices, we offer a diverse selection: Shadeview mesh comes in 36 colours, Serge Ferrari Soltis mesh in 45 colours, and waterproof Serge Ferrari Soltis W96 in 5 colours.

Additionally, you can choose clear or tinted Achilles PVC (0.75 mm), with an option for FR PVC if fire resistance is required.  Our outdoor blinds feature Achilles PVC, crafted to offer unparalleled outdoor comfort and durability in any weather. Manufactured in Japan, this UV-stabilised PVC sets the standard with its clarity and robustness, ideal for enhancing outdoor spaces in residential and commercial environments alike.

For a more traditional look, we also offer Docril Acrylic Canvas. Known for its excellent colour fastness, Docril presents a range of 79 premium fabrics in plain and striped designs. These fabrics provide superb sun protection by blocking up to 90% of harmful UV rays.

Horizontal Installation of Omni Screens

While Omni (Cafe) screens are primarily designed as drop-down blinds, they can also be installed horizontally or at a sloping angle. When fitted horizontally under the top of a pergola, they provide shade and reduce heat beneath a clear pergola cover or under timber, non-covered pergolas. This configuration not only enhances comfort by blocking direct sunlight but also helps maintain a cooler environment.

Warranties

At SunGuard, we stand by the quality and durability of our Omni / Café style screens with the following warranties:

• Workmanship: 5 years
• Components: 3 years
• Mesh: 10 years
• Achilles PVC: 3 years
• Somfy motors: 5 years
• Alpha motors: 7 years

These comprehensive warranties ensure that your investment is protected, giving you peace of mind and long-lasting performance.

SunGuard Coverage: From Auckland to Nationwide

Wherever you are in Auckland, our team delivers extensive service for outdoor blinds. We measure and install blinds across all Auckland suburbs and regions, ensuring complete coverage from Auckland City to North Shore, Rodney, Waitakere, Franklin, Papakura, Manukau, Waiheke, Omaha, Warkworth, and beyond.

We proudly offer nationwide shipping of custom-made blinds tailored to your specifications. Once crafted, we ship directly to your location for easy self-installation. Our shipping services extend to Wellington, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Greymouth, Queenstown, Dunedin, and various other towns nationwide.

Operation

Omni (Cafe) screens can be operated either manually or automatically, providing flexibility and convenience for any setting.

For manual operation, you can choose the control side (left or right) and select from various crank handle lengths to suit your specific needs.

If you prefer automated operation, Omni blinds can be motorised in any fabric, including clear PVC, mesh, or acrylic canvas. You can also choose the side where the motor is inserted (left or right) for proximity to your power outlet. The blinds should be hardwired and connected to power by a certified electrician.

We use Alpha motorisation for Omni blinds, known for its intuitive design, reliability, and competitive pricing. Alpha offers one of the best warranty policies on the market, with 7 years of coverage.

For control options, you can choose from wall-mounted switches or the Pioneer/Navigator series handheld remote controls, which offer 1, 4, 8, or 16 channel units. The Neo WiFi Hub and App allow you to control motorised products individually, by area, or the entire house remotely via the internet, including scheduling features for automated operation.

Additionally, we offer Alpha wind sensors that enable your outdoor blinds to retract automatically upon detecting high wind levels. Wireless sun and rain sensors are also available for added convenience and protection.

Our most recent Cafe Screen projects:

Cafe outdoor shades technical specifications

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Why choose our Cafe outdoor blinds?

What is a cafe screen?

A drop down screen (also known as café curtains, drop down awnings, pull down screens or external blinds) is a mesh, PVC or canvas partition that can be used for a wide variety of openings: windows, doors, balconies, patios, porches, car ports and so much more.

The main benefit of these outdoor screens is that you can retract them easily when you want to allow more sun into your home or office.

What are the café screens made of?

Our café screens consist of stainless steel mounting brackets, aluminium hardware and fabric (acrylic canvas, clear, tinted or non-transparent PVC, polyester mesh).

Click here for more technical information on our drop down screens.

What is the largest span I can cover with external screens? What is the minimum size?

Our team at SunGuard can manufacture an external drop down screen to fit any size between 500W x 500H and 4500W x 3500H.

Looking for a screen to cover larger areas, such as decks, patios, balconies, cafés?

If yes, you may want to check our page on automation options.

Can I use drop down screens for decks and patios?

Absolutely! Drop down screens are great for windows, doors, balconies, decks, carports, patios, porches, cafés, etc. We can custom design retractable screens for nearly any kind of opening.

Call us now at 0272007034 for a free consultation with our experts on outdoor blinds.

Can I see through the external screen?

This depends on the type of fabric you choose for your blinds.

Shadeview mesh fabric is available in 3 different openness factors – 3, 5 and 10%. This means it allows you to enjoy the views, but still protects you and your property from UV and heat. Click here to browse our mesh fabric collection.

Acrylic canvas is opaque. Thus, it provides the best UV protection (UPF 50+). Browse our acrylic fabric collection here.

Clear PVC is absolutely transparent, so you can enjoy wonderful views from your balcony or deck. Outdoor blinds from PVC are durable and lightweight. You’ll find them really easy to operate. Another advantage of PVC drop down screens is that they block UV, rain and wind, which is great for changeable NZ weather.

Are external blinds easy to operate? Can I get my cafe screen motorised?

Café screens roll up and down neatly with the help of a removable crank handle. Easy-peasy! And you can make things even simpler by getting your café screens motorised. Click here to learn more about automation of outdoor sunshade products.

Our most recent works:

Do café screens need much maintenance? 

Not really, café screens are easy in everyday use and don’t need much care. However, you might want to clean them once or twice a season with mild detergent and water. Just gently wipe them off so that you can get rid of the small particles of dust on the fabric, especially if you have mesh screens.

Do you want your outdoor screen to last longer? Here are some tips!

– Make sure fabric is clean and free of any debris.

– Do not wash the screens with harsh chemicals or pressure washer.

– Allow fabric to dry before you roll the screens up.

If your screens are motorised…

– If there’s something that prevents the screen from retracting, remove the obstacle, then lift the screen.

– Do not operate your screens in high winds

– Make sure that power gets to the unit without interruption

–  Replace the battery in the remote control

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