How to Install Side Mount Blinds

Window blinds come in various shapes, sizes and colors. The size of the screen is fixed concerning the measurement of the window where you plan to install the window covering. Before you go on to choose the color and type of the window blind, it is essential to know which kind of mounting you are planning for your window.

Types of Window Mounting

1. Inside Mount: The window shade is placed inside the window area to fit perfectly into space. This is preferred in cases where the purpose of the window covering is to provide extreme privacy and to prevent any entry of light. It covers the open area in a whole. Exact interior measurement is necessary to ensure that the blinds are fixed correctly in place. All kinds of blinds come with inside mounting option. There might be small restrictions on the easy up and down movements.

2. Outside Mount: This is the most common kind of window covering style used. The user decides the area outside the window which the blind will cover and the blind is custom made to fit the window. Such screens make it possible to cover two windows with a blind setting. Pulling the blinds are also easier in such a design.

3. Side Mount: In this style, the blinds are installed from the side of the window. The wall brackets are fixed at the sides. There limitations to the designs that come with a side mount. The blinds that can be adjusted from the side will usually have a side mount bracket. These are mostly preferred for windows with an arch design when it becomes difficult to fit the bracket to vertical placement.

Side Mount Bracket

Most horizontal window blind models come with brackets that can be used for side mounting the blinds. The bracket used for inside, outside or side mounting might be the same for some shade designs. While in some other designs, you might have to purchase a different side mount bracket after checking with the seller if the particular blind can be side mounted. It can give you the advantage on arch windows, whereby you can partially cover the window below the arch area with the side mount blind and the arch can be differentially covered with an arch window treatment covering. It ensures that the window shade does not disrupt your arch design.

Installing Side Mount

Cellular honeycomb shades are the most preferred for side mount requirements. The process of installing a side bracket is the same for inside or outside the window.

1. Regular brackets can be converted to side mount bracket using l-bracket. This is attached to the shade bracket by running a bolt through both the brackets and securing it with a nut on top. They are placed at a perpendicular angle to each other. It provides spacing to position the headrail at a comfortable distance from the brackets.

2. Now attach the I bracket to the window side inside or outside the window frame.  Place the brackets at the right position and fix it with screws.

3. Measure the window shade headrail lengthwise. The headrail will be fitted across the length of the window.

4. Now, mark this length measurement of the window shade on the window side lengthwise. Leave some spacing for floor clearance.

5. For flush mount or recessed mount make the necessary markings inside the window walls.

6. Concerning the markings, place the bracket in place and mark each screw area. Repeat the marking for the other side too.

7. Drill the holes and secure the bracket in place.

8. Assemble the shade into the head rail by placing the wheels carefully without tangling the cords. Secure it in place with the screws provided.

9. Snap the headrail into the mounted bracket to put the side mount window covering into place.

Repair or Replace? What you Should Know About Your Window Coverings

Window coverings have become an inevitable part of a home improvement plan. There are many kinds of window blinds used for decorative purposes. But there are many other purposes served by the blinds. There are specific designs to help in keeping the room cool, maintaining the heat in winters or even to keep bedroom cozy and dark. The blackout blind can retain the room dark even on a sunny day. When compared to the traditional shades, these stick closer to the window giving the maximum effect. You can easily find blinds that match the style and color of your home. They can be bought from shops or even custom made to suit your window area and color theme.  

Need to Have Blinds Cleaned  

The blinds will serve its purpose and add beauty to your home only if the screens are maintained clean and in good condition. A dirty window covering can spoil the whole look of your house. Cleaning blinds require experience and effort. Most people employ blind cleaning and repairing agents to keep the curtains intact. Regular cleaning can prolong the life of your blinds. Adversely, if the window covering is immensely damaged or dirty, then you will have to spend on replacing it which is costly and time-consuming when compared to regular cleaning arrangements with the company.  

Common Problems with Blinds

Window coverings are easy to operate, but as they have several parts, it becomes necessary to handle them carefully else they might get damaged soon. A common problem is the string of the system getting stuck in the wheels. A malfunctioning chord lock can also cause a problem with holding the blinds in place. The tilts may get stuck which will make it impossible for you to adjust the amount of light entering. The store from where you bought the blinds will be able to provide you with repair service.  

Fixing the Blinds

The society today is looking for more efficient ways to maintain goods and repairs are seen as the best solutions to keep things for a longer timespan. Some people do regular repairs on the blinds while may others do not have the time and thus employ repair agents. The manufacturers have placed their goal on coming up with window blinds which can be easily improved or fixed by the user.  

