Blind Installation in Vermont

Ordered to the opening, not trimmed to fit

A blind trimmed down from a box leaves gaps at the edges, and the gaps are where the draft and the six a.m. light get in. Ours are ordered to the measurements we take at your window. We work out of Middlebury and hang blinds across Addison and Rutland counties, the lake towns and the ski country, and the person who measures is the person who installs.

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Rated4.8

From 33 Google reviews

Which Blinds Suit The Room

Most of this comes down to the room, the light and what the window has to do. Here is how we talk it through at the estimate.

Get A Price On Blinds

We measure at your window and bring the samples to you. The estimate is free and there is no showroom to visit.

Wood, Faux Wood Or Aluminum

The room usually makes this decision for you. Real wood, usually basswood, is light, warm and the obvious match for a room that already has wood trim, and it belongs in a dry room. Faux wood is a composite or PVC that looks close enough at a glance and does not care about moisture, so it goes in bathrooms, laundries and over kitchen sinks. It is heavier, so on a very wide window we sometimes split it across two blinds on one headrail.

Aluminum has thin slats and a low profile, and it is the sensible way to cover a lot of openings without the cost of wood. It suits a workshop, an office or a rental better than a living room.

Blinds Or Shades

A blind has slats you tilt. A shade is one piece of fabric. If you want to angle the light and keep the view with the covering down, a blind does that and a shade cannot. If the window is in a bathroom or kitchen, a faux wood blind outlasts any fabric. And a blind with a cordless lift and a wand tilt is about as low-maintenance as a window covering gets.

Shades win on insulation, because a cellular shade holds air against the glass and a blind has a gap between every slat. They also win on a very large window, where a wide blind gets heavy and the slats bow over time, and in any room where softness matters more than the view. We sell both and will tell you which fits.

How The Job Runs

A free in-home estimate with samples, at your window. We measure the opening ourselves and order to those sizes. An inside-mount blind has to clear the frame by a fraction of an inch on both sides, and an older Vermont frame is rarely square, which is why we do not work from numbers over the phone.

Most orders arrive in two to three weeks, and the person who measured hangs them. Our base is Middlebury. We cover Addison and Rutland counties, Charlotte and Shelburne on the lake, and the ski country from Killington to Stowe. Every window covering we sell comes with a lifetime warranty, which is worth weighing against a cheaper blind you will replace in five years.

What Blinds Cost, And What Moves The Number

We do not quote from a price list, because the window decides the cost. What moves it:

• The size of the opening, and how many you are doing
• Real wood against faux wood against aluminum
• Slat width
• Cordless or motorized lifts rather than a pull cord
• Whether a wide window is better as one blind or two
• Stained or painted finish on wood

Blinds In A Vermont Bathroom, Kitchen And Wood-Stove House

Moisture decides more than style does. A real wood blind over a bathtub or a kitchen sink will warp or peel within a few winters. Faux wood in those rooms costs about the same and lasts, so that is what we put there.

A house heated by a wood stove has the opposite problem. It runs very dry in winter, and real wood can shrink and show gaps at the slats. Basswood handles it better than most, and faux wood does not notice at all. We ask how you heat before we recommend anything.

The Questions We Get Most

• How much do blinds cost?

  It depends on the opening, so we quote after measuring. The number moves with the size of the window, how many you are doing, real wood against faux wood against aluminum, slat width, and whether you want a cordless or motorized lift. Aluminum is usually the least, stained real wood the most. The estimate is free and we bring samples.

• Wood or faux wood?

  Wood if the room is dry and you want the real thing. Faux wood anywhere there is steam or splashing, and in a house heated by a wood stove, where dry air can shrink real wood. In a bathroom it is always faux wood.

• How long does it take to get blinds?

  Two to three weeks on most products, counted from the day we measure. We hang them the day they arrive.

• Blinds or shades, which should I choose?

  Blinds if you want to tilt the light and keep the view with the covering down, or for a bathroom in faux wood. Shades for insulation, for very wide windows, and for rooms where softness matters. On a cold window a cellular shade beats any blind.

• What about very wide windows?

  Wide openings are often better as two blinds on one headrail than one very heavy blind. Past about six feet a single blind gets heavy to lift and the slats bow over time. We work that out at the measure.

• Are cordless blinds safe for children?

  Cordless lifts are the safest option and the one we suggest first in a house with young children or pets. Nothing hangs down the wall. A wand tilt replaces the tilt cord as well.

• How do I clean blinds?

  Faux wood and aluminum take a damp cloth. Real wood wants dusting rather than washing. Wider slats mean fewer of them, which means less to dust in the first place.

• Can you match blinds to trim I already have?

  Usually close, sometimes exactly. Stains and paints come in a wide range, and we bring samples to the estimate so you can hold them against the trim rather than guess from a screen.

• Do blinds work in a bathroom?

  Faux wood or aluminum, yes. Real wood, no. Steam eventually warps or peels a wood blind, and a faux wood costs about the same and lasts.

• Which blind brands do you carry?

  Hunter Douglas and Graber, across wood, faux wood and aluminum. We bring samples from both to the estimate so you can compare slat widths and finishes against your own trim.

What Customers Say

4.8 stars from 33 Google reviews