Roman blinds- simples!

Roman blinds really are the plug-and-play window dressing- the blind for the modern lifestyle where you really do just choose your fabric and off you go! Possibly the most difficult part of the process, from entering the home furnishings store to drawing your new blinds to a close, is the choosing of the fabric - there really is so much choice out there. But with so many fabric finishes available, you are sure to find style that suits you and fits in perfectly with your existing furniture and soft furnishings.

Fitting your blind couldn’t be simpler. It requires no professional help whatsoever, you could do it yourself if you had an extremely handy and straight forward step by step guide - now where would you find one of those...?

Before you begin installing your new Roman blinds, you will need to make sure that you have one or two essentials. These include a tape measure, soft pencil, screwdriver, drill, level, scissors and drill bits preferably in sizes 1/16” and 7/64”. You should also check that the roman blind package isn’t missing any parts as this can be extremely annoying if only discovered halfway through the job. There should be installation brackets, mounting screws and additional mounting brackets that could be needed for extra support.

There are three common installation types, inside mount, outside mount and ceiling mount. The neatest and therefore the most common method is the inside mount where the blind is designed to fit inside the window recess. To begin the installation, keep the head rail level against the top of the window recess, lowering the blind to make sure that it is the correct height and that the blind will clear any obstructions.

After checking the blind, hold the head rail level against the recess and drill 1/16” pilot holes into the window frame through the small holes, not the slots, in the head rail. Use a spirit level and pencil to give you a line to follow if necessary. Next, attach the blind to the wooden casement, using 2” wood screws.

Ceiling mounted roman shade installation allows the blind to overlap the window opening. With this type mount, the installation brackets are attached to the ceiling. In order to achieve this, hold the head rail against the ceiling and once again, lower the shade to check for correct length and to ensure that the blind will clear any obstacles. While holding the head rail against the ceiling, lightly mark the position of the head rail slots.

Now hold an installation bracket against the ceiling and mark it for two diagonal screw holes. Position these brackets so they line up with the centres of the slots in the head rail then drill pilot holes and use the appropriate screws to mount the brackets. After drilling the holes, push the head rail onto the brackets so the threaded posts on the brackets fit through the slots in the head rail, then tighten all screws and fasteners to secure the head rail to the installation brackets.

When hanging roman blinds outside the window frame, keep in mind that the roman blind is designed to extend beyond the window opening. To mount roman blinds with this type of mount, mount the installation brackets to the window frame or to the wall. With the head rail level, lower the blind and check the length of the blind as well as any obstructions that may be in the way of the blind working properly.

With the head rail held level in position on the window frame or wall, mark the position of the slots with a pencil. After marking the position of the head rail, mark the position of the screws in the installation bracket by holding them in place. These brackets should line up with the centres of the slots in the head rail. Now drill pilot holes and install the fastener screws into the pilot holes. Position the head rail into the brackets so the threaded posts on the brackets fit through the slots in the head rail. To complete the installation, attach the head rail to the installation brackets by tightening all fasteners.

Look on the website for a range of handy roman blinds tracks.