Roller vs Zebra vs Vertical Blinds
Sun in your eyes at 4pm and the whole street looking in at 8pm? One of these three blinds fixes both.
This Excel Deco guide compares roller blinds (sunscreen KSh 3,499, blackout KSh 3,999 per sqm), zebra blinds (KSh 3,399 per sqm) and vertical blinds (KSh 1,799 per sqm) for Kenyan homes and offices. A 1.5 by 1.5 metre window costs from KSh 4,048, made to measure at Summit House, Moi Avenue, Nairobi CBD.
- Prices last updated October 2026
- Delivery and fitting across Nairobi
- Showroom at Summit House, Moi Avenue
- Price per sqm: From KSh 3,499, KSh 3,999 installed
- How they work: One fabric panel rolls up on a tube
- Light control: Up or down only
- Privacy at night: Full with blackout fabric
Prices last updated October 2026. Excel Deco Solutions, Summit House Room 9, Moi Avenue, Nairobi.
Roller blinds suit bedrooms and offices, zebra blinds suit living rooms and vertical blinds suit sliding doors and very wide windows. Excel Deco in Nairobi sells roller blinds from KSh 3,499 per square metre, zebra blinds from KSh 3,399 and vertical blinds from KSh 1,799, and fits roller and zebra blinds for KSh 3,999 per square metre installed.
Roller, zebra and vertical blinds compared
| Roller blinds | Zebra blinds | Vertical blinds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per sqm | From KSh 3,499, KSh 3,999 installed | KSh 3,399 to 3,799, KSh 3,999 installed | KSh 1,799 standard, KSh 5,499 heavy duty |
| How they work | One fabric panel rolls up on a tube | Two layers of sheer and solid stripes slide past each other | Vertical slats rotate and draw to one side |
| Light control | Up or down only | Open, filtered or closed in one blind | Rotate slats for fine control |
| Privacy at night | Full with blackout fabric | Full with the stripes closed, best in dimout or blackout fabric | Good when slats are closed |
| Blackout option | Yes | Yes, blackout zebra fabric | No, slats let light through at the edges |
| Look | Clean and minimal | Modern and layered | Office style, suits tall glass |
| Cleaning | Wipe clean polyester | Wipe clean, dust between layers | Wipe each slat |
| Best for | Bedrooms, offices, kitchens | Living rooms, bedrooms, receptions | Sliding doors, patio doors, wide office windows |
When should I choose roller blinds?
Choose roller blinds when you want the simplest and cheapest made to measure blind. Pick sunscreen fabric for daytime rooms where you want to cut glare and keep the view. Pick blackout fabric for bedrooms, hotel rooms and boardrooms with projectors. For an office with many windows, roller blinds in one colour keep the cost down and the look consistent. At KSh 3,999 per square metre installed, a 1.5m by 1.5m window costs about KSh 9,000 fitted.
When should I choose zebra blinds?
Choose zebra blinds for the rooms you live in during the day. The alternating stripes let you have soft filtered light in the afternoon and full privacy in the evening without touching a second blind or curtain. They are the most requested blind for living rooms in Nairobi apartments for that reason. Installed, they cost the same KSh 3,999 per square metre as a roller blind, so a 2.4m by 1.5m living room window comes to about KSh 14,400.
When should I choose vertical blinds?
Choose vertical blinds for glass that is wider than it is tall. Sliding doors to a balcony, patio doors and the long runs of glass in Nairobi office blocks all suit them. The slats draw to one side so you can walk through the door. They are the budget choice for large areas. The heavy duty grade with a stronger headrail is for very large commercial windows. Vertical blinds are not the choice for a bedroom that needs darkness, because light shows between the slats.
Which blind for which room?
| Room | Recommendation | Fabric |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Zebra | Dimout, in a colour that matches the sofa |
| Master bedroom | Roller or blackout zebra | Blackout |
| Children’s bedroom | Roller | Blackout |
| Kitchen | Roller or aluminium venetian | Sunscreen, wipe clean |
| Bathroom | Roller | Sunscreen or frosted window film instead |
| Home office | Roller | Sunscreen to cut screen glare |
| Balcony sliding door | Vertical | Standard grade |
| Open plan office | Roller | Sunscreen, one colour throughout |
| Boardroom | Roller | Blackout |
| Reception | Zebra | Translucent or dimout |
Where do these prices come from?
