Make Your Own Roller Shade

Do-it-yourself guide to painting the exterior of your home

Editor's note: Your house is your biggest asset. So if it's starting to look a little shabby and painting it has moved to your must-do list, don't be daunted by the prospect. We have information that can help you decide what colors to use as well as what you need to know if you want to paint it yourself. It's a big project, though, and it comes with a couple of important caveats, so be sure to look at our two previous posts on staying safe on a ladder and what you must know about the danger of lead-based paint.


If your house is looking a little too shabby chic these days and needs repainting, you may want to save a few bucks and tackle the project yourself. But before you hit decision-making overload at the paint store and your head starts spinning with doubt, anxiety and endless questions, read these no-nonsense painting tips. In no time you'll create a dramatic change. It's one of your least-expensive ways to increase the value of your home.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Plan when to paint. In the Pacific Northwest, the painting season for house exteriors is late spring to early fall.

Head to your favorite paint store to stock up on materials and tools. Don't be shy to ask the experts what you'll need: They do this all day long.

Clear the surrounding area of furniture, flowerpots, hoses, garbage cans, cars and large debris.

Look up and check under the eaves for beehives and bird or wasp nests. Remove with care.

Make sure nothing is up against or hanging from the house. Remove any shutters and take measures to protect any landscaping that you care about.

PREPARATION

Check the condition of the current paint job. If the house has paint problems, educate yourself so you don't go awry the second time. The section on paint troubleshooting will help diagnose the problem.

In this order, scrape, sand, dust, wash and prime.

Updating Roller Shades with Fabric

Roller shades are a great way to add privacy and light control to your windows at very little cost. The plain white ones allow you to do something flashy with draperies, and some of the newer styles are striped and patterned, so they have personalities of their own. You can even make them yourself out of beautiful decorator fabrics so that they coordinate perfectly with your room. And all the parts are available in kits, or you can tear apart old, well-worn shades. If you use an old one, just be sure to make a mark on the barrel showing which direction the shade falls. Here’s how to make your own: 1. Determining whether your shade will be mounted inside the casing (which most roller shades are) or on the casing to cover the trim when extended. Measure the window’s length, inside the casing or outside (which would include the casing), and add 12 inches to your measurement. Measure the width in the same fashion and add 2 inches to your measurement. Cut the fabric and interfacing to your measurements. 2. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric following the manufacturer’s instructions. Then, using a lightweight pressing cloth and an iron on the “wool” setting, start ironing in the center of the interfacing, applying steam and pressure in one spot for 10 to 15 seconds, and work toward the edges, overlapping sections as you press. When you’ve completed pressing on the interfacing side (by then you’ll feel as if you’ve been ironing forever), turn the shade over to the fabric side and repeat the same steps. 3. To cut the shade width down to size, measure the barrel from the old shade or a new one cut down to the size required for your window. Don’t include the pins on the ends in your measurement. Your finished shade width should be 1/8-inch shorter than this dimension. Trim the width of your fabric using a straightedge and a matte knife. Then seal the edges with a seam sealant.

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