Posted 2012-01-30 8:46 PM (#140428) Subject: mini blinds - any suggestions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
I'm planning to install mini blinds in my dressing room that is slowly turning into a weekend package. The windows are 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall. Are there any tricks or suggestions about putting them up so that they are more stable or are they stable enough if just put up normally? I haven't decided about valances or anything like that.
Posted 2012-01-30 9:54 PM (#140429 - in reply to #140428) Subject: RE: mini blinds - any suggestions
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
I replaced our factory fan fold string blinds, with a home center's mini blinds. You have the same amount of privacy, a lower cost, better light, and much more ventilation. You don't have to raise or lower them to allow an air flow, whilst still providing seclusion.
They are adjustable for an exact length, can fit inside the factory valances, ( or make your own out of stock crown molding) and are available in widths that fit almost any window. If you don't like the bottom swinging freely during transet, there are supplied clips that allow the bottom bar to be affixed to the wall.
The inexpensive ones work very well, but are not usually available in many colours. If this is a concern, many optional types are available in most colours and of various construction materials. Our LQ panels have a light hue, and the stock ivory fit the interior quite well. We do not have the bottoms clipped, and routinely fully raise the blinds when privacy isn't a concern.
We broke one of the strings on one window's OEM shade. After pricing a new one, then pricing a repair, and then realising that they weren't really very efficient, we decided to replace them all with the mini blinds. They are a fraction of the OEM costs, simple to install, dead reliable, and in our mind, much better to own and use.
Posted 2012-01-30 10:41 PM (#140433 - in reply to #140428) Subject: RE: mini blinds - any suggestions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
Thanks Gard. That is great information to know. I decided to buy these to get something in there for now and thought they should be good enough for what I'm doing. I bought some 1 inch vinyl mini blinds this afternoon for $11.50 at Big Lots. They are off-white, which is OK for my interior and probably looks better from the outside than most. The width is perfect and there are instructions to shorten them. I was wondering if there needed to be additional hardware or longer screws or anything because of the motion of the trailer but I'm thinking that I probably don't. I like the idea of the little clips at the bottom, too. Thanks.
Posted 2012-01-31 10:50 AM (#140441 - in reply to #140428) Subject: RE: mini blinds - any suggestions
Location: Central Arkansas
Most mini blinds get wrecked super easy. For a little more money, you can get the insulating honeycomb pull downs that have no strings or bendable slats. They can be raised easily by a child or even a dog's nose. We found them for our weekender for $29 each on sale at JC Penneys.
Posted 2012-01-31 11:08 AM (#140444 - in reply to #140428) Subject: RE: mini blinds - any suggestions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
Thanks Bushycreek. I'll keep that in mind when these get bent up. I confess to not knowing much about blinds. I do very much like the ventilation aspects that Gard talked about, though - and it's something I wouldn't have thought about up front.
It's always good to know what to keep an eye out for in sales, too. Thanks!