Frequently asked questions

Ready made blinds are made in Asia, sent to NZ and then sold here by warehouse stores. They are usually available in a very limited assortment of sizes and components and that’s why they rarely fit your windows and doors properly. What’s more, if you decide to adjust the length or width of your ready made blinds and cut them down a bit, be prepared to encounter such problems as fraying fabric and the lack of symmetry. In other words, you can’t actually adjust ready made blinds without losing their functionality.

Another obvious drawback is that ready made blinds are often of poor quality. That’s why they are a bit cheaper than custom made products. Ready made shades tend to fade, crack or rumple easily. Plus, it’s really hard to repair these blinds, as the components are nearly impossible to source. So when a ready made blind breaks, instead of getting a simple quick-fix, you’ll have to replace the whole window treatment.

Blinds and shades come in a variety of different types, materials, and sizes. They can be indoor and outdoor.

Most popular indoor shades are:

– Vertical blinds

Vertical blinds are made up of individual vertical slats that run along a track at the top of the blind. They can either open by parting in the middle, or just by pulling them from side to side. These blinds are a great choice for ranch sliding doors and large bay windows. Vertical shades look good on smaller windows too.

– Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds feature 25 mm or 50 mm horizontal slats which are held together by a string. When your raise the blinds, the bottom slat goes up to the slat above it, so that the slats get stacked together.

– Mini blinds

Mini blinds are an elegant variety of Venetians. They look sleek and modern because of their slats that are twice thinner than the ones of a standard Venetian blind. At SunGuard, we offer a 25 mm option, which will look great in your kitchen, bathroom or office.

– Pleated shades

Pleated shades are mae from fabrics that form an accordion-like pattern. They can be raised or lowered. They are modern and stylish, which makes them the perfect choice for your living room.

– Cellular shades

Cellular shades are very much similar to pleated coverings. However, cellular shades are made of two different layers of fabric. The front and back sections are open in the middle, which creates stylish pockets that provide better temperature control. Cellular shades are available in 10 mm and 20 mm cell sizes designed to fit different windows.

– Roller blinds

They are usually made from synthetic fabrics and can be rolled up or down.

Roller shades are available in a wide range of styes and colours. They are durable and versatile. At SunGuard, we offer blackout, sunscreen, lightfiltering, thermal and dual roller blinds.

There are several ways of mounting roller blinds onto your windows and doors. The budget open system allows you to see the components and mounting hardware. If you opt for a fascia system, you’ll get all of the components of the shade hidden and your roller blinds will boast a more polished look.

Blackout, room darkening and light filtering blinds offer different extent of light control.

Blackout shades block 100% of all incoming light. This is why they are best for bedrooms, media rooms, or any other area where you need total darkness.

Room darkening blinds are made from fabrics that block between 95% and 99% of the light that enters your home or office.

Light filtering blinds block less than 95% of the light. They provide privacy while still allowing some light to shine through. They will be ideal for your living room, dining room, kitchen or any other room where privacy and light are equally important.

These days, blinds are manufactures from a great variety of materials, which means that they all look and work differently. Let’s have a quick look at their benefits:

– Metal blinds are very often made from aluminium, so they don’t rust easily. If you’re keen to get these sturdy and affordable blinds, browse our aluminium venetian blinds section.

– Synthetic blinds are also really popular with Kiwis. They are great value for money, plus, these shades come in a wide range of colours and patterns, meaning that they will look great in any room of your house. They are widely used for roller blinds.

– Wooden blinds are elegant and stylish. They don’t come cheap, but they look simply gorgeous and are definitely worth their money. Click here to see our timber blinds.

– Faux wood blinds also known as synthetic wood or wood effect blinds are a combination of wood components and synthetic plastic materials. This material allows to get the elegant look of wood while still keeping the low-maintenance advantages. Shop faux wood blinds now!

At SunGuard, we believe it’s very important to manufacture all blinds and awnings here, in NZ. This way we can maintain total control over the quality of fabrics, components and the production process in general.

We do import some special fabric and components from Europe and Australia, but we carefully check their quality before the actual manufacture process takes place in Auckland.

We are a proudly 100% NZ owned and operated business.

Yes, we do! We offer a FREE in-home measurement and consultation service. We also give you a free quote, and it’s completely up to you whether to accept it.

After you place an order and we receive the payment, it takes us 1-2 weeks depending on the type of product and fabric availability in stock. For all orders, we require a 60% deposit before we can process the order. Browse our terms and conditions for more information.

In most cases, you can wipe your window blinds with a clean, damp cloth. Do not use any type of detergent as this may damage or stain your window shades. For the very same reason, please avoid oil or any other lubricants. Feel free to ask our staff about cleaning and general maintenance of your custom blinds.

