Category Archives: Windows

If you ever watch any of the home makeover type shows you will hear the term faux wood blinds. Whether the show has a premise to help people sell their house, or re-design a room one of the best ways to get a new look on a budget is to use faux wood. Faux wood simply means fake and it can be used to make a lot of things, but mostly it refers to window treatments. The reason designers love to use them so much is because they provide a near identical look to real wood blinds at literally a fraction of the cost.

While a set of blinds made of real wood will… Continue Reading…

When choosing window treatments, roman blinds are a classic and versatile option, and the most classic is a white roman shade.

You might think white blinds are a decorating cliche but you should think again. Because you can custom order or make these shades in any suitable weight fabric, and mount them either within the window casing or across the front of your window, you really have a lot of options, especially when you consider that you can hang them from almost any sort of decorative curtain rod, or use a more basic blind-type mounting. You can also combine these blinds with draperies, valances, and other decorative frames, such as dried vines and flowers.

These shades are available for every budget, and can even be made as a do it yourself project by someone clever with a sewing machine. Discount department stores often stock budget premade… Continue Reading…

Curtain rods enhance the look of your curtains and provide a charming decorative accessory to any room in your home. Curtains and drapes are generally suspended from wood curtain rods. The rods serve to pull together any number of textures, patterns and colors, while adding style and reflecting your personality. They can be found in a wide variety of shapes and styles ranging from contemporary to traditional, simple to exotic. It is just a question of your personal taste and a touch of imagination.

There are hundreds of rod designs. Home decorating shows, magazines and model homes are excellent sources for ideas on how to pair rods with the room and window treatments. The rods can be found in a whole host of materials including glass, stained or painted wood, brass, iron and resin. Wooden rods are some of the most popular… Continue Reading…

Your home is a prized possession. It is the one possession that you truly want and need to take care of. It is a lifelong investment. You will probably buy it while you are relatively young, and you will more than likely raise your family in it and therefore creates thousands of countless memories along the way. One thing you will also do while you are living in your home is add value and beauty to your home by adding shutters for windows.

Windows alone look fine. But the addition of either vinyl or wood exterior shutters for windows to any home will bring about an eye-catching look that will last the entire life of your home. You can add shutters to your home easily by yourself or you can have a professional contractor come in and do the job.

Since you can install shutters to… Continue Reading…

One of the primary things that a homeowner can do to cut their heating bills in the winter is to make sure that their windows are properly weather-proofed.. Poorly sealed windows can not only cause annoying cold drafts but can also drastically increase the amount of time that your furnace has to run. This in turn creates a larger heating bill then normal. But this can be easily remedied by checking your windows for leaks and preparing it for winter. Unless you have just installed brand new windows, you should check your windows for leaks well before winter begins. In today’s article we are going to be discussing how to seal windows for winter, so that you can lower your bills and ultimately increase your home’s efficiency.

The first thing that you are going to need to do before you start this project is to gather… Continue Reading…

Religion controlled daily life in medieval times. Cathederals were decorated elaborately to show love for their God. A form of art commonly called stained glass was designed. The windows were made of colored glass and the light filtered in many beautiful colors. The windows showed a relgious scene that told a story about Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints of Christianity. Most people at that time period could not read. The use of stained glass windows did more than add beauty and light, it was an effecive way to teach people about religion.

A monk named Theophilus wrote in 1100 AD a “how to”, which descibed the construction and techniques of how to create stain glass windows. Stain glass suffered an artistic loss for 300 years during the Renaissance. The form became less artistic and more garnished with the use of thick heavy paint .… Continue Reading…

There are several reasons why one may want to have some part of their room or apartment soundproofed. If you live in a busy apartment buildling it may be wiser to have the walls soundproofed rather than the windows or to have the windows soundproofed in addition to soundproofing the walls. The reality of living in a community or amongst other people is that everyone has different tastes and opinions about what type of environment they like to live in. Not everyone has the same sensory perceptions and not all people can handle the same noise level. While some people find it relaxing to hear the busy bustling city streets rocking them to sleep at night it can mean nights of insomnia for a different type of person.

Soundproofing your windows can be for one of two reasons. You may be the type of person who enjoys listening… Continue Reading…

Living in the summer months without an air conditioner can be downright torture for most people. But, buying central air conditioning can cost a fortune. The solution? A small air conditioner that will fit inside most windows in your home. An air conditioner works by removing the warm air from your home, adding a substance like Freon to it to cool it down, then pumping the cool air back into your home until the desired temperature is reached. Installing a window air conditioner can be a pain. Often times people resort to calling a specialist to do it for them. The truth is, with a little patience and tools, the job can easily be done by yourself.

