Home Makeover Diva

Home Design Makeover Ideas

Types Of Skylight Window Blinds

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Today Tamari writes:

Dear Diva, we just installed a beautiful new skylight and I love the amount of natural light it brings in, but during the day it gets way too hot in the room, what types of skylight window blinds are available?

Tamari, way to go on bringing more natural light into your home!  The skylight addition will add more value to your home and could potentially save you on lighting costs. As you’ve also already found out, having a skylight can make the temperature in the room significantly increase. This is why I think it should be mandatory for window salespeople to inform customers of their window treatment options before finishing the sale.  This is obviously just my opinion however, and probably won’t ever happen! But that’s okay, because that’s what I’m here for! That said, you’ve got two choices when it comes to skylight window blinds: cellular shades or 1″ aluminum mini blinds.  Each will allow you to have control over the amount of light being let in, which in turn will help keep the temperature down.

1) Cellular Shades – Let’s start with cellular shades first. Most operate on some sort of track, so that the blind stays secure and straight in the window frame. When it comes to control options, you can either order a standard shade and purchase an additional skylight pole to open and close the shade, or there are remote control options.  Which one you order depends on your budget, preference and where the skylight is positioned.

Types Of Skylight Window Blinds2) Skylight Shade Poles – The poles you can order to operate skylight shades come in either 6 ft or 9 ft long and usually cost $30 or less. They basically just have a hook on the end that connects to a little plastic ledge on the bottom rail of the shade. You then manually use the pole to raise or lower the shade.  While the remote option raises and lowers with the touch of a button, but will be much more expensive.  The remote option is usually your best bet if the shade cannot be reached with a skylight pole.

3) Shade Style – In addition to choosing the control type, you can also choose your cell size, style of fabric and how much light/heat you want to block.  If you are looking to control the maximum amount of heat, look to cellular shades with more than one cell or a larger size single cell because it traps more air.  A double cell shade is a better insulator than single cell and may help you reduce the unwanted heat.  You can also choose a fabric type  that blocks more light coming in.  This will reduce the amount of heat and will also block most of the incoming light.  This option is more popular in bedrooms, because of how much light it blocks.

4) Blocking Light – If you want to block the heat but not the light, this is also possible. This would be done with a double cell in a lighter colored fabric. Or you could choose Levolor Cellular shades and get the Energy Shield option. This options, eliminates air flowing through the shade. So in a skylight window, it would keep most of the heat coming through the window from passing into the room, which would then keep your room cooler.

5) Aluminum Mini Blinds For Control – Cellular shades have a lot more options than my next suggestion. However, if you want more control over how much light is let in at any one time consider 1″ aluminum mini blinds. Unlike cellular blinds which only go up or down, you will be able to tilt the shades opened or closed. One thing to keep in mind about aluminum mini blinds is that you won’t be able to raise or lower them. This is because the headrail and the bottom rail of the blind are fixed, which is how the blind stays flush with the window and doesn’t bell out towards the room.

Aluminum blinds are available with two control types, either a ring tilt or a remote control option.  As with cellular shades, you control the ring tilt with a skylight pole.  Or depending on preference and budget, you can add the remote control option. Regardless of which options you choose, aluminum blinds are available in a wide range of colors and are also only available by special or custom order.

6) Understanding Blind Custom Orders – No matter which style of skylight window blinds you select, make sure to order them soon.  The reason being is that if they’re special or custom order, they’ll take anywhere between two and eight weeks to come in. And even more time should be allowed if you are having them professionally measured and installed or have a specialty shape.  In the meantime, you can purchase inexpensive temporary paper shades to put up to help reduce your heat. To reduce the most amount of heat, choose a temporary shade that is blackout or privacy rated.

Typically speaking these shades will run under $10 and should help the room become livable again.  Just standard window temporary shades will work, you don’t need anything special. To save yourself some time when the permanent shades come in, apply them straight to the window frame with easy release masking tape. That way, when you are ready to take them down, you won’t have any extra work, trying to get difficult adhesive off.  This is also the same reason I am not recommending tacking a towel or sheet up in the window sill. If you spend a few extra dollars on the temp shade, you won’t have to fill in any nail holes later. Sometimes thinking ahead, will make your job easier in the long run!

Do you have questions about the selecting or the installation of: tile, carpet or wall treatments (window blinds, etc)? Then email me your tale of woe(diva(at)homemakeoverdiva.com) and perhaps I will be able to answer your questions right here at the Home Makeover Diva Blog!