Aesthetic concerns over Replacing the Blinds

A blind which is damaged might be a let down to your well-maintained house, and your first temptation is to pull down the covering and replace it with a new one. But, most of the time it turns out to be a terrible mistake to the aesthetic value of your house. Mostly you will have a color scheming done for the blinds when you had initially bought them. There might be more than one shade of the same color which are matched with the interiors of the house. A particular design and color may be difficult to find after a few years. Therefore, if your window blind is the main attraction of your room, then rethink before taking it down and consult with a repair agent to check whether it can be restored.  

Cost efficiency of Window Covering Repairs.  

You might have had to spend a reasonable amount over your window coverings in purchasing them and in their installation. Make a note of these cost factors and compare the cost of replacement with repairs. These figures will help you make a decision before shopping for a window blind replacement. The whole apparatus might require a huge amount when compared to the one or two spare parts that have to be replaced. Some sellers even offer a free blind replacement as warranty, and you can even request for a guarantee upscale.  

Maintaining the window blinds is necessary to ensure that they have a reasonable lifespan. Tugging and pulling at the chords and the tilts can cause damages soon. Proper usage is the key to reducing repairs and preventing replacements of the window blinds.  

How to Measure a Window Blind

Window coverings can be composed of different materials like plastic, various kinds of cloth, wood or metal. These work by pull up chords and tiltable slats which make it possible to have control over the amount of light entering through the blind. Gone are the times when you purchase a particular product from the shop and then return it due to the wrong size. With customized solutions, you can provide a proper measurement of your window where you plan to use the window covering and the store will give you a well-fitted window shade.  

Customized Window Blinds

Unlike earlier times, windows nowadays do not a have a standard measurement. They are designed in various sizes and shapes. This makes it difficult to find a matching predefined window blind to fit appropriately into your window dimension. There are several different kinds of window shades like the Roman style, and Venetian blinds vertical blinds and much more. There  are several  colors to choose from in different material. There are also jute and bamboo roller shades to suit an eco friendly house structure. You can choose a single color scheme for your shades or different colors and have it custom made in varied styles depending upon the requirement of the particular room.  

Preparing to Measure For Window Blinds

If you had taken a look around the shops selling window blinds, you might have noticed that there are only a few pre-manufactured shades for display purposes and then it is presented as fabric or material types and colors. Measuring the window is an inevitable precursor step before you go window blinds shopping either online on in local stores. Taking the right measurement is a crucial step as even a small difference can end up the window screen being the wrong fit for your window.  

Decide the kind of mount: You can either inside mount or outside mount the blinds. Make this decision before measuring. The neat look makes inside mounts preferable, yet the window should be deep enough to fit the blind. Outside mounts are preferred in irregularly shaped windows.

Keep all instruments ready: You will need a measuring tape, pen, and paper and keep it ready.  

Spreadsheet or table: You can create a table on the paper or in your computer with fields, top width, height, bottom width, number, and depth.  

Measuring for Inside Mounts

Measure the width of the interior section at the head of the window, middle area, and the bottom. You can either provide it as it is to the shop and they will adjust the average width size, or you can evaluate an average width.

The same process has to be followed for measuring the height beginning with the height at the two ends and the middle area and evaluating an average.  

Measuring for Outside Mounts

For outside mounts, you can take the measurement as per your requirement as to how longer and wider you want the blind to cover the area beyond the window frame.  

Make sure that the ends of the tape are in the right place while measuring. If you measure the outside mount area for a longer window, you can use a cello tape to hold the first end of the tape in place.  

Tips to help in Measuring for window blinds

Do not reduce any values from the actual measurement. The person manufacturing the blinds will be reducing a small value from your measurement, and if you have made any deductions, then the final product will be small.  

Sometimes you might feel that the windows are of the same size, but there may be slight differences. Therefore, all windows should be measured and named respectively so that you can match it easily with the window.  

Slight differences can be significantly known in the blinds output, so you can measure twice to be clearer. If the blinds come in the wrong size due to a problem in measurement, the shop may not take it back because it is unlikely that another person will pick a custom made window shade.   

Window Blinds and Shades child safety information

On checking the news, it can be found that within the US, there is a report of at least one case of window coverings becoming a danger to the children. There are also several deaths reported. The Window Covering Safety Council works along with US Consumer Product Safety Commission to spread information regarding the window blinds and safety concerns. Proper planning and attention can help to keep such incidents at bay.

Cord Cleats

Most people do not bother to use a cord cleat for the window blinds. But if you have children at home, then it is essential to keep the cords neatly tucked away so that the child does not come in the way of the cord intentionally or unintentionally. The cleats have to be placed well above the reach of the child. Children have an underlying tendency to reach up to hanging things and pull at them. There are rules set on the maximum possible length of the cords for blinds.

