faux wood blinds | Home Makeover Diva

1 Inch Blinds vs 2 Inch Blinds

09.10.2019 by Amanda Hartley //

Today Thomas asks:

I’m getting ready to put new blinds in my condo and I’m not sure what I want. What is the difference between 1″ blinds vs 2″ blinds?

Well Thomas, that is a very good question. It’s very difficult to decide what type of window blinds to purchase, especially if you don’t know much about window treatments. So I’ve narrowed it down to the four most important differences between 1″ blinds and 2″ blinds:

#1 Light control – When you have the blinds all the way down and the slats tilted open, you can see out easier with a 2″ blind then you can with a 1″ blind. Thus, you maintain more of your view and you get more light coming into a room with a 2″ blind tilted open than a 1″ blind.

#2 Clean-ability – Generally speaking 2″ blinds are easier to clean as well. Especially if you are comparing a wood or faux wood blind to an aluminum mini blind.

#3 Weight – The 1″ mini blind weighs less than faux or wood blinds. This is especially important for windows over 6′ long. The slats of a window blind that large may bow with the weight.

#4 Price – When comparing price 1″ mini blinds can be less than half the cost of 2″ blinds. This price gap grows the larger the blind gets.

As you can see, these four differences are substantial. What it comes down to for most people is price and functionality. If you are still having trouble deciding between the two choices, pick the feature that is most important to you! This will help you be happier with your choice 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!

Window Treatments For French Doors

04.12.2011 by Amanda Hartley //

Today Dee writes:

I need new window treatments for my french doors. What’s up there now is a cheap set of mini blinds and I hate them. But the problem is I don’t know what else to get to replace them. Please help!

Dee, don’t worry. You do have other options for window treatments for french doors. Mini blinds are popular because they are inexpensive but also because they have a low profile depth wise. So as long as you keep this in mind, finding new window treatments for your french doors will be a snap. You can choose from roller shades, cellular shades or 1″ faux wood blinds. Let’s examine each style.

Roller shades – Roller shades are perfect because the bulk of the shade is at the top of the window. This means you aren’t going to have to worry about clearance with the handles. Consider going with a style that has a valance or a cassette valance if you are looking for a more formal or finished look. Roller shades come in many colors, patterns and fabrics so you’ll have a lot of choice depending on what style you are going for. One thing to be careful of though is going with a real delicate fabric. You want something heartier because the shade fabric will be very close to the door knob. So it will be subjected to dirty hands and should be able to withstand an accidental grab or two. If you have little kids in the house, I’d recommend going with one that feels less like fabric and more like vinyl or canvas. Solar shades can also be used on french doors, they just offer more sun control than light blocking or privacy.

Cellular shades – Cellular shades are also pretty slim depth wise so they have been popular on french doors and shallow window casings. One nice option available with cellular shades is the cordless top down/bottom up feature. This feature will allow you to use hold down brackets on the bottom rail of the shade to keep it from banging around as the door is open and closed. But it will also give you the benefit of being able to open and close the cellular shade by moving the top part only. And because the whole thing is cordless, you won’t have an cords hanging down and getting in the way of the door knobs.

1″ wood or faux wood blinds – If you like the versatility of a blind but don’t like mini blinds consider 1″ wood or faux wood blinds. The individual slats are thicker than their vinyl or aluminum counterparts so they don’t bend as easily. Plus the slats are flat instead of curved so it makes cleaning much easier. No more feeling like you are moving the dirt around instead of picking it up. These blinds can also be used with hold down brackets to hold the bottom rail in place. This will keep the blind from hitting the door and making a loud noise every time the door is open or shut. And then for light or privacy control, you can tilt the slats open or closed. The 1″ size is not available in every type and color of faux and wood blinds but most companies will have a selection of the most popular colors.

No matter which of these great styles you chose, they will all work great and look great on french doors. And most important of all, they are not mini blinds!

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!

Time For New Blinds

06.17.2010 by Amanda Hartley //

Today Phil writes:

While at work, my 100 lb American bull dog decided to go “through” my blinds. Whatever his reason, the blinds are ruined. So I have a problem. Four windows in one room with aluminum blinds, one of those blinds is ruined. Now I need your help. Do I try to replace the single blind with the closest styled blind possible or just replace all of the blinds with new window treatments?

Look on the bright side Phil, your dog only ruined one of your blinds! That’s pretty good so far! However if your dog is like mine, the next three blinds are soon to meet their match! I’m only kidding, usually there is no rhyme or reason to what or when our pets chose to “redecorate” for us!

