Sunroom Shades – Control Your Light Levels
Sunrooms are a great place to spend a lazy afternoon. However, during certain times of the day (or year), this area of your home may be a little brighter than you bargained for. UV blocking glass may keep you from getting sunburned, but the light can still create an unpleasant level of glare. Installing shades, blinds, or drapes is one way to take control of how much sun you let into your sunroom.
Blinds and Shades
Louvered vinyl blinds or roll-up bamboo shades are the cheapest option for the floor to ceiling style windows in most sunrooms. These can be installed as a DIY project and are available in a wide variety of sizes. Consider purchasing shades from the same manufacturer or distributor who supplied the other materials for your sunroom. This is one way to get a fairly good deal and ensure a proper fit. If you have a bespoke sunroom built to your specifications, expect to pay more for custom blinds.
Sunroom Drapes
Sheer Sunroom Curtains
Do you prefer curtains but don’t want to spend thousands on a custom window treatment? Buy sheer fabric from a discount store and make these yourself. For full drapes, each fabric panel should be at least 1.5 times the width of the glass pane it is covering. Allow several inches of extra fabric at the top and bottom for a hem and the channel for the curtain rod. Finish with ribbon tie backs for a breezy, simple effect. If you want to be able to fully block light and conserve energy when you aren’t using the room, install solid drapes with a thermal blackout liner.
Fun Stuff
Don’t forget that skylights may need to be shaded as well. Motorized blinds can be installed to open and close with the flick of a switch. This gives you the option of blocking the rays of the sun when it is directly overhead. During the summer, this can make your sunroom easier to cool.
Related posts:
- Sunroom addition considerations
- Sunroom Options
- Decorating A Sunroom
- Flooring Your Sunroom
- Sunroom Insulation Tips
Tags: Sunrooms