RetroFit Kit

Currently, several models come without the loose cables, and when you are planning to decorate your kid's room, you can specifically go for these. If in case you want to remove the cording from an old shade, you can go for the retrofit kit. There might be particular problems faced like an uneasy movement of the blinds, but you can consider that sacrifice for the sake of child's safety. The retrofit kits can be bought from the blinds store, free of cost. You can even order it for free from the Window Covering Safety Council website.

Safe placing of beds and Cribs

By the time the child learns to pull with the hands at objects, he/she might be able to get access to a hanging window cord, and you may never know when danger comes. Make sure to place the cribs away from the window. Even with the bedding of the older children, some kids might be curious enough to access the cords from above the bedding or they might ever get tangled in them accidentally during sleep.

Cord tensioner

Blinds with looped cords can be held in place with a cord tensioner and they usually come along with the kit. The kind of cord tensioner differs for the plain one and the beaded wire. These have an issue as they work best only when placed at a minimum distance from the top of the blind. So if you have some older and naughty children at home, this may not be the best option to ensure child safety from window blind accidents.

Safe Design Blinds

According to new rules and regulations set by the WCSC, there are several different kinds of blinds which are easily available in the market which does not have any hanging chords. They have hidden cords within it or are tensioned. These can be pulled into position. There are also motorized ones that work on the press of a button. The buttons are mostly operated by power from a battery, so there is no worry about connecting it to the main supply. Vertical blinds come with wands for operation. Spring design screens work by a tensioned spring mechanism and they can be locked into place with a manual lock system.

Chain Break Connector

It is a small device that can be attached to the chain, and the system works normally. In the event of an unexpectedly heavy load pull, the chain will break free. So in case a child gets restrained in the chains, the connector will break the chain and rid the child from danger.

With the several rules and regulations sent out for ensuring the safety of the children, manufacturers are taking diligent care to make sure that the children are safe from cord strangling accidents. It is also the responsibility of the parents to make sure that they have maintained all safety methods when they have kids at home.

Repair or Replace? What you Should Know About Your Window Coverings

Window coverings have become an inevitable part of a home improvement plan. There are many kinds of window blinds used for decorative purposes. But there are many other purposes served by the blinds. There are specific designs to help in keeping the room cool, maintaining the heat in winters or even to keep bedroom cozy and dark. The blackout blind can retain the room dark even on a sunny day. When compared to the traditional shades, these stick closer to the window giving the maximum effect. You can easily find blinds that match the style and color of your home. They can be bought from shops or even custom made to suit your window area and color theme.  

Need to Have Blinds Cleaned  

The blinds will serve its purpose and add beauty to your home only if the screens are maintained clean and in good condition. A dirty window covering can spoil the whole look of your house. Cleaning blinds require experience and effort. Most people employ blind cleaning and repairing agents to keep the curtains intact. Regular cleaning can prolong the life of your blinds. Adversely, if the window covering is immensely damaged or dirty, then you will have to spend on replacing it which is costly and time-consuming when compared to regular cleaning arrangements with the company.  

Common Problems with Blinds

Window coverings are easy to operate, but as they have several parts, it becomes necessary to handle them carefully else they might get damaged soon. A common problem is the string of the system getting stuck in the wheels. A malfunctioning chord lock can also cause a problem with holding the blinds in place. The tilts may get stuck which will make it impossible for you to adjust the amount of light entering. The store from where you bought the blinds will be able to provide you with repair service.  

Fixing the Blinds

The society today is looking for more efficient ways to maintain goods and repairs are seen as the best solutions to keep things for a longer timespan. Some people do regular repairs on the blinds while may others do not have the time and thus employ repair agents. The manufacturers have placed their goal on coming up with window blinds which can be easily improved or fixed by the user.  

Aesthetic concerns over Replacing the Blinds

A blind which is damaged might be a let down to your well-maintained house, and your first temptation is to pull down the covering and replace it with a new one. But, most of the time it turns out to be a terrible mistake to the aesthetic value of your house. Mostly you will have a color scheming done for the blinds when you had initially bought them. There might be more than one shade of the same color which are matched with the interiors of the house. A particular design and color may be difficult to find after a few years. Therefore, if your window blind is the main attraction of your room, then rethink before taking it down and consult with a repair agent to check whether it can be restored.  

Cost efficiency of Window Covering Repairs.  

You might have had to spend a reasonable amount over your window coverings in purchasing them and in their installation. Make a note of these cost factors and compare the cost of replacement with repairs. These figures will help you make a decision before shopping for a window blind replacement. The whole apparatus might require a huge amount when compared to the one or two spare parts that have to be replaced. Some sellers even offer a free blind replacement as warranty, and you can even request for a guarantee upscale.  

Maintaining the window blinds is necessary to ensure that they have a reasonable lifespan. Tugging and pulling at the chords and the tilts can cause damages soon. Proper usage is the key to reducing repairs and preventing replacements of the window blinds.