DIY Bamboo Shades

Easy Inexpensive DIY faux Bamboo shades

DIY bamboo shades that are easy to make and add a beautiful boho farmhouse style to your home. I had been dreaming of adding natural elements to this bright space for some time. I went online and orders shade samples. The samples came in and I loved the texture and colors however when I sat down and put the measurements in I was shocked at the estimate. It was going to cost well over $1000 for 5 windows 😳

That is when I decided to price out shades at home improvement stores. When I typed out bamboo in the search engine of Home Depot, bamboo fencing came up. It was a roll of bamboo for $25 bucks. That was my light bulb moment. If the fencing didn’t work it was only $25 bucks. I HAD to give it a try, and boy am I glad I did!!!

supplies need for faux shades

• Bamboo fencing
• 1 x 2 Strip Board (the amount will vary depending on window size)
• Wood Screws
• Ladder
• Impact drill
• heavy duty scissors/nippers
• wire

Lets DIY

The process itself is very messy but well worth it. Cut the 1×2 to the length of the inside of your window. This piece can be slightly smaller than your window. Check to make sure it can be easily screwed to the inside of the window. I laid out the bamboo fencing to make sure all the windows shades would be the same length, but it doesn’t have to be exact they are easy to adjust later.

I have 4 pieces of 1×2 here. I was able to get 5 windows done with one roll of fencing. 👏👏. This is where you can get creative with the folds and lengths of the bamboo. I overlapped the bamboo to hide the wood piece. I also added folds to make the shades look more authentic. You can secure the folds and the wood piece with wire. Once you have the length needed you will then cut the wire in the bamboo. I used nippers to cut the wire. Once I cut the wire on the entire length of the bamboo, I then went back and twisted the wire back on the bamboo. A quick twist was enough.

Now the messy part, cutting the bamboo to the width of your window. The 1×2 will be your guide. The cutting will depend on your scissors. I was using nippers at first but that was taking too long. I found a pair of heavy-duty scissors in the garage and that went much faster.

Once you have the bamboo cut to your window and the folds and 1×2 attached with wire you can screw the 1×2 into the inside of your window. Using an impact drill really helped. You can cut and adjust the bamboo as needed.

5 bamboo shades for under $50

As you can see I completed this DIY in October and Scary Potter was no help. LOL. He just sat there and watched me do all the work. I have a video and more pictures and tips on my Instagram page. Overall this was a great solution if you can get away with faux shades. These shades are NOT functional. They will NOT close and provide privacy. I am adding curtains for softness. That will be another post. I was able to get queen sheets to work as long curtain panels. Woohoo!!

There are so many wonderful bamboo blinds but they are very costly. This easy DIY bamboo blind tutorial will save you lots of money. Please let me know if you give this tutorial a try.