How to Install Roller Blinds

Roller blinds offer an inexpensive way to keep out the sun and to increase the privacy of your home. Not only that, with the fantastic choice of roller blinds online you can transform your room with the colour or design of your choice. Installing roller blinds is not hard, but you do need to make sure that everything is correctly measured and lined up for a perfect job. Follow this guide to achieve a professional installation.

Before you go out to buy roller blinds, you need to decide whether you want the blind to hang within the window frame cavity, or, if you want to mount it on the outside of the frame. Once you have decided this, measure your window frame. If you are mounting the blind within the recess deduct 6-cm from your measurement. This is because you need to leave 3-cm on each side of the blind for free and easy movement within the frame. If you are mounting onto the outside of the frame, take the measurement to the centre of the wood surround on each side of the window.

Once your to order roller have arrived, you are ready to install them. Gather together the things you need, a tape measure, pencil, marker, a drill, an impact driver and protective gear.

Roller blinds come with two plastic brackets from which they hang. The male bracket should be fitted to the right side of the window and the female one on the left side. Measure and position the first bracket, mark with the pencil on the top wooden architrave, 3-cm from the side frame and 4-5-cm from the window forwards, on each side. Using the maker make a dot where the screw holes need to be made to attach the bracket. The brackets have slots rather than screw holes to allow a degree of adjustment, but try to make sure that your holes are correctly aligned so that the bracket will hang straight. Check your measurements again before drilling the holes with a 3-mm bit for the 25-mm screws.

Next, install the brackets using the impact driver. Apply several short bursts of power to sink the screw correctly, and check that they are firmly attached at the same height and depth from the window, and parallel to the side mouldings. If you are installing the blind on the outside of the frame double check that you have all your measurements correctly centred.

Now, take the rolled up blind and insert one end onto the right-hand male bracket. The blind should be installed so that it unrolls from the back side of the roll and the sash cord is on the right. Next, slide the other end into the female bracket. There is a slot into which it enters, and the bracket flexes slightly to allow you to achieve a good secure fit.

The sash cord which raises and lowers the roller blind can be left loose, but for child safety, many people choose to install the control bracket, which comes with the blind, onto the bottom wood architrave. This keeps the cord in place, avoiding the risk of strangulation in small children, and it also looks neater and makes raising and lowering the roller blind easier.

Now, sit back and enjoy.


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