5 Window Treatment Ideas To Improve Your Home
Coming up with interesting window treatment ideas that bring out the best in your windows as they bring in the sunshine, is a challenge to anyone with a yen to decorate. There are tons of non-traditional options and tips to make the most of what you have, and give your windows that million dollar look on a mostly discount budget.
How about recycling old items? If you inherited lace tablecloths that are no longer fresh and white, you can still get a lot of mileage and an interesting antique window treatment, by using a sewing machine to turn the tablecloths into window curtain panels. You might even have some old lace curtains on hand, that need to be brightened, but the bleaches have failed you.
Accept their “age” and build on it, by staining them with tea for a totally antique look. Simply take a bucket and use half hot water and half boiling water, to “steep” 30 black tea bags. When the water is dark, add your curtains and stir the mixture. Then let them sit for 30 hours, with the occasional stir to keep the color evenly distributed. Remove the curtains, squeeze out the liquid, and hang them to dry.
Window treatment ideas aren’t always about curtains. The once popular wooden window blinds are making a comeback with people who prefer the warm, natural tones of wood to go with a wide variety of décors. Antique folding window covers can be had for a song at garage and auction sales, then refinished, and if you are artistic at all, decorated with tole paintings.
Little touches can add a lot to plain curtains. If you have a set of long, lined drapes and would like to liven them up, place small hooks or other mountings above where the rod is held, and top your curtains with silk flower garlands, or just silk greenery. There’s no more fuss to cleaning these, than there is to washing a swag or valance. Just put a little soft dish soap in a tub of water, swish the silk garland around, rinse and hang to dry.
Your window treatment ideas are limited only by your imagination, and the time you have to spend decorating. Some of the most interesting and attractive looks are born from using leftovers, cast-offs and your own ingenuity.
What To Expect Out Of The Cost Of Getting Plantation Shutters For Your Home
Are you in the market for plantation shutters in and are wondering what you can expect to pay? What do you have to know about getting these shutters for your window treatment in the house? These are valid issues– after all, plantation shutters do not come cheap, and individuals tend to look for methods to alleviate the expenses.
Usually, people invest around $2000 for quality window shutters and blinds. These figures can differ depending on the option of product and the size of the plantation shutters You likewise have to consider additional expenses such as shipping, setup and customisations. All these ultimately figure out the overall cost and well worth considering.
Are these prices reasonable?
Naturally, you might be wondering – what prices are considered affordable? To find the answer, you would succeed to discover a thing or more about what goes into the cost of getting plantation shutters for your windows and door treatment. A significant part that figures out what does it cost? You can suppose to invest lies in the kind of material your plantation shutters are made from. If you are aiming to take the least expensive path, then you can choose plantation shutters made from faux wood which is reasonably inexpensive (around $80 to $200) and simulates the look of hardwood although it is not as durable. Sturdy wooden shutters, on the other hand, can cost you at least $600 and supplies an outstanding balance between visual appeals and toughness.
If you would rather have the most long-lasting shutters which likewise provide the very best defence, then you ought to think about aluminium shutters. There is little else that you can do with metal shutters relating to visual appeals apart from painting them in colours that match the rest of your house. While no doubt the most costly alternative, most people would concur that they are well worth the expense as metal shutters can be a powerful deterrent against trespassers and offer unique security against the disturbing aspects.
How about going DIY (Do It Yourself)?
Another element that you have to think about when examining the expense of getting plantation shutters is the procedure of setting up the plantation shutters itself. If you are positive about your handyman skills, you can choose to get DIY plantation shutters and install them yourself which would conserve you a modest amount by not needing to pay contractor costs.
If you prefer to leave the job to an expert, then expect to pay professional expenses which begins at around $100 per hour depending on your location and overhead expense. While it represents an additional cost, most of the individuals would concur that it is well worth it particularly if you wish to make sure that the task is done right the first time.
If you understood what you are doing and have all the vital tools there’s no factor rule out the Do It Yourself approach. You would understand precisely what goes into your window treatment and can manage your expenses at the same time not to discuss the sense of achievement that you can leave it.
