The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-26)

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BY KEVIN BRASLER

AND JENNIFER BARGER

Think of window treatments
as the little black dress of your
home. On one hand, Roman
shades, silk curtains or plain old
blinds are practical must-haves.
They block streetlight glares and
morning rays, help insulate
against heat and cold, and even
shield you from the eyes of
prying neighbors. But with the
right flourishes, they also serve
as decorations, elevating your
home from just-out-of-college
bare to magazine beautiful.
There are many choices — and
price ranges — when it comes to
window treatments. Here’s ad-
vice to help you get good prod-
ucts and good deals.

Types of treatments

There’s no one-size-fits-all so-
lution here. Consider what you
need from your window treat-
ments. Do you want to block out
sunlight in a nursery, or do you
need insulation for a cold den?
In addition to traditional
wood or cellular blinds, most
window-covering stores also sell
plantation shutters, curtains,
Roman shades (fabric shades
that fold neatly when you raise
them) and roller shades. The last,
often crafted from sleek, natural
materials or hip fabrics, have
made a comeback recently,
thanks to technology improve-
ments and the minimalism
trend. Roller shades now come in
materials far better looking than
the flimsy ones from decades
past, and many of them can also
block UV rays while still admit-
ting light. Or, thanks to thin-yet-
dense construction, they can ob-
scure outside light.

Where to look

Spend time visiting show-
rooms or perusing online to
determine what you want. Like
most types of retailers, online
window-dressing companies
continue to gain traction. Al-
though most offer tools that let
you visualize colors, models and
types of coverings on generic
windows, you’ll find it easier to
evaluate options in a place where
you can touch and compare ma-
terials and styles. Plus, at the
best stores, pros will help you
pick what works for your win-
dow type.
To help you find a retailer,
Washington Post readers get free
access until June 25 to nonprofit
Washington Consumers’ Check-
book’s unbiased ratings of local
window-treatment retailers at
Checkbook.org/WashingtonPost/
Window-Treatments.
In addition to specialty shops
and big-box stores, some uphol-

sterers and paint centers or de-

sign stores offer window-

treatment services, usually for

curtains or Roman shades. Al-

though this sounds expensive, it

is often cheaper than using big-

name online outfits, and you

have numerous choices of fabrics

and colors.

Bring home samples (which

should be free) of materials

you’re considering. You’ll want to

see firsthand what complements

your furnishings, and it’s better

to do this in the place the

treatments will go.

You can tell workers or online

sellers what your space and win-

dows look like — or show them

photographs — and ask for ad-

vice. Some stores will also send

salespeople to your home to offer

advice, show samples and take

measurements. There’s usually

no charge or obligation to buy,

but ask to be sure.

Before deciding, tape samples

to the wall near where the treat-

ments will hang and see what

they will look like at different

times of day. And hold them up

in front of the window during the

day and night to see how much

light filters through.

Evaluate your options

For most blinds and shades,

you’ll have choices regarding

how they function. You can order

standard cords; continuous-loop

cords; top-down, bottom-up

treatments; or something cord-

less, which is ideal for families

with pets or young children, for

whom traditional hanging cords

pose a strangulation risk. These

work on a concealed pulley sys-

tem; you operate them by pulling

a bottom bar or a ring on the

back. The Consumer Product

Safety Commission continues to

work with window-treatment

manufacturers to eliminate cord

strangulation. Check its website,

cpsc.gov , and visit the Window

Covering Safety Council’s site,

windowcoverings.org , for warn-

ings, tips and safety videos.

Motorized shades and blinds

have become more widely avail-

able in recent years, and some

can be connected to timers or

controlled via smartphones. Al-

though these models can seem

cool and are useful for otherwise

inaccessible windows, the add-

ons can be costly; some stores

charge $300 to $500 per window

for automated systems.

Look at warranties

Get product descriptions,

measurements and delivery

dates in writing, and ask for a

written guarantee before paying.

Pay with a credit card, so you can

dispute charges if the store

doesn’t deliver on its promises or

refuses to correct problems. And

compare warranties and guaran-

tees, both for the blinds and for

the installation (if you’re not

doing it yourself).

Some stores offer lifetime

guarantees, meaning they’ll send

someone out to fix a broken blind

slat, replace a malfunctioning

motor or untangle cords. Al-

though you might save money by

buying from a low-cost online

store and doing your own instal-

lation, this arrangement doesn’t

provide the free repairs you’d get

from a store that offers a custom-

er-friendly, long-term guarantee.

Ask about timing

Many blinds, shades and cur-

tains are custom-made. This

used to take as long as a month,

but increasingly, some stores can

deliver within a few days to a

week.

If you’re in a hurry or want to

save money, many retailers, such

as Pottery Barn, Target, Ikea,

Anthropologie and West Elm, as

well as home improvement

stores offer premade shades,

blinds or curtains. With blinds,

some stores can cut stock prod-

ucts to fit, and you might be able

to shorten slatted ones yourself.

With stock Roman shades,

there is wiggle room if they’re too

long — but not if they’re too

short. Premade curtains can also

be shortened via hem tape or

sewing, or by taking a trip to the

tailor.

Shop around

When Checkbook’s undercov-

er shoppers sought prices for

window treatments for four win-

dows — including cellular

shades, blinds and Roman

shades — at a sampling of local

stores and online outlets, they

found a wide range.

For example, for cellular

shades, Checkbook’s shoppers

specified that they wanted four

(^3) / 8 -inch single-cell, white, light-
filtering cellular shades, 30 inch-
es wide by 68 inches long. For the
least-expensive brand available
at each local store, not including
installation, prices ranged from
$437 to $2,010. Among local
stores, price winners include
the big-box operations (Costco,
Home Depot, Lowe’s), plus
J.C. Penney.
Be sure to factor in installa-
tion costs. At some stores, these
are included in the price of the
window treatments; at others,
they are extra (or substantially
extra). Some suppliers don’t offer
professional installation. Don’t
assume buying online will save
you a lot of money. Some online
sellers charge low prices, while
others charge high. Plus, a few of
the pricey Internet retailers were
more expensive than local
bricks-and-mortar options.
Covering all the bases: What to know about window treatments
PHOTOS BY ISTOCK
There are many choices — and price ranges — when it comes to window treatments. Before you
choose, you’ll want to first bring home samples to see what complements your furnishings.
Kevin Brasler is executive editor
and Jennifer Barger is a contributing
editor at Washington Consumers’
Checkbook magazine and
Checkbook.org , a nonprofit
organization with a mission to help
consumers get the best service and
lowest prices. It is supported by
consumers and takes no money
from the service providers it
evaluates. You can access
Checkbook’s unbiased ratings of
Washington-area window-treatment
retailers free until June 25 at
Checkbook.org/WashingtonPost/
Window-Treatments.