With that in mind though, a very important question to ask yourself is if your dog does ruin the rest of the blinds, are you okay replacing them one by one, as needed. Or do you want to get something a little more dog friendly and start from scratch replacing all four blinds now?

If cost is important today in the here and now, I would suggest just trying to find something similar and replace the one ruined blind. Then in the future maybe you could keep your dog out of that space or raise the blinds while you are away. I have a cat who runs a muck in our house during the day and all of our blinds are kept just above cat height in the window sill. This has kept my blinds safe from any adventures he may have otherwise had.

If the above options are not viable, consider replacing all the blinds with a different style. Typically speaking faux wood blinds do well against pets. If your dog is a chewer, he can still chew faux wood blinds up. But will be unable to bend them like the aluminum blinds.

If you are concerned about the cords as well, I would consider going with a cordless faux wood or cordless wood blind. This will leave one less item hanging off the blind and will be safe for kids and pets alike! Faux wood and wood blinds are also more hearty when it comes to pets. Faux especially seems to take a beating when pets are concerned. These blinds are not good if your dog is a chewer though. Because he will be able to chew individual slats and you will be right back where you started!

Another option that can withstand a beating from a large dog is a vinyl roller shade. Because it is all one piece of fabric and hearty vinyl material it is harder for pets to damage roller shades. Though be careful if your pet pushes it open with his nose and the hardware is not very substantial the roller shade can be knocked down and fall on top of your dog!

No matter what option you go with, it is important to keep your dogs safety and your sanity in mind before picking out new window treatments! Sometimes we must sacrifice what we like for what we can have when pets are in the picture!

Kitchen Window Treatments

05.04.2010 by Amanda Hartley //

One of the most common questions we get is how to choose kitchen window treatments. When choosing kitchen window treatments, it is important to consider the conditions that the window will be exposed to before making your selection. If your only window in the kitchen is away from the sink and any food prep then you luck out and can put virtually any type of window treatment in that room.

But if your window is like most and is near the sink you need to be a little wiser in your selection. Kitchen window treatments in wet or messy areas need to abide by two very simple rules: they need to be easy to clean and water resistant.

#1 Easy to clean – Kitchen window treatments that are easy to clean have to be washable. Certain fabrics of curtains fall into this category. You can use fabric for your kitchen window treatment as long as it is machine washable.

Choosing something that has to be taken to the dry cleaners will only hamper your ability to keep it clean and add one more thing to your busy schedule. If a curtain isn’t the look you were going for consider going with 1″ vinyl mini blinds, 2″ faux wood blinds, or vinyl roller shades.

All three of these options will be easy to clean, especially since y0u can use a wet rag to clean anything that may splash on these blinds right off.

#2 Resists water – If you want a kitchen window treatment that resists water stay away from fabric shades or blinds. And look to easy to clean blinds and shades instead. As mentioned above 1″ mini blinds, 2″ faux wood blinds and vinyl roller shades all resist water. The water coming from your sink and the water needed to clean them will do no damage to the window treatments themselves making them ideal for kitchen window treatments.

No matter what you choose for your kitchen window treatment, if you follow these 2 simple rules you will have a window treatment that can last for years under the tough demand of your kitchen.

Deciding On Window Treatments For Bathrooms

01.13.2010 by Amanda Hartley //

Today Cindy writes:

Help! Our old curtains are just not cutting it any longer and we need help deciding on window treatments for our bathroom. At this point we are open to any ideas you might have. Curtains, blinds, whatever. We just need something new and that works! Thanks!

Well Cindy, I am glad to hear you are open to what will be best suited for your bathroom And obviously, figuring out colors and styles will largely come down to individual preferences. That being said, there are going to be some deciding factors you are going to want in choosing new window treatments for your bathroom. They are as follows.

– Moisture control. Select window treatments that will not mildew. The last thing you want are bathroom moisture problems. While curtains can work to a degree, going with a synthetic window treatment like faux cordless wood blinds will provide you with a great look, in addition not falling prey to mildew or worse. Best of all, no cords to get tangled!

– Light control. You need to have something in place that provides you with great window light control. I again, point to going with faux wood blinds.

– Appearance and over all look. It’s a bathroom, so keeping things simple is where it’s at. I would go with a simple horizontal blind. And considering the color choices that come with faux wood blinds, I again come back to this suggestion.

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!