How To Fit Roller Blinds (For Dummies)

Need A Hand Installing That Roller Blind?

I’m not calling you a dummy, but perhaps DIY isn’t your thing.

That fence panel in the garden resembles Hadrian’s wall, you’ve got your suspicions about the lightbulb you changed and you were left with more screws than you started with when you built your flat-pack wardrobe…

I know you’re great at other things and that you’ve made it this far in your life without needing to know what a recess is, but sometimes you need to step up and get the job done. We all love a reluctant hero (and boy aren’t you reluctant!). Lucky for you, I’m on hand to help.

This is a guide for anyone who has ever shuddered at the sound of an electric drill and who has spent a lifetime avoiding anything with the label ‘some assembly required’.

Not only will I lead you through installing your roller blinds step-by-step in the easiest set of instructions on the internet, you’ll look like you’ve been ‘on the tools’ your whole life. Everyone will be impressed. Ready? Let’s go!

Step 1

Spend five minutes staring into the mirror whispering words of encouragement to yourself. Ensure the room is empty and you do this before you open the tool box. People are scared by a hammer-wielding man muttering to himself in the mirror.

Step 2

Unwrap the blind and get a good feel for all the parts. You should have the blind barrel (the bit with the fabric rolled on it), and the brackets, bracket covers and child safety devices. You will also notice we helpfully send instructions with your blind. They’re dead-easy to follow and if you feel like you can leave my helpful embrace, go ahead and give it a shot.

Step 3

Listen up: If your blind is going into a recess, you need to screw the brackets into the top, so the blind hangs below it. If it is going outside of a recess (or if you don’t have a recess at all) then fix the brackets to the wall.

Step 4

To fix the brackets to the wall, put them in place and use a pencil to indicate where you will need to drill the holes. Make sure the blind is going to be a) in the right place and that b) you haven’t spaced the brackets so far apart the blind won’t fit into them. I know it sounds obvious, but I had to say it.

Step 5

Grab your drill and a wall plug (if you’re drilling into masonry or plaster). Make sure the drill bit (the long piece of metal on the end of the drill that does the drilling) is the same size as the wall plug. If it is too big, the wall plug will fall out of the wall and if it’s too small, you’ll never be able to get the wall plug in. Insert the wall plugs if you’re using them.

Step 6

Put the bracket back into place; hopefully you drilled the holes in the right place and the brackets line-up perfectly. Use screws to screw the bracket to the wall or top of the recess. That, folks, is the hardest part of the job. It’s smooth-sailing from here on.

Step 7

Pick up the blind barrel and observe where the mechanism is. The mechanism is the part that operates the blind, so it’ll have a chain or crank. This bit isn’t applicable for spring roller blinds. The end with the mechanism should be inserted into the bracket first. Once it’s in, pop the other end into its bracket too. Put the bracket covers on the brackets to make everything nice and neat, especially if it is installed outside of a recess.

Step 8

There’s one more step between you and at least a week’s worth of casual hammer-twirling and knowing nods to tradespeople. You’ve got to fit the child safety device. This only applies to roller blinds with a chain. Hook the p-clip over the chain and hold it in place at the bottom. It needs to be tight enough so that it won’t come off the clip and is held close enough to the wall, but not so tight you’d never be able to move the chain. Using the skills learned in Step 4 and 5, mark the hole, drill it and screw it into place.

Step 9

Do a victory dance, you just conquered the roller blind.

See, it wasn’t that bad was it? If you get really stuck, get in touch, we’ll be happy to help, and we promise not to call you a dummy.

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