giving your home comfort and beauty- fixing blinds and awnings
DESCRIPTION
Know how roller blinds and awnings add beauty to your home and learn how to fix broken them here- http://www.blockoutblinds.com.au/how-to-fix-a-broken-roller-blind-chain/TRANSCRIPT
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Giving Your Home Comfort And Beauty
How To Fix A Broken Roller Blind Chain
In this video:
00:16 – How roller blind chains get broken
00:52 – Taking the blind off the bracket
01:39 – Placing the chain back into the control mechanism
03:08 – Sliding the cap back into the tube
03:21 – Putting the blind back up on the bracket
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Alright so what we’ve got here is a roller blind with the grate chain system which really makes
the blind easy to pull up and down, very simple. Now it’s very hard for the chain to come off if
used properly. If used properly, the chain really should be pulled straight up and down, in-line
with the blind. But what will happen is occasionally some people will reach over or kids will use
it and they’ll pull the blind on a little bit of an angle. And what this can do is the chain will get
caught in the top cog and it becomes quite hard to pull so you know that you’re actually sort of
doing the wrong thing. If you keep pulling, eventually the chain will pop off the mechanism and
you no longer can control the blind.
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Fixing Broken Roller Blind Chain
Fixing the problem chain
So first of all, what we need to do is to grab this little plastic wheel here and it will spin in one
direction. It might be a little bit hard to grab but just spin it around and it will eventually get to a
point where the pin will retract and it will stay enclosed. That means that you could simply slide
the blind behind – off the bracket and then pull it away from the control end and the control end
will simply come off the little pin from the other bracket, it’s easy as that. Then what you might
like to do, if your blind is in the down position still, maybe just roll it up until it’s all one nice
little roll so it’s easier to move around. So we now have our blind and we have our chain that
we’ve removed from the blind, so just put that to the side. Now, the end that the chain goes on –
you have the control mechanism – and that should simply just pull out of the end of the blind,
very easy.
Now what you will see is, inside here we have a little screw, now we need to remove this screw
with a Phillips screw driver which will remove this little cap on the end of the mechanism which
means we’ll then be able to put the chain back on. So we just remove the screw. Usually it will
take a couple of turns and then what you’ll find is the mechanism will pull apart. Simply just
grab your chain, put it back onto the groves where the chain sits, push the cap back on, and once
you’ve done that, put the screw back into the middle and line the screwdriver up. It should be
easy then tighten the screw back up. While you’re doing that it’s a good idea just to hold your
finger on the other end because this part can slide out once the screw is released, so just sort of
keep a bit of a grip on that while you remove the screw. Once you’ve done that, it’s basically just
a matter of sliding this back into the tube – like so – give it a bit of a tap to get it in. And now we
have the chain back on and we’re right to go to put the blind back up onto the brackets.
Re-mounting the blind
So now we have our blind with the chain back on, it’s just a matter of simply putting it back up
on the brackets. One thing to remember is the little wheel that we’ve retracted earlier to take it
down, just give it a little bit of a flick and the pin will pop back out. This pin is spring loaded and
will be sliding into this bracket at the end. So what we have to do first is to slide the control
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mechanism in, back onto the bracket here and it is important to make sure that the top of the
mechanism here stays at the top when you put it on the blind. You don’t want to install the blind
with this piece at the side or at the front because the chain won’t run smoothly through the
mechanism. So we simply pick that at the top. Line the hole up with the pin on the bracket – you
may have to just wobble it left and right slightly to line it up. Then the right hand side – you just
push the pin on the slot and it slides back on, and we have our blind operating as good as new.
Beautifying Homes’ Exteriors With Awnings – Melbourne Decorators Suggest
Popular Styles
Creating a nicer look for your home does not always require a full renovation. According to
professional home decorators, simple additional accents can do great wonders in upgrading your
home’s exterior. Setting up potted plants beneath your windows can create an illusion of better
landscaping around your home. Another great idea, which also provides much comfort,
protective and styling benefits, is installing awnings; Melbourne home decorators claim that
every style provides a unique charm. Listed below are some of the really popular styles and ideas
for using them in your home.
1. Folding arm awnings – These come in different sizes and prints. Most of them are used
to cover backyard patios or porches. Many households use them for their outdoor dining
areas or pool cabanas. For households that want to extend their living space, folding arm
awnings are an easy solution. They’re very durable and can easily be adjusted to provide
the suitable amount of shade to any space. They also work great for homes with no built-
in garages; by installing it on one side of the house, a shaded parking space can instantly
be created.
2. Circular entrance awnings – These are often used for walkways leading to the door.
Aside from being a cute detail in front of the house, it provides great protection from
direct exposure to sun, rain and snow. They can be installed straight from the gate to the
front of the door.
3. Traditional style awnings – This type is typically used to provide extra shade for
windows but bigger versions can also be used to provide enough shade for a porch.
