Roller blinds and their brackets

[Count Steer]

I have managed to bodge a few of these in the past but it's time to do some more.

Issues encountered previously:

1. They go snuggly in the corners of the window reveal. How the heck do you drill neatly upwards so close to an inside corner? I think I went in at the smallest angle the electric drill would permit. Happy to contemplate purchase of new kit.

2. I drilled upwards as said ^^^ through the plaster and hit the perforated metal Catnic lintel (and snagged and snapped a drill bit the first time).

Some were installed for us but I didn't pay attention to how the chap did it and he didn't seem to have special kit or any such problems.

So, any experts with hints tips and tricks?

Ta.

[DefTrap]

Mount it on some timber and no-more-nails it up there?

[MrLongbeard]

1. They go snuggly in the corners of the window reveal. How the heck do you drill neatly upwards so close to an inside corner? I think I went in at the smallest angle the electric drill would permit. Happy to contemplate purchase of new kit.

You don't or at least I didn't last month.
It didn't even cross my mind until the wife moaned that I'd buggered the paint up with the drill chuck ah well you can't see it with the blind up, I'll repaint then it comes down.

2. I drilled upwards as said ^^^ through the plaster and hit the perforated metal Catnic lintel (and snagged and snapped a drill bit the first time).

Mount it to the window frame instead

[Rockburner]

Following

[KungFooBob]

https://www.blinds-2go.co.uk/no-drill-roller-blinds

[Cousin Jack]

Galvanised lintels are a PITA. My method, drill through plaster, insert small sharp punch and hit it hard, then drill with sharp HS steel drill, and have several spare drills handy.

Drilling close to a corner is another PITA. You can get gadgets but I have never tried them.

[Count Steer]

I like the Twist2go idea and would be happy to do that on smaller windows. These 3 are all 180cm-ish long and quite heavy fabric. I can reuse the fittings (or the screw holes/rawlplugs) that are there for one though.

[Silly Car]

Offset / eccentric chuck * or right angle adapter**?

* Bosch, Mafell, Festool, Metabo. Ryobi do one as well but it’s for a puny electric screwdriver. The joiner who fitted our sash windows had the Bosch tool which was especially useful for fitting sash locks to already glazed units.

** loads available, erbauer have one that doesn’t just take 1/4” hex bits

https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-10mm ... lsrc=aw.ds

[Mussels]

I drill mine at an angle and stopped worrying about it, I should spec blinds to be slightly narrower but always forget.
I'm not sure what type of lintels I have (50 years old) but an SDS drill is many times better than a normal hammer drill. Just don't buy the biggest one possible because you think bigger is always better.

[Count Steer]

I drill mine at an angle and stopped worrying about it, I should spec blinds to be slightly narrower but always forget.
I'm not sure what type of lintels I have (50 years old) but an SDS drill is many times better than a normal hammer drill. Just don't buy the biggest one possible because you think bigger is always better.

Got a nice SDS drill. Went for mains powered as it's only used occasionally. Decided it had to have a clutch as I wanted to core drill a wall for a cooker hood extract. It's quite compact for the amount of oomphwallop it packs.

[Sadlonelygit]

So, any experts with hints tips and tricks?

Ta.

Get someone who knows what they're doing in to fit them!
Zero stress for you, £50 well spent

[Count Steer]

So, any experts with hints tips and tricks?

Ta.

Get someone who knows what they're doing in to fit them!
Zero stress for you, £50 well spent

I did that with all the curtains and blinds at the front of the house. The shop didn't charge because we'd spent £lots. A couple of blinds at the back were bought on-line so I fitted them and I put the curtain poles and rails up.

If I've sized the new blind right the old brackets will work but it would still be nice to know how the professionals do it - so this ^^^ is all useful stuff.

Next problem is finding a maker that'll do a 2.5m+ wide one with no seams. Most pattern books seem to stop at 2.1 iirc - unless the fabric is one of the synthetic types. (This one will go outside the reveal so I just have to get it level ).

[Count Steer]

Well I fitted the first one. Yay! The brackets were different but I remove the old ones (which the fitter had used 2" screws to hold in place* ) Screwed the new brackets in place and lo! it fitted.

