All About Venetian Blinds
>> Tuesday 6 July 2010
You're just moving into a new house, and you need to do something to cover those windows. Or, maybe
you just can’t stand to look at those old window blinds any longer. What to do? Venetian blinds are a time-honored way to both cover your windows and provide an attractive addition to the décor of your home.
Venetians are available in a wide range of colors (if you can think of it they can probably be made in your color). They’re manufactured from lots of different materials, wood, “faux wood” - (plastic), aluminum or PVC are the most common. They come in a wide range of sizes, and can cover windows from less than a foot wide all the way up to over 10 feet. You can also get individual slats that measure from as little as ½” up to 4 inches wide. You can leave the top bar exposed for an industrial appearance or dress them up with valences or sheers. With all these options, Venetians can fit into virtually any design concept.
Why Venetians?
Venetians are a popular choice for many reasons. They are relatively inexpensive, and because they're available in such a wide variety of colors, materials and sizes, they can be adapted to fit almost any size of window. In addition to providing privacy, by controlling how much sunlight you allow into the room, Venetians can help to keep your rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Controlling the sunlight also helps ensure the colors in your carpets and furniture don't fade prematurely. An added bonus is Venetians are both durable and easy to clean. A quick vacuuming or a wipe with a damp cloth is generally all that is required to keep them looking good.
Are they hard to put up?
Installing Venetian blinds is the kind of job almost any handy person can take on. You install Venetians by first mounting a special clip (usually provided by the manufacturer) onto the window frame. The header of the Venetian slips into this clip and then is locked/clamped in place. Probably the hardest part of installing Venetians is deciding on the colors and styles, and whether to mount them inside or outside the window frame, after that it becomes pretty straightforward. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, almost all suppliers of blinds can arrange to have them installed for you
Doing it right!
The most important step in installing blinds is measuring your windows accurately. Use a steel tape and measure each window individually, (just because they are supposed to be the same size, doesn’t mean they will be). You need to have accurate measurements for both height and width if your blinds are to fit properly. Measure each window at three points for both height and width and use the largest number to order your blinds. Don’t be surprised if your windows aren’t perfectly square, all houses aren’t perfectly square.
If your windows are relatively square, you can mount your blinds either inside the window frame or outside the frame. If your window isn’t square, it's probably better to mount the blinds outside the frame. This will make sure that the blinds don’t bind on the inside of the window frame, and they'll hang straight. One potential advantage of mounting outside the frame is your windows may seem larger than they really are.
For many people Venetians are a popular choice because of their versatility, convenience and economy. If you're thinking about changing your window treatments, Venetians could be the right choice for you as well.
