How to Purchase Blinds on a Budget
The blinds industry has developed at an astronomical rate over the last few years and something that was once based on incredibly simple products has now become hugely advanced. Choosing a new window treatment now takes days of research – it isn’t just the case of popping to the high-street and picking the nicest design.
This means that the general consensus is that blinds are a premium product and are subsequently priced accordingly. While this is true to an extent, and if you were to shop for motorized blinds, insulated shades or any of the new varieties that have hit the market your budget might be blown out of the water, it doesn’t always have to be the rule. In other words, value blind products still exist – and they’re more than capable of solving some of the biggest window treatment products out there.
For the room that suffers from screen-glare…
Whether it’s the office or the living room, screen-glare is one of 2015’s biggest problems. The process of the sun beaming so brightly onto your computer or television screen, and making it unusable in the process, is irritating to say the least. The answer from a lot of blinds manufacturers is to turn to solar shades, which are specifically designed to eradicate the glare whilst still permitting some natural light to shine through the material.
Naturally, the above products are the most effective in this regard – but they also happen to be the most expensive. Fortunately, you don’t have to venture down this road if it’s only screen glare you need to control. Venetian blinds have for years been able to filter light and in most cases you will still be able to allow some natural light to sift through whilst solving the screen-glare problem. The same can be said for vertical blinds while if natural light really doesn’t bother you (think home cinemas and the like), something like a blackout blind will work like a charm.
For the freezing cold room…
Next, we’ll turn to that room which just can’t boost its temperature. Nowadays, a lot of people turn to insulated shades, as these are unsurprisingly able to prevent heat escaping and maintain its temperature that way.
Again, they are far from cheap though. However, if you are willing to sacrifice natural light during the day, something as simple as a blackout or roller shade will work well. Admittedly, the effects aren’t going to be quite as significant, but you are still providing at least some insulation between the room and outside which might be the difference between your room being habitable and completely unbearable.
For the boiling hot room…
On the subject of temperature, we’ll now move onto those rooms which seem to become stifling hot at the drop of a hat. Modern solutions generally involve the solar shade, with this able to stop hot UV rays in their tracks whilst allowing natural light in.
Unfortunately, this again comes at a cost. The workaround isn’t going to prompt lots of natural light, but by carefully manipulating your Venetian or vertical blind slats you can direct the light in a way that’s not going to overheat the room.
Of course, this is another solution which is not completely ideal. However, the point we’re trying to make is that blinds don’t have to be ludicrously expensive and you can still reap some benefits from them if you just take advantage of the next-best solution.
James is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek. When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College. He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.