The number one complaint about privacy screens on review sites isn’t that they fall apart — it’s that you can still see through them. A screen sold as “privacy” that is really just a light shade cloth leaves you feeling exposed. The fix is choosing the right density and installing it properly. This guide shows you both.
A privacy screen is a knitted or woven mesh, and every mesh is a trade-off between blocking the view and letting air and light through. Manufacturers make light, open screens because they are cheap and let wind pass — but at 70–80% density you can still make out shapes and movement behind them. True privacy starts around 90% opacity.
Three things decide how much you can see through a screen:
If you want to genuinely block the view — for a balcony, pool, perimeter fence or construction site — choose a screen rated 90–95% opacity with a dense knit and higher GSM. It still breathes and lets breeze through, but from a few metres away it reads as a solid wall. For a partial screen that just softens the view, 80% is a good compromise.
A privacy screen catches wind like a sail. If it is only fixed along the top, the bottom billows and slaps, and the whole panel works loose. The fix is simple: fix every grommet, at even tension, on both top and bottom — and add intermediate ties on long runs. For exposed sites, a denser screen actually behaves better than a loose one, because less wind gusts through the gaps. Pair it with a windbreak net where the wind is the main problem.
Cheap screens come with thin eyelets that rust and pull out, and flimsy zip ties that snap in the first frost. Look for brass or reinforced stainless grommets and use UV-stable cable ties. Stronger hardware costs almost nothing but is what keeps the screen up after a storm, not the fabric.
If you already own a light screen, you don’t have to bin it — two light layers staggered over each other block far more than the sum of their parts, because the gaps no longer line up. But a single dense screen is neater, cheaper over time and easier to tension. When the priority is real privacy, buy the right density once.
For more, see our privacy screen installation and privacy fence netting.
| GSM | Typical opacity | Privacy level |
|---|---|---|
| 60–80 gsm | 70–80% | Light screening |
| 100 gsm | ~90% | Real privacy |
| 100–160 gsm | 90–95% | Near-total screening |
Around 100 gsm and up, with a tight knit, reads as solid from a few metres. Below 80 gsm you will still see shapes through it.
It reduces wind, but its real job is the view. If wind is your main concern, a purpose-made windbreak net with a wider mesh and denser yarn works better.
Yes, if it is UV-stabilized HDPE and fixed at even tension on every grommet. Retension it after storms and it will last for years.
Dense knit, high GSM, brass grommets and every point fixed at even tension. Get those four right and the view is gone for good. Tell us your fence or balcony size and we’ll quote a screen that truly blocks the view.
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