A coat of paint can brighten and update vertical blinds. Love them or hate them, there's nothing quite as convenient for sliding glass doors as vertical blinds. Unfortunately, they can make a room look dated, especially if they don't blend with new decor. When replacement isn't an option, or to keep the blinds out of a landfill, a coat of paint, fabric or wallpaper can go a long way to make them look fresh. Paint Whether vinyl or fabric, vertical blinds can be transformed with a coat of paint. Specialty paints designed to adhere to the specific type of surface, such as fabric paints for fabric or spray paint for plastic provide the best coverage and longest lasting color. The blinds can be painted to match the surrounding walls or trim, or with a modern pattern, such as ivory at the top and chocolate brown at the bottom. The blinds need to be cleaned thoroughly prior to painting and vinyl blinds might require a light sanding to help the paint stick. Curtain Panels Instead of changing the slats, vertical blinds can be updated by hanging curtain panels in front of the slats.

Panels can be attached to the same clips that hold the slats. Sheer panels can soften the look of the blinds while still allowing in light. Heavier panels provide privacy. The slats can also be taken down and replaced entirely with curtain panels. It may take two or three panels to cover the whole window. Panels that look good both pulled back and stretched out flat work best. Fabric Rather than covering the entire set of blinds with curtain panels, each slat can be covered with fabric. It can be glued on, or in some cases, slid into the sides of the slats, depending on the design of the blinds. Fabric needs to be thin enough to not add too much weight to each slat, but not so thin that the glue or the slats show through. Edges can be finished by gluing, rolling over and sewing a straight seam or adding an embellishment like decorative ribbon or cord. Stick-ons Wallpaper can be cut to size and pasted directly on to slats, opening up unlimited possibilities for colors and patterns. A coat of vinyl primer will help the wallpaper adhere to the blinds.

Decorative wall decals can also be added to the slats. Cut into sections to fit on the strips, the decals can create a modern mural when the blinds are closed and add color and interest when they're open. References Frugal Home Ideas: I Love You, Spray PaintRemodelaholic: How to Update Your Vertical Blinds! Photo Credits Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionHome > Blinds > Vertical Blinds Alternatives Sold by Home Controls, Inc. and Fulfilled by Amazon.Auto Glass Repair Elliot Lake Add A Motor AD80 D80 Drapery Motor for Existing DraperyTarkett Laminate Flooring ComplaintsDetailsX10 TM751 Wireless Transceiver Module FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Chugs For Sale CheapDetailsX10 HR12A PalmPad Remote Control FREE Shipping on orders over $49.

8.2 x 3.9 x 3 inches #366,906 in Home and Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home and Kitchen) #5,147 in Home & Kitchen > Home Décor > Window Treatments > Draperies & Curtains See all 50 customer reviews See all 50 customer reviews (newest first) I had to restring the drapes, and once I did and got the tabs set it is working perfect. Only thing that might make it better, is if it came with it's own timer. Very easy to install and works very well. I use it with my TP-Link smart plug great way to start your home automation project. I love this thing. I connected it to my amazon Alexa. In anycase, I ended up using to timer from my tp link. So it opens and closes on my schedule. The product is made of plastic that breaks easily. I have not been able to use it. I would not recommend buying this product. Cons:-The Drive Axle broke after 3 months of 2 times a day usage-Noisy: Like others have reviewed, its noisy-Description says "In event of a power failure,...

I tried these even though reviews were showing poor form factor. I gave it a 2 because while it works it needs adjustments continually. I have purchased 2 of these over the past year, and both broke. The last one within 65 days after I received it, when the axle broke on the rubber roller that turns the chord for... I had to buy "2" the first one didn't work and they wouldn't let me send it back. Now this one is making all kinds of noise so I will see if they will let me send this one...Two have broken very quickly, so avoid this item. Over the product before it it was ridiculously hard to set the controls. See and discover other items: motorized window shades, curtains for patio doors, patio blinds, window blinds partsGood sleep really matters, but even if you have what it takes to get a good night's rest you still have to combat the world around you. You can't control the sun or the noise outside, but you can do a few things to make your bedroom dark and quiet when you need it so nothing stands between you and a good night's rest.

The sun rises right into my face every morning at 7:00 AM, and I don't need or want to get up quite so early. On top of that, the leaf blowers and music in my neighborhood get their start at about the same time. Since I'm not Helen Keller, this sort of thing wakes me up in the morning before I'm ready to go. Going to bed early can help, but not all nights were created equal and I wanted a way to survive the distractions. A few DIY tips and tricks made all the difference without much sacrifice. You may have noticed, but most blinds only keep out the sun so much. If you've got a lot of natural light in your bedroom like I do, you've probably considered expensive blackout shades but didn't want to pay the price. Additionally, if you actually like the light in your room at other times of the day, blackout shades only give you two options: really dark or really bright. I've found a good solution to each problem, and you can even combine them if you want.First, you can dim your windows with cut-to-size removable decals.

I purchased this Gila Privacy Film, which costs about $17 per window (not much for just a bedroom), but pretty much any generic removable dimming film should do the trick. You just cut it to size, wash your window, and roll it on. You have to take time to press it so it stays, and if you have multiple window panes you'll need to cut it into multiple pieces. I have 24 separate panes on one window and cutting took about an hour. I caught up with some podcasts. You'll probably have an easier time than I did, however, so I wouldn't worry too much about the commitment. Speaking of commitment, you can just take the film off at any time if you like. I taped mine in some places where it wouldn't stick, but it should stay on the window just fine if you leave it alone. Second, you can make your own blackout shades. I prefer just the decals because I want some light to come in. With less coming through, I wake up closer to 8:00 AM—my desired time—so I don't employ other techniques unless I need to.

If you want to make your own shades, you don't really need a lot of know-how. You just need blackout fabric, which you can find for as little as $5 per yard, a curtain rod, a staple gun, and a string. From there you just cut the fabric to the size of your window, staple the top around the curtain rod, mount the curtain rod above your window, and tie the fabric up into a roll with a string until you need to pull your blackout curtains down. Of course, these won't look beautiful by any means. It'll look like you stapled a sheet of fabric to a rod. If you have a sewing machine, however, you can sew them onto the rod and seal the corners without much effort. For some good instructions, check out DIY Network's post on making your own blackout shades.You can use whichever techniques suit you best, or both. You can also just buy an eye mask if you don't mind them. Either way, you'll reduce the amount of light in your bedroom on the cheap and worry less about an early wake-up call from the sun.

You can block out the sun, but you can't black out the noise. If your home lets in a lot of outdoor sound, you can't really do anything simple to stop it. You can, however, plug up your ears.You've probably thought of this. Ear plugs make for an obvious solution, but you want to get the right kind. Small foam inserts work best. You wouldn't want them for a loud, damaging concert (you'd want these), you don't need to block out a crazy amount of sound or maintain any level of quality. You just need to block out enough sound to stay asleep without causing much discomfort. You can order foam earplugs in bulk on the cheap. The simple cylindrical type tend to work best for sleep because very little protrudes, and you can get 50 for $11. The slightly-longer ones cost a little less, at $22 for 200. Either way, just shove 'em in your ears at night and you'll sleep well. A vibrating alarm will supplant your noisy clock if you need a wake up call. Although ear plugs can solve the noise problem, they can create others if used over longer periods of time.