Choosing Laminate Vs Wood For Your Home

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Summer is in the air! Have you gotten the remodeling bug yet? With summer, often comes a great opportunity for new flooring. A lot of people out there find themselves confused when choosing wood vs laminate flooring. Truthfully, it just depends on what area you are installing your new flooring in and the traffic to that specific area.

Solid wood – Invest in real wood when you are trying to add value to your home. Real hardwood flooring also lasts the lifetime of your home. Avoid using in overly wet areas like kids bathrooms because real wood is not water-resistant like vinyl and laminate. As real wood ages (like with reclaimed wood flooring), it enhances the beauty of the floor itself. Beware if you have large dogs or kids that are hard on your flooring.

Certain woods resist scratches and dents more than others. South American woods (like Brazilian Cherry) are generally a harder wood than the easily available American Oak. But it depends on the quality and how rough you are on your floors. One thing I like to do to any potential flooring is to try the key test. It’s simple: place said potential hardwood flooring on ground, hold keys at arm level above it and drop. Pick up the flooring and look at the damage. This will give you an idea of how well it will hold up in your home.

Choosing Laminate Vs Wood For Your HomeLaminate – Use for a wood look in wetter areas, or in other areas of your home where durability is number one. Laminate won’t increase the value of your home as automatically as wood flooring. But it might increase the its attractiveness to a potential buyer. Laminate is a great alternative to real wood if you have large dogs or pets. If you get a good rated laminate it will resist most scratches and dents. Just make sure to pick one out with a good coating. Stick an AC rating of 3 or higher if you have pets or children. Laminate is also great in areas where you can’t glue-down or nail into your subfloor. It simply click locks together and rests on a pad. Unlike most vinyls which have to be glued down or the majority of real wood floors that have to be nailed, stapled or glued to the subfloor. The simple fact that it doesn’t need to be nailed or glued makes laminate a good do it yourselfer project.

Whether you are adding value to your home or just looking for something scratch resistant, think of your needs before you go head first into either type of flooring.

Selecting New Solid Surface Countertops

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Today Dianne asks,

Dear Diva: What factors should I consider when selecting new solid surface countertops? I’ve been looking online at all the different options available and now I’m so overwhelmed! I don’t even know where to go from here! Please help! 

Dianne, as with almost every home makeover product there are several factors one should consider when choosing a new solid surface countertop. With so many options out there, it’s no surprise that this task could be daunting. But don’t worry, you’re not alone! Having helped countless clients choose their own solid surface countertops and having gone through the process myself, I’ve learned a few things that are sure to help you find the perfect countertops. However in this article, I’m not going to address how to find the perfect brand or color, because I don’t think you are quite there just yet. Instead I’m going to address 3 questions you should ask yourself before beginning your search for new solid surface countertops.

What’s your budget?

Save yourself some time and heartache by figuring out what your budget actually is before you set foot in a kitchen showroom. By having your budget figured out first, you’ll be able to know whether or not what you fall in love with at the showroom is actually in your budget. You’ll also have a better idea of what types of solid surface countertop materials you should be looking at. For example the basic choices in Corian are cheaper than those made of recycled glass or quartz. So if you can’t afford recycled glass solid surface countertops, then there is no sense looking at those types of countertops! Unless, of course, you can hold off on getting new countertops until you can afford something more expensive. Otherwise, I’d suggest sticking to what you can afford now.

How To Choose A New Solid Surface Countertop

What’s available in your area?

If you haven’t started looking at what the different companies in your area have to offer, I’d suggest starting by doing a little leg work first. You can find a lot of good information online, when it comes to a product’s features and benefits, but what you can’t really see is exactly what it looks like. Now, I’m not saying you won’t see a lot of good quality photos online. What I am saying though, is that between the color of your computer screen and the type of lighting the photo was taken in, you can’t expect the color of the countertop to look exactly like you see it in the photo when it gets installed in your home.  So by looking around at what is available locally, you’ll get a better idea of how that countertop actually looks and feels. If you do find something you like while you are out doing your legwork, get a sample to take home. This way you can compare it with the items in your kitchen and see just how it will look in your kitchen. This is an important step, because odds are you have more natural and/or artificial light than what you saw at the showroom. And this will affect the color the countertop.

