For bathroom venetian blinds, go with PVC or aluminium. Both cope with steam and both wipe clean, and PVC gives you the look of painted timber without the risk of slats bowing. Real timber is better kept for the dry rooms of the house.
What steam does to a venetian
A bathroom gets a hit of hot, wet air once or twice a day and then cools down. Moisture settles on every slat, and in a room with a small window and a tired exhaust fan it can sit there for hours.
Timber venetians are sealed, but they are still wood. Repeated damp works into the slat ends and around the holes where the cords pass through, and over time slats can bow or the finish can lift. It happens slowly, which is why people rarely connect it to the shower.
PVC does not soak up water, and neither does aluminium. That is the whole reason they are the default for wet rooms.
PVC: the timber look for wet rooms
PVC venetians are usually made to look like painted or stained timber, which is why the industry also calls them faux wood or timber look. From the doorway they read much like a timber blind.
They make sense in an ensuite that opens off a bedroom with timber venetians, because the two rooms stay consistent. Damp does not bother PVC the way it bothers timber, so you get the look without the worry.
The catch is weight. PVC slats are heavier than timber, so a wide PVC blind takes more effort to raise. On a big bathroom or laundry window, two narrower blinds are often easier to live with than one wide one.
The range is on our PVC venetian blinds page.
Aluminium: slim and easy to wipe
Aluminium venetian blinds handle condensation without lasting damage and wipe clean in a few seconds. In a 25mm slat they suit the small, high windows most bathrooms have, and they sit comfortably in a shallow reveal.
Aluminium is also a good call for a laundry, or a kitchen window near the cooktop where grease settles. A damp cloth with a drop of dishwashing liquid takes it off.
If you are weighing up slat sizes, our guide to slimline and 50mm venetian blinds covers which width suits which window.
Where the blind sits in the room
A window inside the shower recess, or right above the bath, gets splashed, not just steamed. Even PVC looks tired if it is soaked every morning, and the cords and ladder tapes show it first. For a window like that, ask whether the glass is already frosted enough on its own, or whether the blind can sit clear of the spray.
Then there are the controls. A venetian runs on a tilt wand and a lift cord, and in a bathroom you do not want either hanging over the basin or dangling into the tub. Our venetians are made to order, so the tilt side gets set for the room at the measure.
Cord safety still applies in a bathroom. Under the Australian rules a loose cord must not be able to form a loop of 220mm or more within 1600mm of the floor, so the lift cord gets a cleat fixed out of reach.
Privacy without losing the light
Most bathroom windows need privacy all day and daylight for most of it. A venetian handles that well, because you can angle the slats to let light in while cutting off the view.
Test it from outside at night with the bathroom light on. A lit room behind slats left half open shows more than you would guess, and it is better to find that out from your own front path than from a neighbour.
Keeping them in good shape
Run the exhaust fan during and after a shower, and leave the slats open for a while so they dry. Wipe the slats with a damp cloth every few weeks, because soap residue and hairspray leave a film that grabs dust.
For a proper clean, our guide on how to clean venetian blinds goes through it step by step.
If a bathroom, laundry or ensuite is next on the list, Steve brings samples when he measures, so you can see the options against your own tiles and vanity before anything is made. Book a free measure and quote and we will set the controls to suit the room.
Common questions
Can timber venetian blinds go in a bathroom?
In a powder room, or a large bathroom with good ventilation and no daily showers, sealed timber usually copes. In an ensuite that steams up every morning we point people to PVC or aluminium instead, because repeated damp is what makes timber slats bow over time.
Is PVC or aluminium better for a bathroom?
Both handle moisture well. PVC suits you if you want the timber look and a wider slat. Aluminium is lighter, slimmer and better in a shallow reveal or a small high window.
Do PVC venetian blinds go mouldy?
The slats do not absorb water, so mould has very little to hold onto. What can grow it is a film of soap and dust left damp, mostly on the cords and ladder tapes. Good ventilation and a wipe every few weeks keep it away.
Will a closed venetian give full privacy in a bathroom?
Yes. With the slats tilted shut nobody can see in, though small slivers of light pass at the edges and through the cord holes. Half open is where privacy depends on the angle, so check it from outside at night.
Do the same rules apply to laundries and kitchens?
Mostly, yes. A laundry gets plenty of damp, so PVC or aluminium is the safer pick. Near a cooktop, aluminium is the easiest to degrease, and timber is better kept away from the steam of a kettle or a sink.