Window treatments v. cellular shades

[Stereodude]

Anyone have cellular shades or have any experience with them? I am in the midst of painting and making my great room all nice and the cheapo white blinds need to go because they're the wrong color and they don't really allow the room to be darkened enough during the day. I was thinking of getting cellular shades that have blackout (complete opacity) capability.

These ones from blinds.com with the trilight feature look like just the ticket. I can let in light if I want it or use the blackout portion and have privacy either way, or open it for an unobstructed view as well.

 

[Handruin]

I considered it as I've been renovating my 2nd floor but ended up going with Levolor thick faux wood shades because if I got those cellular shades, my cat would destroy them in no time. She wants to look out windows all the time.

 

[Stereodude]

I have 6 windows on the back wall in my great room. The top 3 are only 19" tall. The bottom 3 are 64" tall. Buying 6 window treatments is $$$. It looks like close to $1k for what I'm looking at from blinds.com and that's with their 20% off sale that ends today. I'm not to the point of ordering just yet, so I guess I'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Handruin]

I hear ya man. I bought 6 of the Levolor and it adds up quick. I feel like I haven't had a week yet without spending minimum $500 on the house. I added all hardwood floors to my 2nd floor and the flooring was over $5K alone. I also replaced 21 steps with oak treads which was several thousand more. Granted that's likely a once in a lifetime of the house purchase but still.

 

[Stereodude]

My coworker relayed a saying his neighbor told him. Something like, "A house is like a pimp. It takes all your money and if you're lucky if offers you a small amount of protection."

 

[Handruin]

I guess that means we are riding the corporate dick to pay off the pimp. That makes me depressed.

 

[Will Rickards]

We have these in the bedrooms, though I think we bought the lowes version, and not the trilight version. Inside is just a reflective film. It works great for sleeping, plenty dark. They look pretty good. In our downstairs we went with the roman blinds. Something like this but a cheaper version and smoother fabric. The cheapo plastic ring connection broke after a couple years so I replaced it with a keyring.

 

[Stereodude]

I ordered some material samples from blinds.com. They're free. I'm pretty sure I want the darkest grey color on the shades.. I'm not sure what color I want for the trilight material.

 

[LunarMist]

It was some years ago, but the 3rd day blinds made some "blackout" shades. They are really just an opaque blind, compared to the ones that let through diffused light. I keep them closed all the time for obvious reasons.

 

[Stereodude]

It was some years ago, but the 3rd day blinds made some "blackout" shades. They are really just an opaque blind, compared to the ones that let through diffused light. I keep them closed all the time for obvious reasons.

You're a vampire and can't be exposed to sunlight?

 

[Stereodude]

I guess that means we are riding the corporate dick to pay off the pimp. That makes me depressed.

Hey, I'm not taking the analogy that far, but what you do in your own time at work...

 

[LunarMist]

I don't know why it should be so complicated. There are hundreds of companies that will make you blinds. Many are small and family owned rather than corporate. Obviously if you want to be a Joe Vila that is another thing.

 

[sechs]

Who's Joe Vila?

 

[LunarMist]

Some guy that worked on house remodeling back in the 1980s.

 

[Stereodude]

Who's Joe Vila?

Bob Vila?

 

[LunarMist]

Yeah, that's him. Maybe I was thinking of the middle name.

 

[Stereodude]

Maybe I should have paid the $10 to expedite the material samples from blinds.com. I put the old blinds back up this morning so I have some privacy in the mean time after I finished painting the trim in those windows last night.

I have more trim to paint and the ceiling in the room. The walls are done. I need to get the crown molding and chair rail too. I'm working a few hours a night on this after work as well of most of the weekends, but progress has been slow.

 

[Stereodude]

Maybe I should have paid the $10 to expedite the material samples from blinds.com.

Or not... The samples arrived in today's mail. It looks like my instincts on the colors were right, but I'll wait until I see what the trilight material samples look like with sunlight on them in the great room tomorrow morning. I held them in sunlight this evening at the front of the house but I want to verify before spending hundreds of dollars.

 

[LunarMist]

Sungun?

 

[Stereodude]

Sungun?

It's not the same...

 

[Stereodude]

I had a bit of sun this morning and made my color check. ~$800 later I have 6 cellular shades on order.

 

[Stereodude]

I got the cellular shades up in the past 24 hours. Here are some not great cell phone pics of the daylight and blackout look. I put static cling frosted privacy film on the upper windows a few weeks back to eliminate harsh light when the sun is shining on that side of the house.

 

[ddrueding]

Our 10-year old cellular black-outs are starting to show their age (not working all the time, some threads wearing). I'm now looking for one that I can automate using either the Insteon or Echo systems. Did you investigate those?

 

[Stereodude]

Our 10-year old cellular black-outs are starting to show their age (not working all the time, some threads wearing). I'm now looking for one that I can automate using either the Insteon or Echo systems. Did you investigate those?

I didn't. I looked very briefly at motorized options and decided they were too much money and had too many compromises.