Additionally, there are a lot of different kinds of solid surface countertops available. And if you’ve searched online, you’ve seen a plethora of available options. Unfortunately, not everything you see online may be available in your area. And shipping a countertop slab or preformed countertop can be quite expensive! Not to mention, you’ll also want to make sure that you have someone locally who is knowledgeable with the product to install it. Otherwise you could be setting yourself up for even bigger issues down the line.

What type of material would better suit your lifestyle? 

This is a very important question to ask yourself before you decide on any one material over another for several factors. First, how much upkeep do you want to be responsible for. Some solid surface countertops take a lot less maintenance than others. For example most Quartz countertops don’t need to be resealed. Unlike some granite countertops that should be resealed every six months to a year. If you don’t want the extra work or aren’t good at remembering to do things annually, you should probably stay away from granite and other surfaces that require regular maintenance.

You should also find out what type of needs are and aren’t being met by your current countertop. You could even make a pros and cons list or what you like and dislike from your current countertop. This may seem like over kill but I found it very helpful when I choose my first new countertop material. My old laminate countertops were a great color but I hated how easily they stained and dented. Even though my list was small it gave me a starting out point. I knew the color family I wanted to stay in and I also knew I needed something more durable.

As you can see choosing a new countertop doesn’t have to be a completely overwhelming process. You just need to break it down into little parts that are easier to deal with. It’ll be a much easier process for you, if you start by asking yourself these 3 simple questions and go from there. Once you know what you can afford, what’s available in your area, and what type of material will better suit your lifestyle, you’re on your way! You will have accessed the basics and will be ready to find the right color and pattern for you and your home.

Do you have questions about the selecting or the installation of: tile, carpet wall treatments (window blinds, etc)? Then email me your tale of woe and perhaps I will be able to answer your questions right here at the Home Makeover Diva Blog!

How To Find Cheap Window Blinds

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Today Rhea writes:

Dear Diva, I need to replace all the window blinds in my house but I don’t want to spend a small fortune. Where can I find cheap window blinds, and how do I know if what I’m getting is going to last.

Rhea, unfortunately when it comes to home improvement items the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ applies to window treatments. Fortunately for you however, I’ve learned a few tips that will help your window blind budget stretch a little further. I’m positive that not all of these tips will apply to every situation, but I’m confident that at least one of these tips will help you lower the price of new blinds for your home. First thing you need to do before shopping for window blinds is to measure your windows. This way you’ll know what size blinds you’re shopping for before you begin. If you are unsure how to measure for new blinds, then check out this how-to article on measuring and installing window blinds. Once you’ve taken and written down your window measurements, you’re ready to shop around for the best deal!

1- Check what’s in-stock. Big box home improvement stores usually a keep a variety of different blind types in stock. Often times these in-stock blinds are also available to be custom cut to fit your window opening. While these blinds aren’t top quality, I’d say they are worth what you pay for them. Typically speaking you’ll find 2″ faux wood and real wood blinds, as well as 1″ aluminum and/or vinyl mini blinds in stock and ready to customized to fit your windows.

2- Think outside the window frame. If you’ve found a blind type that isn’t customizable and your window sizes aren’t standard, consider mounting them as an outside mount. Meaning that you hang them outside the window frame instead of inside it. This can actually save you big bucks. Keep in mind before going this route that you will need to measure differently for outside mount blinds than you do for those that go inside the window frame. This is because you’ll have to make sure you don’t have any extra obstacles, such as cabinets, walls, switches, and more. You’ll need a minimum of 3″ extra on either side to maintain optimal privacy. So if your window is 48″ wide, you’d want a blind that was 54″ wide. The image below shows how an inside mount looks inside the window frame, as well as how an outside mount would look on the same window.

Window Blind Mount Types

3- Look for sales. Most of the big window treatment companies (Hunter Douglas, Bali, & Levolor) offer specials monthly or bi-monthly. Check with big box, as well as any local window treatment retailers to see what’s currently on sale. If the blind type you are looking for isn’t on sale now, give it a few months and see if that changes. Some companies alternate sales between a specific blind type being on sale and offering their entire line at a discount. If you are patient odds are, that what you want will go on sale with in a few months time. Not only will you find that custom window blind companies run specials almost monthly, but every once in a while in-stock blinds also go on sale at the local big box stores. And it never hurts to ask, if they have any group pricing if you purchase all of your window blinds at once. The worst that could happen is they say no!

