Your Must Know Guide To Window Treatments

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Your Must Know Guide To Window Treatments

By Robert Ikhtiari

http://www.bobtheblindguy.com/

Window treatments play an important role in home decorating. Not only do you
want them to look nice and add character, but they must serve a function as well;
direct or block out light, provide privacy, protect furnishings from the sun, or keep
out hot and cold air.

First Analyze Your Needs

Before deciding on a style or look for your window treatment, you must first
analyze your needs. How important is privacy, blocking light, bedroom windows
might be different than a dining room window? Ground level needs going to be
different that of 2 story. If you have a bay window t you need to know what your
options are, or what can you do for a windowed door. More and more people
want to know what types of treatments can be installed on their sliders or patio
doors. In this article, I answer some of these questions and throw my two cents
in and go over some window treatment options.

Cellular Shades Save You Money On Energy Cost

Lets start with cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades. Cellular
shades are very good insulators. A lot of the hot or cold air gets trapped in the
cells as it passes through the glass. You will definitely feel a difference when
you raise the shade in the morning. I also think this is one of the best shades to
block out light. It lets the least amount of light through along the sides. Some of
the options available are blackout, top down; bottom up, and cordless. Blackout
is a nice feature in a bedroom, I’ve installed them in the middle of a sunny day,
only for it to look like midnight after they were up. Customers are very impressed
with how much light they block out.

Top down bottom up is another nice feature.

With top down bottom up (a.k.a. TDBU) not only can you raise the bottom but
you can lower the top. Use this in a bedroom or front window facing a street, or
anywhere you want to maintain your privacy and lower the top to let in light and
see outside. One drawback is you have more cords since you will have one on
each side of the shade.

Cordless Is Idea With Young Children

Cordless cellular have no cords hence the name. You raise or lower simply by
lifting the bottom rail. This is ideal for a young child’s room or anywhere your
concerned about getting tangled up in cords. Cats won’t like them; they prefer
the type with cords. They think it’s a new toy to bat around. Cordless is also
available with top down bottom up feature.
I think cordless TDBU is a good choice for a bay window. It’s a nice clean look,
no cords hanging all over. You can still see out while having privacy. They butt
together tight to minimize gaps between them.

Want More Control Over Light And Privacy

I like wood blinds or faux woods whenever I want more control over privacy and
light. They work well in any room of the house, and they are especially good
choices for ground level or basements. If you tilt the slats where they angle up,
the you can see out, but anyone looking in can only see up at the ceiling. When
you order blinds, think about where you want to place the controls. Most are
available so you can have lift right, tilt left, or lift left, tilt right, or both controls on
the same side. This becomes critical when the blinds are installed over a corner
kitchen sink with a window in each corner. Try reaching over the counter into the
corner to grab a control; you will need a step stool every time or the assistance
of a really tall person. If, for the left window you had both controls on the left and
both on the right for the right window, then it will be easier to reach and operate.

Heres A Vertical Blind Tip

Verticals are still a good choice for sliders or patio doors, and you do have
alternatives. Before we discuss alternatives, there is one feature on a vertical I
want to make you aware of; that is opposite stack. For example, on your patio
door, say you want to stack the vanes on the left when drawn open but because
of a table, it’s difficult to get in to the left corner to operate them. In this case,
you would want to get a stack left with reverse draw, meaning it stacks to the left
with your controls on the right making life a little easier.

Good Option For Your Patio Door

Now for the alternatives. First, we have the sheer vertical; this is a vertical with
sheer fabric mounted over the veins. It offers a softer look and diffuses the light.
Next, you have the vertical cellular. Depending on the manufacturer is also
known as vertiglide, Diamond All, or Ovation. Except for a few features, they
look the same. This is basically a cellular shade in a vertical position that slides
open and shut on a head rail. All are available on a split draw or one way. They
are also very good insulators and stack much tighter than a vertical blind. You
can get them to coordinate with other cellular shades in the same room or
throughout your home.

Panel Track Is One Of The Latest Trends

Finally, as an alternative to a vertical there is a panel track. These are relatively
new, the first time I saw them was about 5 years ago. They were popular in
Europe before being introduced to the US. A panel track consists of narrow (12
or more inches wide) sheets of fabric that hang from a wheeled aluminum track
system. When closed, the panels spread out like a sliding door to give privacy
while blocking out light. When opened, the overlapping panels stack on one or
both sides. They are available in a wide variety of colors, styles, and materials.
One thing to be aware of when considering a panel track is the width of the
panels. Taking the time to look into this will ensure you will end up with the look
you want. Panel widths will vary depending on the width or your window. For
example, on a standard size patio door it might have three panels each 28
inches wide. When you draw the panels open and they are stacked to one side
they will cover up 28 inches of your patio door taking away from your view. In this
case, you might consider making the treatment wider so the panels stack more
on your wall and less on the glass. Check the panel width with the company
before you buy. Adding a couple of inches to your width might change it to four
narrower panels instead of three wider ones.

Save Yourself Some Aggravation With These Tips

I’ll touch on some other treatments before calling it quits. Woven woods are for
a more natural look. Roman shades for a softer look, and sheer horizontal
blinds, more commonly known as silhouettes, combine the softness of a sheer
with the functionality of a blind. If you can imagine a blind with a sheer fabric on
the front and back, that’s a silhouette. It creates a soft, elegant look. Roller
shades can be made with controls to raise or lower, and are very easy to
operate. These are not like the old shades you tugged on and hoped they rolled
up neatly and the spring didn’t break. Be aware there are large gaps on the
sides with roller shades letting much light in.
Skylights and arch windows can also be covered. There are cellular shades with
special track systems for skylights that can be operated by extension pole or
remote control. Arch windows will need a template. Both cellular and woods can
be used on arches. I recommend you use a professional installer to both
measure and install both skylight and arch window treatments.
I hope this opens your eyes to the wide variety of window treatments available so
that you can make a wise and educated purchase.

Read more: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Your-Must-Know-Guide-To-Window-Treatments/1006997#ixzz1otiz5KQ6
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution No Derivatives

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