How to Quiet Noisy Vertical Blinds
Question: We have vinyl vertical blinds over our sliding patio door, and they’re fine except in the winter: When the furnace is on, the blinds rattle annoyingly when the air hits them. The door is pretty well-insulated, but that doesn’t seem to matter. Is there a way to make the blinds quieter?
L.D., Irvine
Answer: “Unfortunately, vinyl on PVC blinds are prone to rattling,” says Gidon Adlan of Bob’s Shade & Linoleum in Orange. “They’re free-hanging and they’re not heavy enough to withstand slight gusts of air. You can try installing a diverter on the forced-air vent to keep it from aiming directly on the blinds. You can also, depending on the make of your blinds, remove each vinyl blind and replace them with cloth. If that’s not possible, you may be able to keep the handrail and order a vein of blinds made of cloth.
“With cloth vertical blinds, although they’re quieter, they can also be blown around. I recommend that each blind have a weight sewn in them to keep them hanging straight.”
Q: I have an old handsaw my grandfather used that I think must date back to the early 1900s. The handle is in great shape, but the blade is a little rusty. What’s the best way to restore it?
R.F., Laguna Beach
A: “Don’t use any kind of harsh cleansers; try some light oil and steel wool,” says Paul Westbrook of Arrow Hardware in Orange. “Get something like 3-in-1 oil and 4/0 steel wool, anything coarser could scratch it. You’re probably not going to wear it down completely, but you’ll get it down to a good shine. After you get the rust off, you can take it to a saw shop for sharpening, and then you should be able to use it.”
Q: I’m planning on installing a small chandelier above a dining table. How high should it be from the table?
T.Y., Anaheim
A: “A good rule of thumb is that the lowest part of the chandelier should be 36- to 42-inches from the table,” says lighting installer Rick Quaker of Santa Ana. “Try to measure the lamp and the chain from the floor and then hang it. When you’re trying to make it just right, be sure to have someone help you hold the chain, or secure it by putting two links on the hook.”
Q: I want to hang an old quilt on the wall in one of our bedrooms. What’s the best way to do that without damaging the quilt?
K.W., Anaheim
A: “The first thing to do is attach some loops to the top of the quilt,” says interior designer Ellen Young of Newport Beach. “The best thing to use as loops are little brass rings that you can stitch onto the back of the fabric. Once that’s done, slide a long wooden dowel through the loops and then secure the dowel to the wall using S- or C-hooks. Your main objective is to keep the quilt from hanging unevenly from the dowel, which would ruin its shape. You do that by sewing in enough loops.”
Q: We have a one-piece vinyl floor in our kitchen that is in good condition and looks like a ceramic tile floor. However, three of the “tiles” were chewed up during the installation of a dishwasher. How can I repair this?
N.C., Yorba Linda
A: “First of all, if it’s not horrible, see if you can live with it. Repairs on one-piece floors are almost never perfect,” says Mark Hix of Aaron Anthony’s Floor Coverings in Buena Park. “If possible, cut out ‘tiles’ from the remnants you have. You want to put it in where a tile’s grout line would be, so the repair would show the least. Cut out the bad squares. If it’s an older floor, it’s probably been glued on and you’ll need to prize it off with a putty knife.
“If the base floor is concrete, you don’t have to be as careful in getting the square off, but if it’s wood, you don’t want to damage it by gouging into it. Put in the new squares and use a seam sealer to keep out the dirt.”
