A Guide To Purchasing Window Coverings In Arizona Most Frequently Asked Questions
A Guide To Purchasing Window Coverings In Arizona Most Frequently Asked Questions I Don’t Know What I Want. Where Do I Begin? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 1 Should I Use The Same Window Covering Throughout My House? 1 I Hate Verticals!! What Else Is There For My Sliding Glass Door? ∙ 2 My Utility Bills Are Soooo High!! Which Type Of Window Covering Will Give Me The Best Insulation? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ My Husband Works In The Evening. Do You Have Something To Keep Our Bedroom Dark When We Need It? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ We Have A Golf Course Lot Or A Great View. What Do You Have That Won’t Take Away From Our View? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 3 ∙ 3 ∙ ∙ 3 I Have Some Funky Windows, Odd Shapes, Arches, Or Really Large Windows. What Are My Options? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 4 ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 5 Are Window Coverings That Lower From The Top A Good Idea? (Top Down-Bottom Up) ∙ ∙ There’s So Much Dust Out Here! Do You Have A Good Low Maintenance Shade Or Something Easy To Clean? ∙ ∙ ∙ What’s The Truth About Fake Wood Vs Real Wood Blinds And Shutters? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ What’s New In Window Coverings? Show Me Something I Haven’t Seen Before! ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 5 ∙ ∙ 7 ∙ ∙ 7 If I Have Good Blinds Or Shades Now Can I Get Them Repaired? ∙ 8 Recommendations For Each Room ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ 8 An Excellent Guide for Purchasing Window Coverings for Your Arizona Home I’m Jerry Levinson, owner, and operator of Blind Devotion Window Coverings since 1994. I’ve sold, installed, and repaired window coverings for over 19 years now. The information in this guide is based on the most common questions and challenges we’ve had for people living in Arizona. If your question about window coverings is not answered here feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. 1 Don’tKnow KnowWhat WhatI IWant. Want.How HowDo DoI Begin? I Begin? 1. IIDon’t A lot of people who call us either don’t know what they want or they don’t know what is available. The first question to ask yourself is, “Why do I want to cover that window?” Now I say “that window” because you should ask yourself that question for every window you are covering. The reasons for covering your bedroom window will be different than why you are covering the window in the family room. As a general rule I like to use window coverings that will tilt open and close in living areas, such as your kitchen, family room, great room, etc. These are the rooms where you usually want more control over light and privacy. You will be adjusting the window coverings more often than in your bedroom or a bathroom. So in these areas treatments like wood blinds or shutters work well, also Silhouette, Pirouette, and Allure shades for something new and different. In your bedrooms and bathrooms Duette Honeycomb Shades or Vignette Roman Shades work great. They stay clean, and they give you great insulation. These window coverings will probably stay down and closed most of the time since you aren’t in your bedroom and bathroom as often. When you are in these rooms you usually want privacy. Now these are some general rules. Everyone’s situation and taste in decorating will be different. 2 Should ShouldI Use I UseThe The Same Window Covering Throughout House? Same Window Covering Throughout MyMy House? That is a very common question that we get, and the answer is absolutely not. Some people will prefer to use the same window covering throughout their home and that’s fine if that’s what you prefer but 1 it’s not necessary. It’s important that your window coverings go with your décor, not with each other. Your furniture from room to room doesn’t necessarily match so it’s not important that your window coverings match. In the front of the house you might want them to look the same from the street so that is something to consider. If you are using sunscreens on the outside you can’t see your window coverings anyway so keep that in mind. 3 I Hate I HateVerticals!! Verticals!! What Else There Sliding Glass Door? What Else Is Is There ForFor MyMy Sliding Glass Door? Usually you are doing a horizontal treatment for your windows and a vertical treatment for your sliding glass doors. It’s important that everything looks good together but it does not have to be exactly the same. It’s very common that people will do stained wood blinds on their windows. If you do a vertical blind to match exactly, everything will look cheesy instead of sharp. Your vertical treatment should look more like a soft drape that flows with your furniture and carpeting. So again these treatments don’t have to match but they do have to go together in the same room. Now we do have treatments that match exactly that look real sharp together, like Duette Honeycomb Shades with Vertiglide, and Vignette Roman Shades with Vertiglide. Luminette Privacy Sheers go great with Silhouettes and we have Skyline to go with Roller Shades. The information may seem to contradict itself at times but decorating will lend itself to many different suggestions. It’s best to work with a decorator who understands you and what you will be the happiest with. Everyone’s tastes, wants, and décor will be different and the right decorator will be the one who serves you best. One of the reasons we hear “I Hate Verticals” so much is because the verticals that you own are probably twisted and broken after so many years of use. You’re tired of the clanking, clumsy product over your door right? Well I’ve got great news for you! You now have about 7 different choices for great treatments that will work over your sliding glass door. Here’s a few for you to consider. Luminette Privacy Sheers: A sheer drape that opens and closes for privacy. 