Saturday, May 5, 2012

Outside Mount Roman Shades

 The outside mount or OM roman shade is a great product to use when you want to maximize insulation, light control, and provide a  functional and decorative window treatment in one product.  The shade can be attached to the wall or the window molding.  In this example, it is attached to the molding.  One of the benefits of this type of installation is that magnetic strips can easily be fabricated in the shade edges.  These mate with flexible magnetic strips that are attached to the molding with a self adhesive backing.  When the shade is lowered, the magnets makes a good seal between the shade and molding.  Roman Quilt Insulated Shades are fabricated with a 1/2"  footer at the bottom of the shade that sits on the sill and puts the bottom weight bar to use as an insulating bottom seal.  The R value of this treatment is high - about 4.  The result is a substantial reduction in heat transfer through the window.  Good for the environment and good for the pocketbook.

The headrail is in front of the actual shade in this application.  The self-valance covers the headrail nicely and provides a finished, tailored look .  However, the top treatment could have been any other type of valance treatment as dictated by the decor.

Roman shades were once the purview of the custom window treatment designer/fabricator.  Although they are still a wonderful custom product, they can be a do-it-yourself product.  Kits and parts are available from: www.diyinsulatedshades.com.  Free instructions are also available. 

With the customized kits, the shade can be made at home in under 2 hours. 

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