All prices are Excel Deco’s prices, last updated October 2026. See every type on the window blinds page.
Which blind is the cheapest?
Vertical blinds are the cheapest at KSh 1,799 per sqm. Zebra starts at KSh 3,399 and rollers at KSh 3,499.
Can I use different blinds in different rooms?
Yes. Most homes do. A common mix is blackout rollers in bedrooms, zebra in the living room and vertical on sliding doors.
Which type is easiest to clean?
Rollers are the easiest because they are one flat sheet. Vertical blinds take longest as each slat is wiped on its own.
The same window priced three ways
Take one bedroom window, 1.5 by 1.5 metres. That is 2.25 sqm. Here is what each blind costs.
- Vertical at KSh 1,799: 2.25 x 1,799 = KSh 4,048
- Zebra at KSh 3,399: 2.25 x 3,399 = KSh 7,648
- Sunscreen roller at KSh 3,499: 2.25 x 3,499 = KSh 7,873
- Blackout roller at KSh 3,999: 2.25 x 3,999 = KSh 8,998
Vertical costs about half as much as the others. Zebra and rollers cost about the same, so pick between them on looks and light, not price. Figures are rounded and fitting is quoted on WhatsApp. See the vertical blinds price guide and the zebra blinds price guide for more sizes.
Mistakes people make when choosing
- Vertical blinds on a small bedroom window. They suit tall glass and sliding doors best. On a small window a roller or zebra looks neater.
- Sunscreen roller in a bedroom. It cuts glare but not light. Choose blackout or zebra for sleep.
- A roller across a wide sliding door. One huge roller is heavy to pull. Split it or go vertical. See blinds for sliding doors.
- Choosing only on price. A cheaper blind you dislike every day is not a saving.
Still weighing up fabric and blinds against other options? Read blinds vs curtains.
Looking after each type
- Roller. Roll down fully, vacuum with a soft brush and wipe marks with a damp cloth. Let it dry before rolling up.
- Zebra. Line the stripes up so the blind is open, then dust both layers. Wipe gently so the sheer stripes do not stretch.
- Vertical. Turn the slats flat and dust them top to bottom. Wipe each slat on its own. If one gets damaged, a single slat can be replaced.
In Nairobi dust, a quick clean every two weeks keeps all three looking new.
Want to see it fitted before you buy?
Real jobs filmed on site by our team. Tap play and watch how the work is done.
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Shop the products on this page
Zebra Roller Blinds Kenya, Modern Day & Night Window BlindsKSh 3,399
Blackout Roller Blinds Kenya, Full Light Blocking & Privacy BlindsKSh 3,999
Sunscreen Roller Blinds Kenya, UV Protection BlindsKSh 3,499
Vertical Window Blinds Kenya, Modern Office Blinds InstallationKSh 1,799Questions people ask about roller, zebra and vertical blinds
Which blind is cheapest? Vertical blinds in the standard grade. Roller and zebra blinds cost about the same.
Can zebra blinds block out light completely? Yes, in blackout zebra fabric. Translucent zebra fabric softens light but does not black out a room.
Are roller blinds good for an office? Yes. They are the standard office blind. Sunscreen fabric cuts glare on screens while keeping the view.
Do vertical blinds work on a normal window? They do, but roller or zebra blinds look neater on windows that are taller than they are wide.
How long do they take to fit? A flat with six windows is fitted in half a day, three to five working days after measuring.
Related pages: Window blinds in Nairobi, zebra roller blinds, blackout roller blinds, sunscreen roller blinds, vertical blinds, aluminium venetian blinds, bamboo blinds, blinds prices in Kenya, how to measure windows.
Tell Excel Deco which rooms you are furnishing on WhatsApp 0757 753 748 and book a free measuring visit, or see all three blinds at Summit House, Room 9, Moi Avenue, Nairobi.
Prices updated October 2026.
WhatsApp: 0757 753 748 · Call: 0757 753 748 · Email: info@exceldeco.co.ke