How to Put up Roman Blinds

We hope you enjoy our quick and easy 'How to Put Up Roman Blinds' guide.

Fixing to Masonry or Wall

Tools:

Electric Drill and drill bits for masonry

Metal Tape Measure

Screwdriver

Stepladder

Pencil

Screws & rawl plugs (provided)

Cleat (provided)

Acorn (provided)

It helps to have another person on hand. They can check that the blind batten is aligned correctly prior to fixing and can hold the batten whilst you are fixing it.

Fixing to Wood

How To Put Up Roman Blinds (Fix to Wood or Window Frame) - Download PDF Version

Top Tip: Drilling Into Wood

To prevent the wood from splitting make a pilot hole with a small drill bit or the tip of a flat wood drill bit before screwing into the wood.

STEP 1 - Positioning the Blind

Hold the blind in front of the window and select the fixing position. The blind should be fully extended. Ensure that it is central on the window and that the bottom of the blind is just above the windowsill.

Safety Advice- The blind should be positioned so that the cord cannot be reached by a small child from a bed or chair

It is easier if one person holds the blind whilst the other stands back and checks that it is hanging correctly.

Mark the position of the top batten with a pencil and take the blind down.

STEP 2 - Marking the Holes for Drilling

Separate the top batten from the rest of the blind by peeling back the velcro from the top batten.

Drill holes through the top batten at each end about an inch (2cm) in and then every 12 inches (30cm) using a small wood drill bit (3mm approx).

Hold the top batten up to the window and re-align with the pencil marks made earlier.

STEP 3 - Drilling Holes in the Wood

Remove the batten and drill the holes 0.5cm into the wood using a 3mm bit. Alternatively you can use the tip of a flat drill bit to make a small hole in the wood.

STEP 4 - Threading the Cords through the Rings and Eyelets

Place the blind face down on a clean flat surface with the top batten at the top. Pass the cords from the bottom batten up through eyelets at the back of the horizontal rods to the top batten and then along to the side where the cord will hang.

Tie a figure of eight knot to stop the cord sliding back through the end eyelet on the batten.

STEP 5 - Fix the Top Batten to the Top of the Window Frame

Place the batten against the top of the wooden window frame, aligning it to the pencil marks. Insert the screws into the holes made in the top batten, the tips should align with holes made in the wooden window frame. Screw the top batten to the window frame. Re-attach (velcro) the blind onto the top batten.

STEP 6 - Fixing the Cleat

You can now fix the cleat to the window frame or the wall. The cleat is used to tie the cords off when the blind is in an 'up' position.

SAFETY Notice You must fix the cleat so that it is at least 150cm from the floor. This is to reduce the risk of small children from getting the cord wrapped round their necks resulting in possible strangulation.
If fixing the cleat to the wooden window frame, drill a small pilot hole 0.5 cm to prevent the wood splitting.

The last step is to thread the cords through the wooden acorn and then holding the cords together tie a single knot to prevent the cord sliding back through the acorn. Don't cut off the 'spare' cord until you are sure the acorn is in the correct position. This can be ascertained by raising and lowering the blind to ensure that the cord is operable and the amount of cord is not excessive.
Cord Safety Advice

When the roman blind is pulled up, the cord must be fully wrapped around the cleat (that is fixed at least 1.5m from the floor) so that none of the cord is hanging down and can be reached by a small child.

Fixing to Masonary

Top Tip: Drilling Into Old Plaster
Where the plaster is soft use a slightly smaller drill bit, as the resulting hole will probably be larger than expected. Even if the hole is a little small the soft plaster will probably give when inserting the rawl plug. Remember you can always use a larger drill bit if the hole ends up being too small.

How To Put Up Roman Blinds (Fix to Walls) - Download PDF Version

STEP 1 - Positioning the Blind

Hold the blind in front of the window and select the fixing position. The blind should be fully extended. Ensure that it is central on the window and that the bottom of the blind is just above the windowsill.

Safety Advice The blind should be positioned so that the cord cannot be reached by a small child from a bed or chair.

It is easier if one person holds the blind whilst the other stands back and checks that it is hanging correctly.

Mark the position of the top batten with a pencil and take the blind down.

STEP 2 - Marking the Holes for Drilling

Separate the top batten from the rest of the blind by peeling back the velcro from the top batten.

Drill holes through the top batten at each end about an inch (2cm) in and then every 12 inches (30cm) using a small wood drill bit (3mm approx).

Hold the top batten up to the window and re-align with the pencil marks made earlier.

Using either a nail pushed through the holes just drilled or a drill make a mark in the plaster where the drill holes will go.

STEP 3 - Drilling Holes

Remove the batten and drill the holes in the masonry and insert the rawl plugs. A 6mm drill bit is usually sufficient.

STEP 4 - Threading the Cords through the Rings and Eyelets

Place the blind face down on a clean flat surface with the top batten at the top. Pass the cords from the bottom batten up through eyelets at the back of the horizontal rods to the top batten and then along to the side where the cord will hang.

Tie a figure of eight knot to stop the cord sliding back through the end eyelet on the batten.

STEP 5 - Fix the Top Batten to the Wall

Place the batten against the wall, aligning it to the pencil marks. At this point the rest of the blind will be hanging below, supported by the blind cords. Insert the screws into the holes made in the top batten, the tips of the screws pointing out the other side should align with the rawl plugs in the walls. Screw the top batten into the wall. Re-attach (velcro) the blind onto the top batten.

STEP 6 - Fixing the Cleat

You can now fix the cleat to the window frame or the wall. The cleat is used to tie the cords off when the blind is in an 'up' position.

If fixing the cleat to the wooden window frame, drill a small pilot hole 0.5 cm to prevent the wood splitting.