How To Make Window Blankets

posted eleven years ago

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Found this article in Countryside and thought that I would laissez passer it on to you.

Solar heat streaming through windows on a wintertime day feels great, but those same windows can permit a lot of estrus escape on cold nights, unless you insulate them. I fabricated thermal nighttime insulated shades for my 34" x 76" windows.

They provide the "ane-way valve" to heat flow. I used "Reflectix"--a double bubble pack, with Mylar facing on both sides. Information technology is available at well-nigh home centers. Using simple rollers to ringlet them up during the twenty-four hour period, each winter forenoon I but pull a cord to enhance them, and pull them downwards at night. They slide in grooves in the window molding to brand for an efficient seal.

I used spray adhesive to comprehend the within surface of the Reflectix with muslin, an inexpensive potent material available anywhere material is sold. Covering the Mylar with cloth probably reduces its power to reflect radiant rut somewhat, but the improved looks are worth the tradeoff, in my stance. No sewing is involved, and the shades price me virtually $fifteen for each of my windows, well-nigh 15 years ago. The merely maintenance I have done in that time is to replace the hardware. The usual lightweight roller shade hardware only lasts for a few years. Maybe you tin find a source for stronger hardware. If yous do please let me know: I have taken to making my ain.

There are no horizontal battens. The Reflectix just looks that way after it's roiled upwards and down a few times. It does expect adept. After a decade or and so of sliding up and downward in the woods grooves, the edges of the shade clothing somewhat, and then I just folded a strip of white duct record along both edges. This also helps to make a expert seal. I cut a small slice of the Reflectix to attach to the pinnacle, information technology hangs down so that its lower border rides on the shade as it makes the corner around the smaller roller. I originally had adhered cloth to the outside of the shade, just sunlight somewhen caused the adhesive to let go. I now leave the outside uncovered Reflectix. It shows niggling signs of deteriorating after more than 15 years in place. It is reflective plenty that it helps to go on the infinite between the shade and glazing from overheating if you leave the shade down when information technology'due south sunny, but I try to not exercise that. The "tracks" are just strips of poplar I cutting from my property, air dried, and planed--any 3/four" woods will practice. I made mine do double duty equally stop strips for the glazing and dadoed grooves in them for the shade tracks. I attached a three/4" x 3/four" dadoed piece to the lesser of the shade to give me a handle to pull the shade down with, and to help information technology seal at the lesser. The stone on the string is to keep the rolled up shade rolled tightly (any weight will work). The stone just fits in with my stone house decor.
I'm glad to help; ask if you have any further questions.

Doug Kalmar

sunart@netease.cyberspace