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Choosing
the Perfect Blinds
or Shades for Your Home
When
you want that perfect look for your home, it
takes time and imagination, but you also have
to keep it fun and exciting. This is especially
true when selecting the right window blinds or
shades as these tend to be some of the most
important items you can use in decorating a
room. Blinds
and shades control the natural light entering
the room, which allows the blinds or shades
selected to become either the focal point of
your décor or to blend with your décor.
It is because of this that the blinds or
shades that you select will often set the tone
of the room.
When
deciding to install either shades or blinds,
you must first understand that shades and
blinds differ in style but also share many
similarities, such as provide privacy as well
as control the natural light entering the room.
Some
types of shades can like cellular, or honeycomb
shades can actually help you conserve energy
because they trap air between their layers of
materials.
This trapped air acts as excellent
insulation while filtering daylight as they
also provide privacy.
The amount of trapped air increases the
insulating properties of the blinds.
For example, double or tripled cell
cellular shades provide better insulating than
single cell cellular shades.
If
you want to control the amount of light
entering a room, then you may be interested
more in window blinds, which are designed to be
opened at various angles giving you better
control of the amount of light allowed into the
room. Window
blinds can also be pulled completely up to
allow in the maximum amount of light.
Shades on the other hand are designed to
roll or fold up in order for light to enter the
room. Therefore,
to help you make your decision between blinds
or shades, you must first decide how you want
to allow the light into your room.
Other facts, you may want to consider is
the light source of the room, the size of your
windows, and the look you want to achieve.
When
speaking about the size of your windows, you
must understand that size does make a
difference in how beautiful your new window
treatments will look. You can purchase the
perfect blinds for your home, but if they
don’t fit correctly, then they won’t be
perfect. Windows
in older home often have deeper frames, than
more modern homes, which often have shallow
frames.
This means that if your widows have deep
frames, then when mounting your blinds it may
be best to mount them on the inside of the
window frames, whereas if your windows have
shallow frames, then it may be better to mount
your blinds on the outside of the window
frames. In
addition you also have to take into
consideration the size of the blind slates.
If you have two-inch blinds but the
depth of your window frame is only an inch,
then your blinds will not hang properly if
mounted on the inside of the frames.
When mounting blinds on the outside
frames, you want to ensure that your blind is
wide enough to cover the entire window opening.
To
help ensure that you purchase the right size
blinds, make sure that you measure your windows
correctly.
To start with, never use a cloth tape to
measure your windows. Always use a hard-edge ruler or steel measuring tape.
Your next step is to carefully measure
every window thoroughly, horizontally at the
top, center, and bottom and vertically along
both sides as well as in the center, then
finally diagonally.
By taking all of these measurements, you
will be able to tell if your windows are
square. Make sure that you measure every window.
Don’t
be surprised if your windows are not perfectly
square, especially if you have wood windows
that are more than ten years old, as older
homes can settle which could result in windows
and doors not being square. If you have a window that isn't square, you may want to
consider mounting the blinds on the outside of
the frame. If you are more concerned about the amount of light that
enters the room, then keep in mind to minimize
the amount of light it is recommended that
blinds should overlap the window opening at
least 2" on both sides as well as at the
bottom of the window.
After
you have installed all of your window blinds,
if you discover that you have a blind that
telescopes to one side when it is raised,
it’s possible that the window is not level.
Many brands of blinds have an adjustable
bottom rail weight that can be moved to
compensate for the unleveled window frame and
reduce telescoping.
Before
you pull out your credit card and purchase your
blinds you first must decide what function you
want the blinds to serve.
Do you want them to help reduce your
energy costs, provide privacy, or simple
enhance the rooms décor?
Once you have decided the function the
blinds or shades will serve, your next step is
to ensure that you purchase the correct size.
To fully understand how to correctly
measure your windows please see our section on
How to measure for your blinds.
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