From: anderson@wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: cheap way to black out bedroom?
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 04:08:26 +0000 (UTC)
Originator: anderson@wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)

Spork:

>Hello. I'm currently having a new home built and was just looking for ideas
>on what type of shades to use for windows. I work nights so I was looking
>for something that would blackout the bedroom. it doesnt have to be complete
>darkness but close to it.

>I've used the foil and cardboard trick but it just wears out from opening
>and closing your window. When you do want light in the winter you have to
>tear it all down. I was thinking of mini blinds with some of those opaque
>curtains over that. I bet a lot of light could still leak around the sides
>though. What other frugal solutions do I have? maybe mini blinds with
>vertical blinds over the top of that?

>I also will have a sliding glass door. I see a lot of people use vertical
>blinds but my parents look quite worn out from letting dogs in and out. A
>curtain seems like it would be much easier . Does anyone use curtains or is
>that a weird idea?

Any art supply store will carry a mounting board called foam
core. It's about 1/4" thick with plasticized paper on the
outside and rigid styrofoam between. It's white and not
completely opaque, but a couple coats of paint or even black
contruction paper would solve that. It'v very easy to cut
with a utility knife, so you could easily get a tight fit
within the window trim. It's dimensionally quite stable even
in the full summer sun. I've used this method myself, though
without making it completely opaque, to protect art works and
antiques from the summer sun on the west side of my house.



-- 
[] Though in the order of nature angels rank above men, yet,
[] by scale of justice, good men are of greater value than
[] bad angels.
[] -- Saint Augustine, 354-430
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*  Copyright 2004 Jess Anderson
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