2 Duette & Vignette Vertiglides: This is an excellent treatment that will give you great insulation, it operates easily, stays clean, and it will stack back to just 6” no matter how wide you order it. Skyline Gliding Panel Track: With many fabrics to choose from a Skyline shade will go with any décor. Provenance Woven Wood Drapery: This is a Woven Wood Drapery that hangs and operates on a vertical headrail. Custom Drapery: With 100’s of fabrics to choose from you can’t go wrong with beautiful custom drapes. Now sometimes a Vertical Blind is the best treatment for you. The good news is you will have much better materials to choose from so it won’t look like a cheap vinyl vertical. 4 MyUtility UtilityBills Bills Are Soooo High!! Which Type Window My Are Soooo High!! Which Type OfOf Window Covering Will Give Me The Best Insulation? Covering Will Give Me The Best Insulation? The absolute best insulating product you can buy today is Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades. This was the only product that qualified for the Energy Tax Credit from the Federal Government in 2010 and 2011. The color selection is fantastic, these shades operate great, they also stay very clean, and they will pay for themselves in about 2 ½ years. Vignette Modern Roman Shades and Wood Shutters are also very good insulators. All these treatments also hold up great to our AZ sun. Husband Works In In The Evening. DoDo You Have Something Husband Works The Evening. You Have Something 5 MyMy ToTo Keep MyMy Bedroom Dark When I Need It?It? Keep Bedroom Dark When I Need Duette Architella Opaque Honeycomb Shades are the best treatment for keeping your bedroom as dark as it can be. We use this treatment when our customers are day sleepers, or they get migraine headaches, or if they have a theater room that they want to get really dark. You can also do other Blackout treatments like Vignette Roman Shades or Roller Shades, but these treatments would need to mount on the outside of the window sill area and overlap the sides of your window. You do have some great options for Blackout Shades. Shutters will work ok. It really depends on how sensitive you are to the light. 3 6 WeWe Have A Golf Course LotLot OrOr A Great View. What DoDo You Have A Golf Course A Great View. What You Have That Won’t Take Away From Our View? Have That Won’t Take Away From Our View? We have a lot of customers who are compelled to do shutters because their neighbors have it. But if you just invested in a golf course lot, or you have a mountain view, or maybe you just spent thousands of dollars on a great looking back yard, the last thing you want to do is cover up that view. Here are your options: Designer Screen Shades will block the sharp UV rays and allow you to see out. They will give you privacy during the day. Not so much at night, but depending on your location you may not need privacy. Duette Honeycomb Shades and Vignette Modern Shades are excellent insulators and they are great shades when you want privacy. When you raise these shades they will stack up 3” to 4”, so they give you your full view. You can check out Silhouette, Pirouette, Allure, Woven Wood Shades, and more with your decorator. The selection you have to choose from is great. 7 I HaveSome Some Funky Windows, Odd Shapes, Arches, I Have Funky Windows, Odd Shapes, Arches, Or Really Large Windows. What Are My Options? Or Really Large Windows. What Are My Options? There really are some crazy huge windows out there these days. You still have very many options. The goal is to make sure that you can operate your shades and that they hold up. It is a real challenge. Duette Honeycomb Shades probably go the widest without having to split them up. Some Roller Shades will go really wide, but you have to be careful because many of the fabrics only go 72” wide. This is where it really pays to have an experience window covering professional by your side. As to arched or odd shaped windows, the best treatment is Wood Shutters. Any odd shaped window will cost you extra to cover and it 4 won’t be quite as functional as your other window coverings. Meaning you won’t be able to tilt them all open and closed easily. There are a lot of window coverings that can handle odd shapes but they don’t look as good or operate as well as wood shutters. Usually arched windows are in the front of your house. The shutters will look the best from the front as well. 8 Are That Lower From The AreWindow WindowCoverings Coverings That Lower From The Top (Top Down-Bottom Up) TopA AGood GoodIdea? Idea? (Top Down-Bottom Up) The most common window covering that will operate from the top down is Duette Honeycomb Shades. Vignette and Silhouette also will operate as top down but you will find more limitations. The best reason to order your window covering as a Top Down treatment is if you want privacy but you have a great view out of the top of your windows, such as a mountain view. This can be an excellent option to have or it can be a sloppy treatment. You want to discuss this with a Designer to make sure it’s the right way to go. We’ve seen people purchase Top Down window coverings, and they have a southern exposure, so all the sun’s UV rays come pouring in during the winter months. Some like the idea of the sun heating them up during the winter but it can still be uncomfortable and the UV rays will damage your flooring and furniture. 