Treating Your Windows Can Save You Money This Winter
When it comes to saving energy, it pays to conserve. American consumers pay about $25 billion annually to heat and cool air that eventually leaks to the outdoors. The collective cost for this wasted energy is enormous, an amount equivalent to the value of the oil produced by the Alaska Pipeline.
It makes sense to think about the efficiency of your home. As you do, take some time to consider your windows. Windows are one of the leading sources of air leakage, allowing hot air to creep indoors during the summer and warm, heated air to work its way outside in the colder months. By taking the appropriate steps, you can effectively boost window insulation and better maintain the overall comfort level of your home.
Here are five window insulation tips, provided by Comfortex BlindCrafter Centers, to help you conserve energy this winter:
* Caulk cracks or holes in your windows or install weather stripping around the window sash and frame to seal off the areas prone to air flow.
* Install either interior or exterior storm windows. Storm windows can easily reduce the heat loss through your windows by 25 percent to 50 percent while limiting drafts and condensation. Be sure the storm windows have sufficient weather stripping and interlocking or overlapping joints to maximize their effectiveness.
* Insulate your home with energy-efficient window treatments, such as cellular shades, that provide an insulating barrier on your windows to prevent cold air from entering and warm air from escaping.
* Keep window treatments closed at night. Open them during the day to take advantage of the sun’s rays for natural solar heating.
* Clean your windows, especially on the southern side of your home. This allows for maximum solar gain throughout the day and clean glass allows this to happen more readily.
If you’d like to add new window treatments to help save energy in your home, you may be able to get them for free.
Styling Your Vertical Blinds
Nowadays, vertical blinds are thought of as unfashionable with the current preference and resurgence of new Venetian blinds style. No matter how much the average homemaker may want to take down and replace her blinds, this is not an easy nor inexpensive task. But there is still hope for these blinds, much more if they’re made of fabric. Updating and restyling blinds is the cheapest solution to refresh outdated and unfashionable blinds.
There are several tricks to update fabric blinds, and the most foolproof is the use of starched fabric. Pick a fabric you like or that matches your new design scheme. Measure the width and length of the vertical blinds’ slats. Divide your fabric according to this size and starch them. Starching fabrics make them more dirt-resistant. Insert these on the slats when they are dried, and you got yourself a cheaper alternative to branded fabric replacements. One useful and practical tip if you intend to use this method: pre-shrunk your fabric by soaking it in water and drying it. Your fabric could shrink during the starching and ruin your measurements. A less tedious fabric solution which would work with any blinds is draping the blinds with a sheer curtain or cloth. It’ll still allow the light in, while giving your blinds an ethereal and fresh look.
If there is too much dirt on your blinds, inserting fabric or adding sheers won’t work. Clean vertical blinds as clean as they could possibly be and dry thoroughly. This trick will change the appearance or design of the blinds so choose a wallpaper design that is classic and would go well with most themes. After choosing a wallpaper, measure the width and length of the vertical blinds’ slats and divide the paper accordingly. Stick the paper strips to your blinds by using “Wonder Under” or some paste and glue. Use a brush to put on the glue evenly and a rolling pin to prevent air bubbles from forming. Using dyes is a tricky process because it uses water which could deform the blinds. But they do give a nice tint effect to the color. The trick is to dye-brush the slats and not soaking them in dye pools. This way, the amount of water is reduced considerably.
Vertical blinds are also a great opportunity to exercise creativity. Spray painting and airbrushing blinds create a different texture and feel from ordinary paint jobs. The variety of paint textures available today gives you a wide range of choices to experiment. Adding patterns through stamps and sponges is also a creative trick. No matter which method you choose, you’ll end up with fresh looking, updated, and stylish blinds for the fraction of the cost of buying new sets of designer blinds.
How to Deal with Home Improvement Easily
We see the same scenery every single day in our houses, and that’s why so many homeowners decide that it’s time for a little remodeling. Painting the walls, rearranging the furniture, and going with new molding — these can seem like easy enough tasks from the start. However, many people find that they’re daunting. No matter what your goals are, check out these home- improvement tips.