The first step you must take when installing a window air conditioner is to determine what window you will use. Your window… Continue Reading…

Wood Blinds offer the home owner beauty, versatility, and energy efficiency. One of the few window treatments that look as good from without as from within. Wood is a natural insulator and will lower heating and cooling cost year round. Most manufacturers of genuine and hardwood wood blinds have been Greenguard certified. This will ensure that wood blinds placed in your home are non-emitters of toxic fumes. The choice of wood used will be the deciding factor on cost of your project. Prices range from the low hundreds to over a thousand per standard window. Yet the investment will be worth the price for the long lasting beautiful addition to any room in your home.

Once the choice of using wood blinds is made there are other factors that now come into play. Which type of wood, style, slat size, slat number, finish, rout… Continue Reading…

The windows are known as the eyes of a building, so why not add some make-up to those peepers to make them gorgeous? Making your own window treatments is a great way to add a lively look to your windows. This do-it-yourself project is relatively inexpensive compared to purchasing readymade window treatments. Take a trip to the local craft or fabric shop; they should have a wide assortment of materials, patterns, and ideas. Homemade window treatments are a wonderful gift to share with friends and family.

The first step in making window treatments is deciding what style enhances a room. Many different varieties of window treatments are curtains, blinds, shades, and swags. Each type offers a distinct set of benefits. For individuals with children, curtains are a good choice. Blinds usually end up ripped or bent from the kids playing with them. Continue Reading…

Any repair on a home can seem like a insurmountable task, and replacing windows may seem even more of a complex home repair job. Replacing vinyl windows is not as hard as it may seem if you want to save yourself some money and do it yourself. To save yourself some worry and time follow these guidelines for replacing your vinyl windows.

First, you will need to remove the old window. You are going to need a chisel that is wide enough. Using a chisel that is not wide enough could lead to damage to the area you are working with. Now, you will have to remove any old trim or moldings from around the old window. If the trim and moldings are in good shape and you want to use them again just put them to the side for later use. If they… Continue Reading…

Drafty doors and leaky windows are a major concern for homeowners, costing them money as well as comfort. Leaky windows can let cold air in the summer and hot air in the winter to escape from your house, forcing you to run your heating and air conditioning systems longer than normal and causing your energy bills to skyrocket. Weatherproofing windows can prevent a major source of climate controlled air loss and can be done easily at home without having to call an expensive contractor or specialist. Any novice homeowner can weatherproof his windows, making the house energy efficient in very little time and for very little money.

Materials Required

Weatherstripping
Weatherproof window plastic
Adhesive tape
Hair dryer
Measuring tape
Utility Knife

Measuring

Before you weatherproof your windows, you need to purchase enough materials and weatherstripping. Measuring is the… Continue Reading…

Curtains are an important element in a room’s décor. The style, color, and function of a curtain can make or break the whole look and feel of a space. When curtains are added, they warm up a room, they add character to it, and they complete it; just like a frame completes a picture. Because there are so many curtain options on the market, learning how to choose curtains can make the process less overwhelming. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the objective of your curtains, as well as the size of your budget, prior to shopping for them.

The color of your curtains makes a huge difference to the look and feel of your room. The goal is to match or complement the décor. However, you also want to take into consideration the size of your room. For example, dark colors close in a room,… Continue Reading…

Blinds come in a number of different types and materials. Fabric blinds are available as both simple roller blinds and more elaborately draped roman blinds. Wooden, bamboo, vinyl, plastic and metal blinds are also available, with slats that are either horizontal (often called Venetian blinds) or vertical. The slats can usually be turned in order to change the width of the gap between them and let in more or less light. This means that blinds made up of slats can be left down during the day to ensure privacy while still allowing in the sunlight. Fabric blinds, unless they are made of very thin material, must be rolled up in order to let in the light.

Choice of the right type of blinds depends mainly on personal taste and budget. It is also sensible to consider how much light will pass through the blinds and how they are… Continue Reading…

Many people notice water droplets, fog or frost on the glass pane of a window or door. This moisture is water condensation. Window condensation is a problem in newer air tight, properly insulated homes. The condition is especially noticeable in the winter when warm water vapor in the air meets glass that has a cooler temperature. The vapor is then transformed into water.

There are a few situations which create an environment that causes condensation, but these conditions are only temporary. The first few weeks after the furnace is turned on condensation may be noticed. This is normal and is not long lasting. Also condensation is likely when the outdoor temperature drops dramatically. Individuals living in a recently remodeled or constructed home may notice condensation as the building materials contain certain levels of moisture, but this evaporates in about twelve… Continue Reading…