We love our skylights but they are southern facing and really heat up the house in the summer and make it impossible to see the TV during the day. I came up with this idea a few years ago and finally took pictures as I installed it this year.

Note: Our skylights have a beam that supports the weight of the shade. If your skylight does not have this you may have to add something like fishing line to support the shade down the middle of it.

Step 1: Materials

Materials needed:
     (1) Light filtering temporary window shade (wider than the size of your skylight)
     (1) Clear plastic corner guard for drywall (twice the length of the vertical measurement of your skylight)
     (3) Command Brand adhesive strips

You could get the Light Blocking shades but we prefer the filtering ones. It still lets in enough light during the day but keeps the room MUCH cooler.

Step 2: Installing the Railing

I cut the corner guards into two pieces the length of the vertical sides of the skylight. The middle of the blinds are supported by the beams running down the middle of the skylight so I measured across the blinds with a level to determine where the corners guards were going to be placed. I then nailed them along the sides of the drywall.

Step 3: Installing the Blinds

I cut the blind to 1/4 inch smaller than the horizontal width of the skylight opening. The blinds come with tape only at one end of it so I added (3) Command brand adhesive strips. I then laid it across the center beam and railings at the bottom of the skylight and attached it with the Command stips. Then I carefully pulled the blinds up to the top and affixed it with the stip of adhesive that came with it.

In the previous years I used self sticking corner guards and took them down each fall with the blinds. This year I decided to permanently install the railings and leave them up year round. This will make the install of the new blind much faster because it is quite hot on the top of the ladder installing them.