Varieties Of Blinds
In old times curtains were used to cover the windows and prevent the light from entering the home in the day, if someone wanted the room to be dark. In addition to that, curtain was used to cover up the windows so that it would not look cheap or damage the looks of the room. Blinds, know as windows blinds perform the same function as the curtain. However, blinds are a recent discovery and now-a-days they are widely used than curtains in homes, because they are more stylish, cheap, and elegant and improve the looks of the home much more than curtains, and unlike curtains that usually hang straight down and can be moved only sideways, blinds are present in various varieties.
The most common type of blinds used is slat or Persian blinds. The slat blinds are made up of many slats, of metal of vinyl. They are connected with a string in such a way that they can be rotated to let the light pass through or rotated through 170 degree to stop the light from passing. These slats could be lift completely vertically up to uncover the entire window, so that the light may enter freely. Slats are basically vertical blinds and they are quite good at controlling the amount of exterior or natural light come into the room, due to ability of the slats to close tightly. Moreover, the slats can be rotated 90 degrees to allow light to pass through or to fold up on one side of a door or window.
Then there is a venetian blind which has horizontal slats, one above another. This type of slat can be rotated through an angle of 180. The slats can be rotated such that they overlap with one side facing inward and then in the opposite direction such that they overlap with the other side facing inward. There are also lift cord present in each slat so that when the cord is pulled the lower most slat starts to rise above, causing the lower slats to press the underside of the next highest slat as the blind is raised. These types of slats are mostly used in offices as they give a sophisticated appearance and blend with the interior of the room easily. Vertical blinds unlike horizontal blinds, are less likely to be damaged in strong winds and to hold dirt, but are more likely to break down. They are hung in doorways of some homes and businesses which generally leave the door open. These blinds lessen the flow of hot air from leaving the room in winter and in summers provide a hindrance to the flies, preventing their entry.
Then there are circular of honey comb blinds. They get the name from their shape; in which individual cells were glued together, Cellular blinds are very energy efficient blinds. They get their energy efficiency from the pockets of air that the cells create. There are other varieties of blinds too like, mini blinds, louvers, jalousies, brise, soleil, Holland blinds, pleated blinds, Roman shades, and roller shades. However, these blinds are rarely used.
Visit Wood Shutters, Roman Shades
Floating Hardwood Floors Can Save You Time and Money
When you are looking to save both time and money for a hardwood floor, choosing floating hardwood floors is something that you may want to consider. You will find that you can find them in just about every variety that is available for standard floors and that depending upon where they are getting installed, they are actually the wiser choice.
Engineered flooring is something that a lot of DIY installers are using. You avoid the time consuming detail work of staining and finishing and they are often much easier to put down. These styles of floors are constructed over several layers with the top layer being a thin sample of the wood of your choice.
When you are looking at the different types of floating hardwood floors, you will see that there are basically three different styles that you will have to choose from. Something that is very popular is the two strip design because it gives the appearance of boards that are lying side by side.
In contrast, you have a one strip design that has more of a plank look.
A very big concern when you put down hardwood flooring is how it is going to react to the change in climates throughout the year. Wood will naturally retract as the conditions become dry and will then re-expand as moisture is introduced back into the air.
When you use standard hardwood floors, it is generally attached to a sub floor that is made of plywood. As the conditions change, the floor shifts and is actually fighting against this sub floor and separation is not uncommon. You may also see warping or bubbling of the floor. With floating hardwood floors, the whole unit is moving together and this means that the wood can sustain itself much better under these conditions.
We had briefly touched on the sub floor that has to be put down on a standard floor.
This of course means more work for you as you have to not only put down the hardwood floor, but also have to measure, cut and install the sub floor. In many cases, floating hardwood floors can be put down directly over any surface, including concrete and tile.
While you will have just about every wood type imaginable to choose from, there are two styles of fabrication that are separated by both quality and price. One style is actually cut with a large blade that basically peels the wood from the source. You will see a wide grain and it will be much less expensive. For a truer look, choose a sliced cut floating floor that has a tighter grain and a truer likeness to regular hardwood flooring.
If all of this has not yet convinced you to go with floating hardwood floors, all you need to do is look at how long they last for. If they are cared for properly, you are looking at more than 40 years of life from this flooring. When you consider the fact that these floors are very popular in the climates that destroys regular hardwood floors, the decision does not seem so difficult to make.
Floating hardwood floors are becoming more and more popular due to their flexibility, reasonable cost, and ease of use. If you're thinking about a DIY project, don't make a decision until you fully consider floating hardwood floors for your project.
History Of Levolor Blinds
Window covering designs have never been the same since the introduction of the 1 mini-blinds by Levolor ninety-six years ago in 1914. Levolor designed the first of what we know today as mini-blinds. Their infamous design of the 1 mini-blinds we all know has been setting industry standards since that day nearly 100 years ago. Levolor blinds are synonymous with quality, style, and innovative design in mini-blinds. Cellular shades and roman blinds are two window fashion designs dominated by Levolor as well. Levolor styles have always been cutting edge and, as a result, highly copied by other window treatment manufacturers throughout the world.
In 1993, the Levolor company was officially acquired by Newell Rubbermaid. Levolor is still headquartered in High Point, North Carolina while Newell Rubbermaid has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Levolor window treatments are manufactured at facilities located in the United States, Mexico, China, and Canada. Levolor has effectively established itself as the worldwide authority on window blinds and window shades; Levolor is the brand everyone knows and trusts.
A variety of national retailers and independent dealers proudly sell Levolor shades and blinds. Retail stores as well as independent online dealers carry the full line of Levolor mini blinds and other Levolor products on their websites. You can be completely assured that all Levolor partners such as those listed above sell genuine Levolor products. These stores are the best way to purchase Levolor window treatments.
Quality cant be copied and that is why Levolor is the best window treatment manufacturer in existence today. Still to this day, nearly a century after opening their doors and introducing the famous 1 mini-blinds, Levolor shades continue to be the worlds most recognized and successful line of window covering brands. Its a fair guess that most people have owned Levolor mini-blinds at one time or another.
The Levolor line of blinds has recently grown to include a line of stylish drapery hardware and beautiful draperies, aluminum blinds, wood blinds, vertical blinds, cellular shades, woven textured shades, roman blinds, and other window treatment designs that always have the high quality and great design one would only expect from Levolor blinds. Undoubtedly, Levolor will keep the designs coming.
Almost 100 years later, Levolor is still at the top of their game doing what they do best, making mini-blinds and all the other innovative blind and shade designs they continue to revolutionize. Levolor is a name that is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.
Susan Slobac is a consultant in the window treatment industry. Susan writes about trends in levolor shades & cellular shades.