Now for the next couple - there's a range that does up to 3m wide but the pattern/colour choice ain't great and they're polyester....which is actually fine as that one is for the kitchen.

Now it's grass strimming time. Might wait until it cools down out there though. It's a bit scorchio.

* as mentioned up there ^^^ he'd drilled in at a slight angle.

[Dodgy69]

Aren't these blinds just cut to size and screwed to window frame.

[Count Steer]

Aren't these blinds just cut to size and screwed to window frame.

The big ones are on metal tubes and they make them according to the dimensions you provide ie the width and depth of the reveal (for 'internal' blinds) less an allowance for the bracket. It's safest to knock a few mm off the width measurement. A short blind will fit - a long one won't.

You can screw them to the window frame - I prefer not to for the bigger/heavier stuff* and plastic frames but all the conservatory blinds are (there's not much option!).

* If you get a 180cm roller blind custom made with a furnishing fabric they have to put a backing on the fabric and the result is quite hefty. (The weak point then is the chain and mechanism for winching the thing up...which is why this one was replaced. The crappy nylon gear mechanism finally gave up after 15 years. I tried to remove and replace it but gave up the struggle).

[cheb]

Well I fitted the first one. Yay! The brackets were different but I remove the old ones (which the fitter had used 2" screws to hold in place* ) Screwed the new brackets in place and lo! it fitted.

Now for the next couple - there's a range that does up to 3m wide but the pattern/colour choice ain't great and they're polyester....which is actually fine as that one is for the kitchen.

Now it's grass strimming time. Might wait until it cools down out there though. It's a bit scorchio.

* as mentioned up there ^^^ he'd drilled in at a slight angle.

He might have run out of longer screws.

I'll confess to over fixing things but my stuff doesn't fall down and is proofed against being stood on or otherwise overloaded. The 100mm long 5mm wood screw fixing a crown bottle top remover to a wooden stud wall was probably a bit overkill.

I blame cordless drills, it's just too easy to drive screws these days.

[Count Steer]

Well I fitted the first one. Yay! The brackets were different but I remove the old ones (which the fitter had used 2" screws to hold in place* ) Screwed the new brackets in place and lo! it fitted.

Now for the next couple - there's a range that does up to 3m wide but the pattern/colour choice ain't great and they're polyester....which is actually fine as that one is for the kitchen.

Now it's grass strimming time. Might wait until it cools down out there though. It's a bit scorchio.

* as mentioned up there ^^^ he'd drilled in at a slight angle.

He might have run out of longer screws.

I'll confess to over fixing things but my stuff doesn't fall down and is proofed against being stood on or otherwise overloaded. The 100mm long 5mm wood screw fixing a crown bottle top remover to a wooden stud wall was probably a bit overkill.

I blame cordless drills, it's just too easy to drive screws these days.

I started removing them using a manual screwdriver. That got old pretty quickly.

The holes in the new brackets didn't quite line up with the 'rawlplugs' so I slapped one of the old 2" screws back in each side - which will probably hold it until the heat death of the universe - but I managed to get an 1 1/4"*8 screw in too just 'cos it looks a bit more proper.

[Mussels]

My plaster is a bit weak so I find things do fall down if I use recommend fixings, I usually go with 2" so there's something strong for it to grip.

[Count Steer]

My plaster is a bit weak so I find things do fall down if I use recommend fixings, I usually go with 2" so there's something strong for it to grip.

These go through the Catnik lintel. With the right sized hole he could have use 1" screws and been rock solid.

(He probably wouldn't have known it was there until he hit it with the hammer drill I guess - but I imagine he's come up against every possible combination at some time as he appeared to be a dedicated blinds and curtains installer).

[Sadlonelygit]

When I used to fit for the wife, every job had a brand new hss 4,5 and 6mm bits, jic there was a steel beam lurking up there.
Worst jobs were sorting out the DIY experts bodges, which usually were 6mm holes reamed out to far larger diameters, resulting in floppy blinds!
Can't say I miss it much.