4- Compare prices. As with any other major purchase, shopping around will help you find the best price for cheap window blinds. If you are looking at a custom option, don’t just expect that you will be getting the best price based on percentage off. Get a quote from each place you are considering instead. The base price of a blind could be more expensive at one place over another. So even though they are offering a higher percentage, the price could be the same or even more expensive. I encountered this a few years ago with Home Depot and JCPenney. Home Depot’s sale of Bali blinds was 20% off, while JC Penney was a whopping 70%! When I got a price quote from both places, I realized that they were almost identical in price. JCPenney wasn’t pulling a fast one, it’s because Home Depot, Costco and Lowe’s have what is commonly thought of as ‘wholesale prices’ on custom window treatments because of their volume. JCPenney, as well as local blind companies have retail prices. Now, this doesn’t mean that the prices can’t be similar. It just means you should shop both to find the best deal!

Three window blinds mounted In One Window

5- More for less. If you have some very long windows, consider multiple blinds instead of ordering one large custom one. The longer the window the more expensive the blind could be. Depending on the size of your window, you may want to break it down into 2 or 3 individual blinds instead of 1 large one. Visually, I would base this decision on what type of window you have you. If your large window consists of a bigger center section and 2 smaller sliders on either end, then I would install 3 window blinds. And, I would measure for the blinds so that the gap between them lines up with the sections of the window. That way you could still maintain privacy, despite separating the window into 3 blinds. See the above image for an example of what this looks like. Additionally, if the window was solid glass or separated into 2 sections, I would instead opt for only 2 blinds. Because visually 2 is less ‘busy’ than 3, when the window is in 1 solid or 2 separated sections.

As you can see, there’s no real secret to finding the cheapest prices on window blinds. But if you’re prepared, spend the time doing a little leg work and have patience, you’ll be sure to find a great deal on new window blinds for your entire home. It just comes down to how much work you are willing to do and whether or not you are willing to compromise. If you don’t mind shopping around and thinking outside the box, then you are sure to find the cheapest options in your area!

Do you have questions about the selecting or the installation of: tile, carpet or wall treatments (window blinds, etc)? Then email me your tale of woe (diva(at)homemakeoverdiva.com) and perhaps I will be able to answer your questions right here at the Home Makeover Diva Blog!

Mega Swatch Review

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The most frequently asked question I receive is about how to choose the ‘right’ kitchen countertop color. Followed by how to choose cabinets and flooring to match it. Considering how expensive new countertops and kitchen remodels in general are, it’s no surprise that this is the question that plagues most home owners. And no matter how many times I get this question, I’m never snarky or cranky about it. Because the fact of the matter is, I’ve been there myself and I know how hard that decision can be. However, when it came to picking out the items for my own home, I had an unfair advantage – I’ve worked in the field long enough to know what I like and what colors and materials work well together. But unlike me, most people can’t walk into a store and imagine what the products they like from the showroom will look like in their own kitchen. So they do the smart thing, and take home samples. Unfortunately for them, the samples provided are so small, that they really can’t imagine what the products will like look in their home. At least, that used to be the way things worked before Mega Swatch.

Luckily now with Mega Swatch, you can actually purchase large enough samples to help you decide on which color countertop, kitchen cabinets or wood flooring to get. This means you no longer have to guess, hope and pray that the colors you choose will actually look good installed in your kitchen. In a manner of speaking, Mega Swatch is sort of like the Cliff Notes (or Spark Notes) of kitchen remodels. Because instead of reading all the way through to find out what happened in the end, you get to gloss over the beginning and middle, jumping to the end so you can enjoy a glimpse of the final product. Because of that, this product has become my new favorite home makeover product! Honestly, I think Mega Swatch is the best thing since sliced bread!

You might think I’m being a little overly dramatic here, but in my business, anything that helps homeowners make an informed decision is a good thing. Especially, when it translates into less guesswork and tears. So how does Mega Swatch make choosing a new countertop, cabinets or flooring easier? They make giant photographic images of the most popular colors! That’s right, say goodbye to those teeny tiny swatch samples! Mega Swatch is large enough to really give you an idea of how something will look in your home, before you invest thousands of dollars in a kitchen remodel. Check out the image below to get a clearer idea as to what I’m talking about:

Mega Swatch

Did you notice how big those samples are? If you’ve ever tried covering the same area with actual granite or wood flooring samples, you’d probably need to get all the samples the showroom had available (and then some). Not to mention, a lot of showrooms don’t even have samples of cabinet doors, so you might just be out of luck on that one. This is just one of the many reasons I’m loving the concept behind Mega Swatch so much. I mean, just look at the clarity of those swatches! You won’t find anything that large at a kitchen showroom. Plus, those swatches look so realistic.