Bathrooms are wet and humid, so bathroom windows need solid and practical blinds. They need to be easy to clean, moisture and heat resistant. This is why the most popular bathroom blinds are venetian shades (aluminium or wood effect venetian blinds). You may also choose vertical blinds or roller shades. To explore our wide range of options, please browse our blinds for bathroom section.

We offer calm and fresh colours that will easily fit in with your interior design.

For the bottom rail, you can choose either a round, oval or flat profile available in black, white, cream and silver colours. The control unit comes in black, white, cream or grey, and the chains are available in black, white, cream or chrome.

We can manufacture and install blinds for windows and doors of all shapes and sizes.

In most cases, we are able to make roller blinds up to 2970 mm in width, venetian blinds up to 2890 mm in width, and vertical blinds up to 5000 mm in width. But it’s always good to ask our experts to come and have a look at your windows or doors, as there may be some other factors that we should take into consideration while choosing the right window dressing for your home or office. So please contact our technical team if you seek expert advice on window treatments for your non-standard windows or doors.

If you have any problems with your blinds please contact us  so that we can help you.

SunGuard offers two popular types of indoor shutters for your home and office: wooden and PVC.

Wooden shutters are very popular with Aucklanders. The natural allure of wood is undeniable. As well as being a heavy-duty material, wood will give your shutters a great look and traditional feel. We offer 63 mm, 89 mm and 114 mm louvres, in both traditional elliptical and contemporary flat styles.

Our PVC shutters are made from a durable, non-toxic, synthetic material. They are moisture resistant and are even more practical than wooden shutters. Louvres are available in 63mm, 89mm and 114 mm sizes, and it’s hard to tell our PVC shutters from the wooden ones!

Awnings are absolutely necessary for your patios, porches, balconies and decks. They create more great space for you and your family to enjoy without worrying about the harsh NZ sun.

As awnings provide excellent outdoor shade, they are also a wonderful way to keep your rooms cool – the heat stays outside. If your children love playing in the backyard, awnings are virtually indispensable in summer!

At SunGuard, we offer fantastic retractable and pivot arm awnings for your homes, offices, children’s playgrounds, cafes and restaurants.

We offer retractable (open, cassette and pelmet systems), fixed and pivot arm awnings, outdoor sunscreeen blinds, aluminium shutters. You can choose either automatic or manual control for all of the systems.

You can easily extend our retractable awnings to create cool shade in your patio, yard or garden and then retract them so that you can enjoy the sun.

Retractable awnings can be operated manually with a hand crank or you can opt for the motorised option. If motorized, awnings can be extended/retracted with a button, remote control or sensor. Sensor-operated awnings are fantastic for NZ, as they can be programmed to extend/retract automatically when the weather conditions change.

Our fixed awnings are wall-mounted and provide constant shade and protection. They are solid and durable, resistant to NZ winds. However, they cannot be extended/retracted when you wish so.

Pivot arm awning is a projection window awning. Its arms operate from a vertical position when the awning is fully retracted, to 90-160° when fully extended. At SunGuard, we offer two main pivot arm awning systems: open-roll and cassette.

An open roll-out option (up to 6 metres wide with projection up to 1,6 metres). It can be supplied with an aluminium hood to protect the fabric when not in use.

A cassette roll-up awning (up to 4,2 metres wide with a maximum projection of 1,4 metres) comes with a headbox that fully protects the fabric. With its adjustable anchoring brackets, a cassette roll-up awning can be mounted on any type of surface, e.g. under the eaves.

Both systems can be either manual or automated.

At SunGuard, we offer three most popular types of outdoor sunscreen blinds:

– a simple roll down exterior blind system with no side guides;

– a roll down exterior blind with stainless steel cable guides for an enhanced windbreak;

– an external sunscreen with aluminium side channels for the maximum windbreak and better operation experience.

Our aluminium shutters are made up from individual extruded aluminium slats available in three sizes: 63, 89 and 114 mm. These shutters are extremely durable and easy to clean, which makes them great for wet areas. Moreover, aluminium shutters provide excellent security.

They are extremely efficient, quick to install and easy to operate.

SunGuard external sunscreens can be installed on the outside of windows and doors and between adjacent areas of balconies. They are great for large windows. By lowering outdoor sunscreens you can easily put an end to the harmful UV and enjoy excellent views out of your windows.

We offer a wide selection of fabrics for outdoor blinds.

One of our most popular ones is Uniline ScreenView – 5% Exterior Screen. It is a heavy duty awning fabric available in a wide range of colours: from light natural tones of sandstone to contemporary slate grey.

