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Window coverings can cost a fortune. Even mini
blinds can cost an arm and a leg. Some of the custom blinds shops will
charge $3000 just for one set of mini blinds to cover one sliding glass
door. At that rate, even a small home will cost ten thousand dollars to
outfit in blinds.
While this article can do nothing about prices
for high end blinds, it can help you find the best kind of blinds to fit
your needs, according to your budget.
This article presents an evaluation of four different
blind configurations from four different manufacturers. They vary greatly
in cost but all of the mini blinds presented here should fit into even
the tightest of window covering budgets.
The four different mini blind configurations are:
- 2 inch slats made of wood - approx $100
- 2 inch slats made of PVC with a wood grain texture - approx $44
- 1 inch slats made of vinyl - approx $25
- 1 inch slats made of aluminum - approx $8.00
Controlling light - The first criteria evaluates
how well each mini blind performed at blocking out light. The 2 inch wood mini
blinds performed the best, and the 2 inch PVC mini blinds also did a good job
of blocking light. Both materials are very opaque and the larger sized 2 inch
slats overlap more and block light better. The 1 inch aluminum mini blinds
also did a good job of blocking light, they came in third place. The vinyl
1 inch mini blinds performing very poorly. The 1 inch vinyl mini blinds were
not opaque enough to block full sunlight anywhere near as well as the other
three mini blinds.
So far as light control goes, the rule of thumb is that
the larger and fewer number of slats, the better the mini blinds are at light
control. The 2 inch PVC mini blinds had slats that were thick enough to block
sunlight unlike the vinyl mini blinds. But the PVC mini blinds are also considerably
heavier than any of the other mini blinds.
Privacy - How well do the four different mini
blind configurations control privacy. All four mini blind configurations performance
was satisfactory provided that they were closed in the right direction. Mini
blinds should be closed so the slat edge nearest you us up, and the edge near
the window is down. In other words, close mini blinds so that you can see the
ground outside the room as they close. In the other direction, it could be
possible for a peeping-tom to see down into your room.
Features - Additional features you should look
for when purchasing mini blinds.
The riser cord should run over a metal roller on the
heavier 2 inch mini blinds, and on lighter 1 inch mini blinds, the cord can
run over any smooth metallic surface. Anytime the riser cords runs over plastic,
the cord can wear into the plastic and down to bare sharp metal where it will
fray or get cut.
Break away tassels - if there is a toddler or pets in
the home, you should look for break away tassels on the cord. If a pet gets
caught up on the cord loop, the breakaway tassels will separate preventing
any risk to small loved ones.
Conclusion - The 2 inch wood slat mini blinds
came out on top in all categories except price. If you can afford approximately
$100 for a 4 foot by 4 foot window, then that is definitely the way to go.
The 2 inch PVC mini blinds cost a lot less and performed almost as well as
to wood mini blinds. But the PVC mini blinds weighed a lot more too. This could
make installation trickier, and requires more physical strength to raise the
blinds, so take that into account. The 1 inch aluminum mini blinds were also
acceptable, and are were the most affordable of the mini blinds that rated
acceptable. The vinyl mini blinds, although the cheapest, did a terrible job
of blocking direct sun light. If you are covering a window that does not get
direct sun light, or does not require good light blocking functionality, then
the vinyl mini blinds might still be a good option.
Some final thoughts -
- Mini blinds can be mounted inside a window frame or outside the window
frame. Mounting mini blinds inside the window frame gives a cleaner look and
better privacy.
- When measuring a window frame for mini blinds, take three width measurements.
At the bottom of the frame, the middle, and the top of the frame. If the frame
is not square, your mini blinds will need to fit within the smallest measurement.
- 40% of unwanted temprature change comes through windows
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