Hiring a contractor can be a pain at the best of times, with the hassle of getting various quotes, hoping they’re as good as they say they are and hoping that everything turns out okay. This gets even more painful when it comes to small projects around your home, having to hire someone to do 10 minutes of work is hard to stomach for most of us.
These small jobs can often be done by yourself without having to have a lot of tools or know-how so in a lot of cases, it may be easier to learn how to do it yourself without having to shell out for a contractor.
One of these projects is the measuring and installation of blinds in your home, having someone come out to your home to measure for and install blinds can run you up a large bill for something that only takes 10 minutes for you to do.
So today we’ve linked up with the team from DotcomBlinds (One of the UK’s biggest DTC Blinds Manufacturers) to get their expert know-how on how to measure blinds and install them in your home without hiring a contractor!
**Before we start, as there are so many different types of blinds, we will be using Roller Blinds as a reference throughout as they’re the most common type of blinds. So be aware there may be some small differences if you get a different type of window blinds**
Measuring For Blinds
According to DotcomBlinds, measuring for blinds is one of the easiest DIY tasks you could ever undertake, so while some people may feel intimidated about measuring their own blinds, it’s an easy job and you’re better off avoiding contractors as you’ll be overcharged for really simple work.
All you need to measure for window blinds is a Tape Measure, a Pencil, and a Notepad to jot down your measurements, no other fancy tools or equipment is necessary.
There are two different ways to measure for your blinds, Recess Fit and Exact Fit. If you want your blinds to be within the recess of a window, you’ll want Recess Fit or if you’re attaching them over the window, straight onto a wall or ceiling, you’ll want Exact Fit.
Measuring for Recess Fit:
Okay, this is pretty easy, to measure for a Blind in the window’s recess, all you need to do is measure the width and drop of your recess, from top to bottom and wall to wall. You don’t need to make any deductions, your blinds supplier will automatically make deductions for Recess Fit blinds to account for the blind’s brackets, etc.
Measuring for Exact Fit:
If you want an Exact Fit blind, again simply measure the width and drop of the window’s recess, from top to bottom and wall to wall. Once you have those measurements add 140mm to the drop to account for the headrail and 100mm to the width of the blind to stop light leaking around the sides of the blinds.
Ordering Your Blinds
Once you have your measurements ready, you need to order your window blinds, simply find an online retailer of made-to-measure blinds, like DotcomBlinds.com. Then find a window blind you’d like, put in your measurements and order your blinds.
All you have to do is sit back, wait for your blinds to be made and they’ll be delivered in a few days ready to be installed!
Installing Your Blinds
Now you have your window blinds made to the correct size and in your home, you’re ready to go, it’s time to install your new window blinds. All you’ll need to install your blinds is: Drill with a 5mm Drill Bit, a Tape Measure and a Screwdriver. Everything else you’ll need should be provided by the manufacturer of the blinds you purchased your blinds from.
Installing Recess Fit blinds:
Starting off, you’ll want to take the provided brackets and drill them into place in your window recess at the top of the recess with a bracket either side, you can do this with the brackets fixed to the top of the recess.
Once you have your brackets in place, slide the provided bracket covers over them.
When your bracket covers are on, simply slot your roller blind into the brackets, starting with the side that doesn’t have controls on. Then slide in the side with the controls in and you’re ready to go!
Installing Exact Fit blinds.
First off, you’ll need to work out where your brackets are going. To measure the wall above your recess, start from the middle to find where your brackets need to be (if you ordered a 100cm blind, the brackets should be 50cm from the middle of the recess on either side.)
Once you’ve located where to attach your brackets, simply and drill them into the wall above the recess, you’ll want the brackets to be face fixed to the wall with brackets sticking out horizontally.
When you have your brackets in place, slide the provided bracket covers over them.
When your bracket covers are on, simply slot your roller blind into the brackets, starting with the side that doesn’t have controls on. Then slide in the side with the controls in and you’re ready to go!
And there you have it, you’ve measured for your blinds, ordered them, and installed them, all without having to pay for a contractor to come in and do any of the work for you!