9 There’s Out Here! DoDo You Have A Good Low There’sSoSoMuch MuchDust Dust Out Here! You Have A Good Low Maintenance OrOr Something Easy ToTo Clean? MaintenanceShade Shade Something Easy Clean? A) Wood Blinds or Shutters: You can use a Micro-Fiber towel. Get it wet and then ring it as dry as you can by hand. Then simply wipe down your blinds or shutters. You don’t want to get water on your wood products but having a little dampness in your towel will help pick up the dirt. B) Most of your Vertical Treatments will stay clean because they hang vertically and the dust won’t settle on them. Just use a low section vacuum cleaner once in a while. C) Duette Honeycomb Shades stay very clean. The trick with these shades is to order some color. A Bright White or off-white will look dirty after some time and it will be more difficult to get it clean. 5 D) Silhouettes, Pirouettes, Luminettes, and Vignettes, you want to simply go over these treatments with a low suction vacuum cleaner. If you need these or any treatment professionally cleaned you can contact us and we will give you the name of a professional in your area. These guys do the Ultra-Sonic Cleaning that Hunter Douglas recommends. 10 What’sThe The Truth About Fake Wood Real What’s Truth About Fake Wood VsVs Real Wood Blinds And Shutters? Wood Blinds And Shutters? This is also a very frustrating topic for me. I’ve been in this business for over 18 years now and I’ve seen many people get mislead on this topic. The best thing about the Faux or Composite products is The Marketing! They tell you that it doesn’t warp like wood. That Faux will hold up better in this heat. This is simply NOT TRUE!! We’ve always sold real wood blinds and shutters. We have never had a call back for warranty work on our shutters and the biggest problem we have with wood blinds is that someone will paint the interior of the home and will not put the blind back up right. Real Wood Shutters also have a tighter finish and they will give you a more beautiful look. With Shutters Real Wood will not Warp. The paint will not fade over time. The reality is the shutters are in a home that is kept around 80 degrees year round. Now if you put them in the garage they may warp with a fluctuation of temperature. If you put a Faux wood in your garage it will warp much quicker. NOTE: We get a notice every year from our supplier that says they will not warranty faux blinds for warping if we keep them in our truck all day before we install in your home. Buyer Beware!!!! Look out for cheap shutters or Chinese made shutters. Shutters can be expensive. Some businesses have found ways to sell shutters for less money. They will use thinner frames, or bad cuts of wood, or they will get them from China. You would be better served by buying Quality Wood Blinds rather than cheap Shutters. Consumers BEWARE!! In general I think most business people are good honest people, but you do need to protect yourself. Other than checking people out through the Registrar of Contractors or the BBB or Angie’s List the best way you can protect yourself is to use a credit card 6 for the deposit. If the company you are doing business with closes up or doesn’t deliver you can at least get your money back. 11 What’sNew NewInInWindow Window Coverings? Show What’s Coverings? Show MeMe Something I Haven’t Seen Before! Something I Haven’t Seen Before! Your options have never been greater. We really do have a window covering for every window and every homeowner. Let me tell you about some of the newest window coverings that Hunter Douglas has come up with. A) Pirouette Shadings is a roman shade that will open up so you can see through. It’s a cool treatment that is a must see. I have these in my Master Bedroom. My wife loves them. B) Allustra Woven Texture Shades aren’t new but not many people have seen them. The fabric selection is incredible! You can see through these shades in the daytime and drop a privacy liner down at night if necessary. C) Allure is not a Hunter Douglas treatment but it is giving Silhouette some serious competition. It’s a roller shade that opens and closes like a blind. (I’ve been doing this forever and I probably wouldn’t understand that description if someone gave it to me but it’s the best I can think of. Again a must see.) D) Skyline Panel Tracks are a great alternative to Vertical Blinds. You have a lot of fabrics to choose from and you can use matching fabric to your roller shades. E) The Vignette Modern Shades just get better and better every year. The way they operate is both functional and gorgeous. Hunter Douglas keeps improving the color & fabric selection with Vignettes. F) Color – Controls – Styles: The colors in every product line have improved greatly. Your control options are better with improvements to child-safe products and easier operation. There is also more fabric styles to choose from, such as Architella shades. We work hard to keep our displays up to date and to educate ourselves on what’s new so you get the best window covering for your home. 7 Shades Now Can I Get Them Repaired? I HaveGood GoodBlinds BlindsOrOr Shades Now Can I Get Them Repaired? 