In the picture above I could have taped down the edge on the granite so it wrapped my countertop edge perfectly, but I opted instead to leave it sort of loose so the edge would be more visible in the photo.  I also chose to put the wood flooring swatch going in the same direction as my actual wood floor, instead of turning it towards the other direction. Taking this approach meant I lost a little bit of the width, but it extended the length out further. These are all small things that you can tweak and play with as you place the samples.

In the photo below, I swapped out the granite and the flooring swatches to show you how easily you can switch out new swatches and how dramatic the change can be. In hindsight, I should have also switched out the cabinet swatch, but I liked the color and stuck with it for the photos.

Different Options of Mega Swatch

Swatches used in the review

The Granite Mega Swatches I used were 20″ x 27″ in size. They can be purchased individually or in different color kits. An individual swatch is only $1.99 each. And since you aren’t forced to purchase a kit, if you wanted to purchase more than one of the same color, you can. This would be great for anyone who is mostly sure of the color they want, but would like to see an even bigger section of it on their countertop. If you’re unsure of which color you’d like on your countertop, than I would recommend ordering a kit. You can order a budget kit of the most popular 10 styles for $24.99.  Kits also come in a few different options based on whether you are looking for a countertop that is Exotic, Light or Dark colored. One thing I should also mention is while most of the choices are granite colors, there are a few Marble swatches as well. There are a total of 35 different granite and marble colors to choose from.

The Cabinet Front Mega Swatches I used were 24″ x 37″ in size. They can also be purchased individually or in a kit. An individual swatch is also only $1.99 each. There are a total of 10 different cabinet swatches. While this doesn’t cover every possible cabinet glaze or painted color option available, it does cover a wide range of wood tones, and includes white, almond and black. The cabinet front kit is affordable at only $24.99 and is great if you have no idea what color cabinets you are seeking. Individual Cabinet Front Swatches are also an awesome option if you are stuck on 2 or more colors and aren’t sure which one to choose. Having that large swatch to look at in your own kitchen might just be the tie-breaker you need.

The Hardwood Flooring Mega Swatches I used were 23″ x 31″ in size. They can also be purchased individually or in a kit. An individual swatch is only $2.49. While this is slightly more expensive than the others, I think it’s worth it because they are double-sided and come in both the white oak and red oak stained version of the wood color. This is like getting two swatches in one. There are 15 different hardwood flooring swatches to choose from. And for anyone stuck choosing between similarly stained wood flooring swatches, this could be a real time-saver. Seeing the flooring swatches in your own home at a size that doesn’t require a magnifying glass or over-extending the limits of your imagination could be just the help you need to get your project going.

In Conclusion

With all these options and colors, you can see why Mega Swatch is my new favorite home makeover product. You can also see why I think it’s going to take a lot of the guesswork out of deciding on the ‘perfect’ countertop/cabinet/flooring for your kitchen. Just about the only problem I can see with Mega Swatch is that you’re limited to only the most popular granite and marble countertops, and that countertop swatches aren’t available in quartz or any other type of countertop. That said, there is nothing that says you can’t choose a color of granite or marble and take it into the show room to find something similar in color/tone in a different material. While the pattern or texture would be different, having a large color representation could still be better than just ‘winging it’ with a small sample.

Another concern I know some of my readers may have is that you have to pay for the swatches. Especially considering a lot of kitchen showrooms give you samples to check out and take home free of cost. But I’d like to point out, that there are a lot of places that do indeed ask you to pay for a sample. I know I paid for my tiny sample of Quartz so that I could bring a sample home to show my family. I’d also like to point out that the price of Mega Swatch is very reasonable, especially when you can consider how much money you’re spending for your kitchen makeover overall. For example, if the average price for new granite countertops is $5,000, wouldn’t it be wise to spend a few bucks on usable color swatches to make sure you were getting a color that matches your kitchen? Even if you spent the $99 for the biggest designer pack of granite Mega Swatches, isn’t that money well spent if it meant you were confident in your choice? I certainly think it’s a wise investment in your future kitchen remodel.

Disclosure: The product in this review was provided by Mega Swatch, however this is NOT a paid review by any means and our findings with Mega Swatch are unbiased and authentic.