First off you will need to decide whether to fit the blind inside or outside the window recess. If you choose to fit the blind inside the recess, ensure that it is cut to the right size so that it doesn’t catch on the wallpaper, paintwork or other wall coverings inside the recess, otherwise you could end up damaging the blind and needing to redecorate more often because of the friction as the blind is lowered and raised.

If you have a fabric roller blind, this should be easy to cut, but it is better to cut the blind once, even if it ends up still being slightly too wide, then remeasure and trim to the final desired width of your window. Once you have cut fabric away, you cannot add it back on after all. Alternatively, you could hang the roller blind on the outside of the window recess, usually attached above the window, which is often a more practical approach because it means you will have more room on the window sill for things like pictures, plants or ornaments. You will just need to ensure that when you fit the blind, there is an equal amount of the blind at each side of the window, unless you cut it to fit.

Having decided on the location for your roller blind, you would then need to fix the brackets to either the top of the window if you are installing the blind inside the window recess, or the face of your window if you are attaching it to the outside. The brackets will be ready drilled to fix them in one of these two ways.

If fixing a bracket in a recess you have the choice of screwing the bracket either to the window frame or into the underside of the top of the window recess, although you would be strongly advised not to affix the blind to a window frame made from PVC. Place the brackets where you want them, check with a spirit level that they will be straight and mark the holes for the screws with a pencil. Drill some guide holes and screw the bracket into place not forgetting to use rawl plugs.

If you now need to cut the blind to size, measure the window carefully,. The roller should be cut with a hacksaw and sanded smooth with a file. To take into consideration the size of the brackets and the cord winder, the roller should be cut 38mm less than the width measured. The fabric will then need to be cut to size, ideally with a craft knife to give a neater finish to the edge of the blind, and the plastic bar weight at the bottom of the blind should also be cut. If you have a plain blind, it will not be a problem cutting all the unneeded fabric from one end, but if you have chosen a patterned blind, you will need to cut fabric from each side of the blind to ensure your pattern stays in the centre.

You are now ready to hang the blind. Start by inserting the side with the cord winder onto the bracket, and the dummy pin on the opposite end should slot easily onto the remaining bracket and your new blind is ready for use.

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