DIY fitting · 10 to 20 minutes per blind
How to install your blinds
Every blind arrives made to your size with brackets and screws in the box. Pick your blind type below. If you get stuck, WhatsApp us on 076 022 8410 and we will talk you through it, by message or on a video call.
Roller blinds (blockout, sheer, zebra, bamboo, value)
- Tools
- Pencil, tape measure, drill with 6mm masonry or 3mm wood bit, screwdriver, spirit level
- Minimum recess depth
- 50mm for a standard roller · 90mm for a double roller (zebra) · 100mm for a duo roller
- Unpack and check the label against your order: width, drop, colour, control side. Do not cut or trim anything, the blind is already made to your size.
- Decide inside or outside mount. Inside the recess: the blind sits in the opening (we have already deducted 10mm on width). Outside: brackets fix to the wall or frame face above the opening.
- Mark the bracket positions. Hold the blind up, level it, and mark the screw holes for both brackets. The control (chain) side is fixed at manufacture, check it before drilling.
- Drill and plug (masonry) or pilot-drill (wood). Fix the brackets with the supplied screws; the bracket tabs must face each other and be level, a spirit level here saves a crooked blind.
- Clip the blind in: locate the idle (pin) end first, then push the control end into its bracket until it clicks. Lower and raise once to check it runs true.
- Homes with small children: fit a chain tidy or safety clip (any hardware store) to the wall so the chain hangs taut and out of reach.
No-drill roller blinds (tension-fit)
- Tools
- None, no drill, no screws
- Minimum recess depth
- A square recess at least 50mm deep with firm sides (plaster, wood or aluminium frame)
- Measure the recess width at the top, middle and bottom. The tension brackets need the narrowest measurement, we have made the blind to that.
- Twist the tension brackets onto each end of the blind: they wind out to grip the recess sides. Wind them in fully before offering the blind up.
- Position the blind at the top of the recess, then wind each bracket out evenly until it grips firmly. Check it is level before the final turn.
- Test: pull the blind down and up a few times. If it shifts, wind the brackets a quarter-turn more. No adhesive, tape or glue is used, the brackets do all the work and leave no marks when removed.
Venetian blinds (aluminium, aluwood, plaswood, wood, bamboo)
- Tools
- Pencil, tape, drill, screwdriver, spirit level
- Minimum recess depth
- 25mm slats: 40mm · 50mm slats: 65mm (inside mount)
- Check the headrail width against your order and decide inside or outside mount.
- Position the box brackets at each end of the headrail (and the centre support on blinds wider than 1500mm). Mark, drill and fix them level.
- Slide the headrail into the brackets and close the bracket covers until they click. Wooden and 50mm blinds are heavy, get a second pair of hands for anything over 1200mm wide.
- Fit the valance (if supplied) with the clips onto the front of the headrail. Attach the tilt wand or cord and test tilt, raise and lower.
- Secure the cord safety cleat to the wall so cords cannot hang loose.
Honeycomb (cellular) blinds
- Tools
- Pencil, tape, drill, screwdriver
- Minimum recess depth
- 45mm (inside mount)
- Honeycomb blinds are top-mounted: the headrail with the control sits at the top, the bottom rail raises and lowers.
- Fix the spring brackets to the top of the recess (inside mount) or the wall above (outside mount), level and equally spaced from the ends.
- Push the back of the headrail into the brackets, then press the front up until it clicks. Lower the blind fully to check the cells open evenly.
Vertical blinds and Vertishades
- Tools
- Pencil, tape, drill, screwdriver, spirit level
- Minimum recess depth
- 90mm (inside mount), most people fit verticals outside the recess above sliding doors
- Fix the headrail brackets to the ceiling or wall, level, 100 to 150mm in from each end with extra brackets every 800mm on wide tracks.
- Clip the headrail into the brackets, then hang each louvre onto its carrier hook, all facing the same way.
- Check the bottom weights are in each louvre (and fit the bottom chain if you ordered chains), then test: rotate the wand to open and close, pull the cord to draw the louvres to the stacking side you ordered.
Outdoor roller blinds (PVC, sheerweave, canvas)
- Tools
- Drill, masonry bit, spirit level, ladder, a second person
- Minimum recess depth
- Face-fixed to beams, posts or walls. Brackets and gearbox in white, charcoal or black, no side tracks or channels
- Confirm the fixing surface will take the weight, a 3m outdoor blind is heavy. Fix into structural timber, steel or brick, never into fascia board alone.
- Mount the brackets level at the top of the opening. Clip in the blind and check the crank or motor side is where you need it.
- Manual blinds are operated by a crank handle into the gearbox. The handle is white whatever the hardware colour. Hook it into the gearbox eye and wind the blind down and up once to check it runs level and the bottom bar sits square.
- Motorised blinds arrive programmed and tested (Somfy); plug in, test both limits, then set the remote where it will live. Never leave an outdoor blind down in a storm.
- Read our outdoor measuring guide and full outdoor installation article for photos and the full sequence.
Before you drill to fit your blinds
Measured wrong? Don't fit it, message us first. Under the Custom Fit Guarantee a blind that is too big is cut down free and a blind that is too small is remade at a reduced price. Once a blind has been fitted, that is harder to do.
Outside the Garden Route and want a professional fitter? After reading the guide above, HandymanDirect covers the major metros. On the Garden Route, our own team installs, WhatsApp Duncan.