This sunscreen fabric is perfect for external windows and screening pool and entertaining areas. It offers sun and glare protection, fantastic outward visibility and ideal inward light filtration.

ScreenView 5% Exterior Screen Fabric is backed by a 5 year guarantee.

The materials used in our awnings are metals like steel and aluminum and fabrics – acrylic and mesh.

Here at SunGuard, we offer a great variety of colours available in plains, tweeds and stripes.

We use top quality 100% acrylic woven fibre fabrics, which have been on duty for 30 successful years. Our fabrics are sun and fade resistant, air permeable and water repellent. The best thing about these fabrics is their fantastic sun smart protection rating: U. P. F. 50+/ S. P. F. 100.

We carefully select only high-quality fabrics and components for all our products. Our awnings come with a 5-7 year guarantee period, and we expect them to last much longer than that.

Plus, you can extend the life of your awning by retracting it during winter months and being diligent about cleaning and maintenance.

Awnings are quite sturdy and reliable and don’t need much maintenance. The main maintenance that can be done is getting the fabric cleaned or washed from time to time. Don’t leave your awnings unattended for a long period of time.

You can use mild detergents and water to clean your acrylic canvas fabric. We recommend regular cleaning (approximately once in 6 months) of both the hardware and the fabric.

We recommend awnings to be out in moderate winds (categories 5 & 6 according to Beaufort wind force scale). Fixed frame awnings can easily withstand strong winds.

Having a wind sensor supplied will save you time and make sure the awning is retracted if the wind gets too strong.

Acrylic canvas fabric is water resistant, and will withstand a large amount of water before it starts to drip through. We offer top-quality Docril and Planosol fabrics.

Docril fabrics are durable and stylish. They are coated with Dupont Teflon and have great resistance to water, high temperatures, corrosion and cracking.

Planosol fabrics are made from 100% spun-dyed branded acrylic and guarantee for the highest functionality. The special finish of the fabric prevents the permeation of water, humidity and dirt.

Our awnings are designed for shade protection in moderate wind conditions winds (categories 5 & 6 according to Beaufort wind force scale). Despite being water resistant, our products are not designed for weather protection. So if you want your awnings to last longer, we recommend retracting them in windy conditions or if they collect water.

You can use weather sensors for effective control of your awnings. They are installed at the midpoint or in the arm angle of your awning and are easily adjusted if necessary.

If you opt for an arm angle sensor, make sure that the awning sheds water. If it does not, the fabric will become permanently stretched and must be replaced. If you notice that it collects water, please retract the awning immediately and call us. We’ll come and fix it!

To install some awnings you might need a consent. You can easily check if you need any special documentation online on the Auckland Council’s website.

Our awnings are designed for shade protection in moderate wind conditions winds (categories 5 & 6 according to Beaufort wind force scale). Despite being water resistant, our products are not designed for weather protection. So if you want your awnings to last longer, we recommend retracting them in windy conditions or if they start to collect water.

You can use weather sensors for effective control of your awnings. They are installed at the midpoint or in the arm angle of your awning and are easily adjusted if necessary.

If you opt for an arm angle sensor, make sure that the awning sheds water. If it does not, the fabric will become permanently stretched and must be replaced. If you notice that it collects water, please retract the awning immediately and call us. We’ll come and fix it!

Yes, we do! Our online blind shop provides free no-obligation in-home consultation and measurement service across greater Auckland – from Orewa to Pokeno and from Kumeu to Clevedon. Call us now!

Yes, you can, but please be very careful. If you make a mistake, we may not be able to alter your blinds or awnings. This means that we’ll have to remake them and you’ll have to pay extra.

First, decide what awning you need and where you want to have it installed. Browse our awning section to choose the best system and fabric.

Then have a closer look at the space, as it has to be big enough to accommodate your new addition. Next, you need to measure two things: width and projection.

Measuring width is a piece of cake! To know the ideal awning width, just measure along the exterior wall of your house or the opening you want to mount your awning in.

Measuring the projection is a little trickier. You need to measure up the area you’d like the awning to cover. Keep in mind some other factors, such as the angle of the awning. Every retractable awning needs to have a certain slope that is required for effective shedding of water off the awning. The angle can be altered during installation, but keep in mind that you need to have enough clearance under the front bar in order to safely use the awning.

In addition, if you are planning to install the cover above a door or window, you’ll need to have at least 25-30 cm above the doorway to allow enough space for the mounting brackets.

Don’t hesitate to call us if you have questions about measurement or installation of your awnings! Please remember that we do offer an absolutely free no-obligation measurement and quote service across greater Auckland.

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