12 IfIfI Have In a word, Yes. You can either bring your window treatment into our Chandler Showroom or you can call us and schedule an appointment. We can’t always fix everything but we can tell you if your blind can be fixed. Common Problems are: Problem: Wood Blinds won’t tilt because the wand is broken. Solution: We can change that out to a cord tilt Problem: Honeycomb Shade does not rise. Solution: These can be restrung. Problem: Solution: Vertical Blinds won’t tilt or slide. If they won’t slide you can spray it with dry silicone spray or you can replace the track. If they won’t tilt chances are you just need to tuck the vertical vanes in so they face the other direction. It’s the most common problem with verticals. Those are the three most common problems. In a lot of cases if a product is over 12 years old it’s difficult to repair because the parts aren’t available. You also have to weigh the cost of replacing vs repair. 13 Recommendations For Each Room Recommendations For Each Room Master Bedroom: Usually you want to have something softer like a Vignette Roman Shade or a Duette Shade. Both of these products are available in Black-out or Semi-opaque. Products like Shutters can be more masculine. With a softer shade you can match your bedspread and your décor in your Master Bedroom. You will want to consider if you would like to have a valance over your window covering when working with your designer. Master Bathroom or any Bathroom: Duette Honeycomb Shades provide great insulation, privacy, they stay very clean, and they can handle the moisture and humidity. Again something soft looks good and you 8 want to add a little color. You don’t have many opportunities to decorate in a bathroom so the window covering is a good place to add some color. Try to choose a color that goes well with many different colors, such as Bisque, Beige, Green, Silver, etc. Blue is a nice color but it is difficult to decorate around. In Bedrooms and Bathrooms treatments that are usually closed are very practical since you are not in those rooms except when you want privacy. Again it will depend on your lifestyle and your décor as well as your view to determine the best treatment for you. Front of the House: Wood Shutters or Wood Blinds give you the best look from the street. You can mix window coverings through-out your home but in the front consider having the same look from the street. Often times you will have arched windows in the front of the house and Shutters will work better than any other product. Kitchen: You will have to consider what will hold up well around cooking or splashing from the sink area. Roller Screen Shades or Allure Shades are cool treatments that work great in a Kitchen Bay area or over a sink. They roll up and down but open and close like a blind. You have to check these out. Family Room: In Living areas I recommend products that tilt open and close. You will usually want a lot of control in your Family Room so it can be wide open or closed completely to block out glare from the sun. We don’t recommend Shutters because you will probably have furniture in front of your windows in the family room, so you won’t be able to swing your shutters open unless you move the furniture out of the way. Also shutters close you in and they are more formal looking. A family room is more casual, relaxing, so treatments that fit in the window and go well with your décor work better. Golf Course View or Mountain View: If you’ve invested in a fantastic view whether it’s the mountains, a golf course, or great looking landscaping, the last thing you want to do is cover up that view with window coverings. When you want nothing, Duette Honeycomb Shades work great. They will give you privacy and insulation when you need it 9 and they will get up and out of the way when you don’t want anything covering your windows. The stack is about 3”. Another great treatment is Designer Screen Shades. We have some communities with lakes running thru them. Screen Shades will block the hard sun and UV rays from damaging your furniture and you will still be able to see thru them and enjoy your view. Patio Doors, Sliding Glass Doors, and French Doors or Single Panel Doors: There are a lot of great options for doors these days. You want a treatment that gives you the proper amount of light control and one that works well with your décor and lifestyle. For instance you can do a Black out shade in your bedroom or a screen shade in your family room. On Sliding Glass Doors On Sliding Glass Doors you want a treatment that slides open easily so you can go in and out easily holding a full plate of ribs to put on the bbq. We have customers who want to do Horizontal Treatments or Wood shutters on their patio doors. That’s ok if this is a door you aren’t using a lot, like if it’s in your Master Bedroom. If you are using it a lot these treatments are very clumsy. They may look good but you will quickly get frustrated if you are frequently going in and out. The best treatments will be a Vertical Blind, Duette Vertiglide, Skyline Panel Track, or Luminette Drapery. You have a lot of great options these days. On French Doors blinds are a bit clunky. Roller Shades work great and you have so many different styles to choose from. They will lay flat against the door. You won’t have to put extra holes on the bottom for hold down brackets. If you brush up against them they won’t scratch you like wood blinds do. The quality has gotten a lot better as well. 10 Bu s in e ss d e n w O y il m S m a ll Fa 5’6” N o On e O ve r Compliments of Shades • Draperies • Shutters www.BlindDevotion.com P 480-917-2707 1986 N ALMA SCHOOL RD Chandler, AZ 85224 ROC 273932
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