February 2023 - McNeill Palm

Laundry Room Tips

February 27, 2023 by McNeill Palm Team

You just might want to do you laundry more often if you make your laundry room beautiful and functional. These tips, like choosing fun wallpaper and adding new motorized shades to your laundry room will help make you want to do your laundry.

Display Cleaning Supplies – As incentive to keep your cleaning and laundry supplies organized, use them as décor. Store detergent and fabric softener in class or ceramic containers with fun labels for added personality.
Add Motorized Shades – Any natural light will make a huge difference in a small laundry room. Help draw the focus to your windows by installing chic and functional window treatments like motorized shades.
Mix Up the Cabinets – Try alternating between closed and open shelf or glass door cabinets in your laundry room. This helps keep the small space feel lighter and airy while also adding interest.
Be Careful with Materials – Your laundry room is first and foremost a functional space. Therefore, you need to make sure that the materials you choose are functional as well as stylish. Will the floor be easy to clean? Can you quickly wipe off the countertops?
Hang Artwork – If you don’t want to commit to a bright wall color or wallpaper, add interest with artwork. Paintings, prints, photographs, or even written signs from your local home goods store will all add color.
Make the Most of the Space – Most people aren’t blessed with massive laundry rooms. So, you need to make the most of the space. Take a look at the layout and see if there’s a way you can maximize storage and counterspace by moving the machines, sink or cabinets.
Use Wallpaper – Wallpaper is great for bringing life and brightness into a small room, like a laundry room. Try installing wallpaper from the floor to the ceiling on one wall to make an accent wall or do a strip of wallpaper along the entire room.
Paint the Ceiling – Since laundry rooms are so small, they often don’t have space for fun design moments. So, use the ceiling! Paint the ceiling a fun color that makes you happy.
Add Shelves – If you don’t have room for shelving on the surrounding walls, add shelves right on top of your front-load washer and dryer. These shelves will not only add storage but will also help cover up the ugly washer and dryer.
Have Fun – Most of all, make your laundry room a place you want to be in by having fun with the design. Let your personality shine in the colors, layout, window treatments, storage solutions, and every other aspect of the room.

You don’t want to spend more time in your laundry room than you need to! But what if you could make your laundry room somewhere you want to spend time? We are here to help if you want more design tips or information on motorized shades. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today to learn more about what we can do for you and your window treatments.

Common Blind Myths

February 13, 2023 by McNeill Palm Team

Adding blinds to your home is a great way to boost your home’s comfort, value, function, and style. Especially if the blinds have motorization! But many homeowners don’t want to get blinds because they believe some common yet untrue myths about them. What do you know about blinds? If you don’t know very much, that’s OK. Most people don’t know much, or if they think they do, a lot of that information might be incorrect.

There are a concerning number of myths surrounding blinds, which can complicate things for the average customer. To help clear things up, here are some common blind myths and their truths:

Blinds Spoil Your View – The opposite is often true! The right blinds can actually highlight the view from your window. All you have to do is choose the right size, type and style of blinds to match your window and the rest of your house.
Blinds are Hard to Clean – Don’t worry if you like to keep a clean home. Blinds, just like window shutters, are actually very easy to clean with the right technique. Just pay attention to the material as vinyl, wood and other common materials require different cleaning techniques. The best way to clean blinds? Lightly wipe them clean about once a week.
Blinds are Dangerous – This one is based in some truth, as the hanging cords of corded blinds can pose a threat for young children and some pets. However, this problem is easily avoided! All you have to do is wrap up the extra hanging cord to reduce the risk of an accident. You can also choose motorized or cordless window coverings that don’t have any hanging cord at all.
Blinds Don’t Last Long – Again, this myth isn’t true for all kinds of blinds, as a unit’s longevity depends on what kind of material it’s made from. Some types of blinds, like those made from aluminum, wood, and faux wood, are incredibly durable and can last years.
There Aren’t That Many Options – Maybe there weren’t that many kinds of blinds to choose from in the past, but these days there are countess options. In fact, it’s simple to find the right blind for any window regardless of its shape, size and style – especially since you can easily order custom made blinds that are specially designed to precisely fit your window and your home. You can even get blinds with Hunter Douglas PowerView motorization to elevate them even more. Just do a little research into what kind you want and decide if you need to have it custom ordered.
Expensive Blinds are Best – Not at all true! While you can definitely spend a fair chunk of change on premium window treatments, you can easily find affordable yet still high-quality blinds and window shutters for your home. You can choose from a wide range of pocket-friendly blinds that will fit your budget and install blinds in any room of your home without breaking the bank.

We are here to help if you have more questions on window treatments or adding motorization to your window treatments.

Myths About Vinyl Motorized Louvred Pergolas

February 6, 2023 by McNeill Palm Team

Pergolas not only add value and style to your home, but they will also help keep you and your loved ones comfortable. The most common options for motorized louvered pergolas are wood and vinyl. A lot of homeowners are shying away from choosing vinyl because they’ve heard myths that make it seem like a bad option.

When considering vinyl for your home, you need to get the facts. You shouldn’t rule it out because of outdated information or rumors – especially because vinyl offers a lot of benefits. Considering vinyl? Learn the truth behind the most common vinyl myths:

Vinyl is Not Recyclable – Vinyl is recyclable! It’s considered a thermoplastic, which means that it can melt and be remolded as many times as necessary. In fact, vinyl scraps saved from garbage and recycling provide about 1 billion pounds of material to make new vinyl products every single year and 99% of manufactured vinyl is used in multiple products. That means only 1% of vinyl is wasted. Want more convincing? Around 18 million pounds of used vinyl is recycled every year to be used in everything from more windows to pool liners, fences and more.
Vinyl Fuels Building Fires – Most vinyl is made from a mixture that contains 57% salt; Since salt is resistant to combustion, vinyl does not fuel fires. In reality, vinyl can help slow down the spread of a fire and save lives. Also, the National Electrical Code of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) approved vinyl for use as insulation for electrical and data transmission cables and uses in the interior of airplanes. It is important to note that vinyl does melt when exposed to fire and release carbon monoxide. But that is true of almost every single substance.
All Synthetic Materials like Vinyl are Bad for the Environment – Just because something is synthetic doesn’t mean it’s bad. All materials, no matter if they’re natural or man-made, have an impact on our planet – and vinyl’s might even be good! A 2014 AAMA study found that vinyl provides environmental benefits equal to or better than those of other synthetic building materials.
Vinyl is Bad for the Environment – Some people think that vinyl is a big source of dioxin, a by-product of different industrial and incineration processes that’s bad for the environment. But in reality, it’s not. In fact, as reported by the EPA, the dioxin levels in the atmosphere have been declining for the last thirty years, which is the same timeframe that vinyl production has tripled. So, the amount of dioxin in the atmosphere would be the same with or without vinyl.

Remember, vinyl isn’t as bad as some people think it is, especially since the building products industry has had recent and significant advancements in technology. Vinyl isn’t dangerous or harmful, it can actually be helpful! We are here to help if you want to learn more about vinyl or your options for motorized louvered pergolas. Reach out today for more information.