A simple and effective tool for improving your use of energy and improving the nature of your home dynamic is to install and utilize automated thermostat systems. Although they can be expensive, they will cover their own cost over time in your overall lower energy bills while making your home more green.
Be prepared for the plumbing work to take longer than anticipated. Whether you are installing a shower, a sink or a toilet, have a backup plan in case you and your family have to go without for a while. Make sure everyone showers before beginning the work or arrange with a family member to let you spend the night if need be.
If you are buying tools and equipment for a home improvement project, don’t cheap out on the essentials. For example, a cheaply-built ladder will often fall apart while being used and low-quality paintbrushes may shed bristles into the paint, leaving ugly marks on the walls. Aim for middle-grade equipment if you are on a budget, otherwise, you may be in for some nasty accidents.
Open up the curtains and blinds during a showing to allow natural light into the home. If the outdoor scenery is not desirable, consider keeping the blinds somewhat closed to draw less attention to it. Turn on all of the lights in the home so the home looks bright and cheery instead of dark and dreary.
For the easiest modern touch to the home, consider using wallpaper. Wallpaper these days can offer quite modern and funky designs, which can generate a great update for your home. This can give you a great look for the home with less effort than painting.
Consider the value that you are adding to the home through home improvement projects. You want to make sure that what you add to the home or change in the home is going to present an investment that pays off if you sell the home. You want to add value to the home, not take it away.
Reuse as much as possible during your home improvement to save money and help the environment. If you can paint your cabinets to give them a new look, why not? Replace the knobs or handles on them as well to modernize their look. Consider painting tile instead of replacing it to freshen a room.
Something that seems on the surface to be so simple can end up being incredibly complicated if you’re not aware of how to handle a task. Painting can turn into a nightmare; adding more lights could leave you in the dark. The tips in this article will help you learn about home improvement, so put them to good use.
Improving Your Home With A Budget
Looking for some home improvement tips? Well, you have come to the right place. Listed below are tips for eager people of every skill level to partake of and use to better their home. After all, home improvement is an activity that nearly anyone can enjoy, right? Now is your chance to start and enjoy it.
To prevent a leaky roof make sure you do routine inspections for possible problems. You should do this after and major weather disturbances such as a strong storm, heavy rain or wind, hail storms, or heavy snow. Once you have found any discrepancies make sure you act on them right away.
Making changes to your bathroom can save you money on the long term. With newer equipment you are considerably reducing the risks of leaks and other issues. A dryer bathroom will last longer. When selling your home a nice bathroom will definitely increase the value of your home and help people make a quicker decision.
Adding window blinds to your windows is a great way to accomplish a sense of privacy. Many people don’t use curtains or blinds because they want to let in natural lighting. However, don’t forget that you can see outside, but whoever is outside, can also see inside. Window blinds can add to your privacy and come in different styles to choose from. You don’t have to go with the cheap plastic factory blinds. You can find some really nice wooden or bamboo shades, that do the job, just as well.
The two rooms in your home that repel or attract the most home buyers are the kitchen and the bathrooms. This is why it is very important for you to keep both of these rooms updated. Buyers love extra bathrooms and updated kitchens, so keep that in mind when planning to do any home improvement.
When looking for home improvement ideas to help your home sell, do not forget about storage space. Adding additional shelving and cabinets in the garage or custom storage to the closets are a great way to get organized, but also help in the resale of your home. Home buyers are always looking for additional storage space.
One great way to make the inside of your home sparkle is to put new molding in. New molding helps create a fresh sense in your living space. You can purchase special molding with beautiful carvings on them to add a unique touch of elegance and style to your home.
If you have a limited budget for updating your home and want to make the biggest impact value-wise, tackle your kitchen. New counter tops, cabinets, flooring, fixtures and appliances can add both value and appeal to your home if you decide to sell it, and you can enjoy the updates yourself if you plan on staying a while.
Those home improvement tips were not too difficult to understand, right? They should have provided you with some insight into what you can expect from this activity. You should now feel a bit more confident and ready to start taking on improvement jobs. Try using these tips for your next job.