Makers make use of nice fabrics to increase their aesthetic contribution to a home’s
exterior appearance. Stripes are still very popular and using bright colours is quite the
trend especially for homes with kids.
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4. Dome – This somewhat resembles an umbrella and most are probably more familiar with
this style as a lot high end boutiques in Europe go with this design for their narrow
display windows. It provides just enough shade for one person and would be nice to
install over back doors or kids’ bedroom windows. To elevate their style contribution,
makers use different prints and colours that work really well with the quirky shape of this
style of awnings.
5. Convex – These awnings are slightly similar to the dome style and can be used for
exterior window treatments. A lot of “slender” homes have this awning over their front
doors. At times, they’re made of fibre glass, while some have them custom-made so
impressive wood is used. However, the most popular material is still acrylic fabric.
The Style And Convenient Advantages Of Custom Roman Blinds
If you’re looking for an incredibly versatile window blind, one of your best bets would be to use
custom Roman blinds; you get the luxurious appearance of draping curtains combined with the
convenience of the blinds mechanism.
The premier attractive quality of custom Roman blinds is that you can play with patterns since
the main material is fabric. You have a wealth of choices to select from that will fit the design of
your rooms; there’s no limit to the prints, colours and even material! You can use thick canvas
for that minimalistic style or you can go with vibrant-coloured silk cloth for a grand old world
appeal. Aside from the patterns, colour and material, there are also various ways that you can
style these blinds through their unique cord mechanisms; you can create single draping (this is
when the fabric makes the soft M-shape) or multiple drapes just like the style used in grand
hotels.
There really is no limit to the styling potential of these Roman blinds. Accessories can also be
used to enhance their beauty, as well as create volume. Valances with prints that complement the
fabric of the blinds can create the look of elegant curtains. Another great idea would be to turn
the blinds into valances and let them rest on top of long curtains set underneath them.
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Another styling idea would be to use ribbons to emphasise the draping style of the blinds. During
the Christmas season, these ribbons add a more festive appearance to window treatments. The
ribbons can also be accessorised with holly, poinsettia, bells and even Christmas balls.
In addition to all the great style advantages, custom Roman blinds also present other cool
benefits. With the right size and material, these blinds can provide maximum privacy for you and
your family, and they are also better at completely blocking out light. Now, if you want to let
light come in, mounting these blinds above the window frame will allow them to be drawn
completely out of the way so light can enter your home brilliantly through your window.
More benefits include how they are great for keeping out the heat and insulating your room
during the warm season, while in the winter, they help retain heat by completely covering
windows where heat usually escapes. Cleaning them is also very easy since most fabrics used are
washable. The thing is, washing is not even included in the frequent cleaning routine for Roman
blinds – vacuuming and spot cleaning are typically the only things you need to do for regular
cleaning. You would only need to wash the blinds when they are already heavily soiled.
Plantation Shutters – Melbourne Manufacturers Provide Easy Cleaning Tips
Plantation shutters are charming window treatments that can often be found in country, colonial
and tropical homes. Typically made of wood, they can last decades with proper care and
maintenance. However, they tend to accumulate a lot of dirt and can look shabby especially
when they are installed as exterior window treatments. In some instances, they become homes
for tiny insects that eventually create damage on their overall appearance and structure. In order
to maintain or preserve the fine quality of your plantation shutters, Melbourne manufacturers
issued easy cleaning tips.
You would require a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment (a duster and old toothbrush
are fine substitutes if you do not have a vacuum cleaner), chamois or dusting cloth, and
commercial wood polish. With your vacuum cleaner you can easily get rid of dust and other
particulates that settle on the slats of the shutters; the brush attachment will gently “sweep” away
dirt stuck to the slats.
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After cleaning away loose dirt, you can further clean and polish the shutters using the chamois
and commercial wood polish. With gentle wiping, you can pick up embedded dirt and restore the
finish of the wood. Some wood polishing agents have the ability to temporarily protect the wood
from water and even humidity, and there are also some that have the ability to repel insects. If
you wish to provide more protection to your shutters, get the advice of the manufacturers about
great wood polish products that you can use. However, most manufacturers nowadays treat the
wood they use in creating shutters so they are water- and insect-resistant; all you really require is
the usual commercial wood polish (like Pledge) available in the market.
Now, for really hard-to-reach dirt that’s settled in the crooks and crannies of the shutters, use a
soft toothbrush and moisten it with wood polish. Narrow head toothbrushes are particularly
effective in getting dirt from corners and the wood polish will make sure that dirt’s really stuck
to the toothbrush.
Shutter manufacturers strictly advise against using soap and water in cleaning wood shutters as
these two elements can morph wood and compromise not just the appearance of the window
treatment but also its overall quality. Some people like to use soap and water to achieve a raw
and rustic finish but this will make wood brittle and prone to breakage.
The key to maintaining the beauty of your plantation shutters is to clean them regularly; clean
them every two weeks and you’ll have great-looking shutters for many years to come.