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A Daily Guide to Window Coverings, Decorating Trends & DIY Projects

Transform a Room in 3 Hours for Under $100

painting roomSounds impossible, right? Changing your window treatments and painting the room can completely transform the feel and atmosphere of any room in your home. This is an easy project that can be done in less time than it takes to cook a turkey.

First, click on over to our online store and pick the style of shade you want for your room. For our under $100 challenge, we picked an 8’ x 8’ room and the Bali Roller Shade style in green. The Bali collection of roller shades is stylish, simple and functional. The Chorus fabric collection features light filtering opacity, which should help balance the light and privacy needs of the room. The beaded chain is easy to operate and always stays the same length no matter the position of the roller shade. We chose an inside flush mount to accent the wooden window frames. With free shipping to the contiguous US, the total price is under $50.00 (plus tax, but only if you live in Colorado).

Next, carefully remove your old blinds. Most of the time, this only takes a screwdriver. Read our post about How to Remove Old Blinds without Damage. If they are still in good shape, drop them off at the closest Goodwill on your way over to the paint store. Place all of the hardware into a plastic bag and include it with your donation.  You won’t need it as all shades ordered through Blindsaver.com come with their own hardware and installation instructions. Don’t forget to purchase some used bed sheets while you are at Goodwill to use as drop cloths.

Once you’ve picked the right paint color to match your new shades and the rest of the room, buy enough paint for two coats. In our case, we needed just one gallon of “waterscape” by Behr. We opted for the zero VOC premium paint in eggshell finish. It’s a little more expensive, but it cuts down on the fumes and is much better for the environment and our own respiratory systems. We painted over white walls so we didn’t need a primer, but you may need one if you are moving from a darker color to a lighter color. Don’t forget to pick up masking tape, brushes and a roller. We found a combo pack with everything we needed for $14.99.

Take down wall decorations, unplug all electrical cords, and move any furniture to the center of the room. Spread out your drop cloths to protect the floor and your furniture. Tear open the masking tape and apply a strip to areas you may accidentally hit while painting. Remove or tape any outlet covers. If you just came from the paint store, a quick stir is all you need to mix your paint. Use the paint roller for big areas and the brush for detailed areas. Apply the second coat according to the instructions on the can.

Remove the tape, put away drop cloths, and clean out brushes while the second coat is drying. Put your furniture back in place, but don’t let the furniture touch the walls yet. You can also use this time to unpack your new roller shade, read through the instructions, and gather the required tools.

Once your second coat is dry you can finish re-arranging furniture and install your roller shades. Check out our tips post to see how to install blinds like a pro.

new roller shade = $45.28 +
1 gallon of paint = $25.99 +
masking tape & paint brush & roller combo pack = $14.99 +
old sheets for drop cloths = $10
Grand Total = $96.26, Total Time = 2 hours, 55 minutes (2 people plus drying time)

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categories Decorating, DIY | | datetime January 31, 2011 5:00 pm | comments Comments (0)

How to Remove Old Blinds Without Damages

broken wooden blinds
You’re excited to finally get rid of those dirty, bent, tacky blinds from 1988. Put down the pry bar for a minute and read this article before you accidentally damage your wall or window frame. Removing mini blinds, roman blinds, and wooden blinds without damage can all be accomplished by taking your time and using the right tools.

Before starting the removal process, you will need a few tools: a screwdriver, pliers, joint compound, a small putty knife, a sponge, paint that matches the wall’s current color, a paint brush, and wall primer if you think you need it. The wall primer is optional.

Step 1: Raise up the blinds all the way before doing anything. This makes them easier to handle.

Step 2: Some products use a valance or cornice to cover the top rail and brackets.  Next you will want to remove this valance.  Be very gentle for this step. Grab the bottom of the valance and push it toward the direction of the window so that you create a slight gap between the top of the valance and the top of the clips. Very carefully push the valance in an upward and outward motion at an angle until it is not touching the clips anymore. Make sure to remove the valance gently or the clips will break off.

Step 3: On a door mounted blind the hold down brackets need to be removed. These brackets are the ones that attach the bottom part of the blinds against the wall. Sometimes the end cap portion of the bottom rail has hold-down pins. If this is the case, remove the hold down pins before removing the hold down brackets. Next, use your screwdriver to unscrew the hold down bracket screws. For extra tight pins and screws, remove them with a set of pliers and use a power screwdriver instead of manual screwdriver.

Step 4: On wood, faux wood, and other horizontal blinds, you will unlatch the mounting brackets from the front and slide the head rail out. If the blinds are heavy or bulky, you may need help with this step. Wooden blinds tend to be heavier.  Roman shades and cellular shades brackets are often times spring loaded or require a or tab is loosened behind the shade.  You may need to refer to the product installation instructions to determine which type of bracket your blind uses.

Step 5: Remove the side and center mounting brackets with a screwdriver. If there are wall anchors, you may have to remove them with needle nosed pliers.

Step 6: The screws probably left small holes in the wall. Get out your joint compound and patch the holes using your putty knife. While it’s still wet, smooth out the joint compound with a sponge and let dry. Get paint that matches the current color on the wall and paint over the newly smooth area after the joint compound is completely dry. I like to save small glass food jars from pickles and salsa and stuff. I use them to store a little bit of paint for quick touch-ups like this.

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categories DIY | | datetime 10:42 am | comments Comments (0)