Installing Window Blinds And Shades – Easier Tools Of The Trade

Installing window blinds and shades can be an easy task if you have the right tools of the trade. To make it easier for you to see what’s needed, we’ve gathered the “tools of the trade” on this page.

These installation tools and supplies will make it a breeze for you next time you decide to install your new cellular shades, wood blinds, faux wood blinds or others yourself.

Even though installing window blinds and shades is not a rocket science, encountering a snag here and there during the” installation day” may turn a short project into a long-lasting chore.

That’s why we’re here to help you get ideas and knowledge to make your window covering project a complete success.

(We’ve used these tools and supplies personally for over 12 years and know they help cut down on installation time considerably – and with lasting quality.)

Let’s start right away…

A 14.4 V Cordless Power Drill Saves Your Wrists

Unless you have only a couple of blinds or shades to put up while using a simple screwdriver, a power drill comes in handy. It can be any make. Make sure your battery is fully charged before you begin installing. (From time to time we run out of power and we realize how MUCH easier installing is with a power drill and how much work it does every day.)

 

L to R: An Extension Bit with # 8 & # 6 Square Driver Bits Phillips Driver Bit

Screw driver bits make the screws turn and bite into wood, drywall or even into pre-drilled cinder-block surfaces with plastic inserts.
Which driver bits look most used in our tool bag?
They are the Robertson-Type Drivers.
You know – the ones with the square end.
The square-type drivers # 6 and # 8 reign over any other driver bits we use. For convenience, you can use the long ones, or even half the length of the ones on the picture will do.

 

A Silver Quick-Connect Power Drill Attachment

To make it easier and quick to change driver bits from one size to another, using a quick connect drill attachment cuts down on time spent installing.

 

A Set of Hex-End Drill Bits

If you need to pre-drill wood before putting in screws for the holding brackets, hex-end quick-connect drill bits save you time as well. However, they are a “luxury” if not readily available and you are pressed for time. Simple drill bits will do in this case nicely.

 

# 6 - Robertson (square) Installation Screws

You already know the kind of screws we like – The Robertson (square) kind.
They sit tightly on the tip of the driver and allow for one hand screw driving while the other holds a bracket in place. Try it with a slot screw or Phillips (cross) and the project fun vanishes instantly!
Some installation guides and videos may show you how to “start” these screws into the wood by hammering them in some first, but trust me, it’s kinda messy and takes too long.

Go “square” and you’ll be smiling and much faster to boot!

As an example (pictured above), we use # 6 x 5/8 small screws majority of the time.
These are quick to drive in because they are short, and keep most wood frames without “splitting” because they are small enough.
(Wood blinds and faux wood blinds often come with what we call ”horse screws” because they are big and long.)
Unnecessarily.
The small # 6 x 5/8 “substitutes cut through the chase” and get the job done faster without draining your drill battery because of extra driving the “looooong” screws in.

 

# 8 - Robertson (square) Self-Drilling Screws

To make a project go really fast without splitting window wood frames and pre-drilling, self-drilling metal screws help a lot. They look like regular screws, but their very tip is shaped into a miniature drill bit. The tip first “drills” a hole wide enough for the screw threads to follow and bite into wood.
It works; it’s faster and leaves the window frame wood without “splits” (if it has the tendency to do so).

 

# 8 - Robertson (square) 2" - 3" - 4" - Long Installation Screws

Are you mounting your new shades as an outside mount?
Then, the installation brackets often need to be placed somewhere on the drywall, right?
Finding a stud to drive a screw into may be an easy or a difficult task. A stud finder may help you find one, but “wood” is often in places where installation brackets don’t go – oops.

Here’s what to do:

Step 1:

We use 2” or 3” or 4” Robertson screws to see if we can hit wood deeper in the places where the brackets go.
Example:
Wood headers above doorways and window frames are sometimes 3 inches deep. Say, a 4-inch screw then bites into it nicely.

 

Auger-Type Drywall Anchors - Plastic & Metal

If there’s no stud to be found below the drywall, metal auger-type anchors come to the rescue. Using the white-plastic kind is okay, but sometimes they brake once the screw goes through them. The metal auger anchors always stay intact and last (hold) longer.

 

A Tape Measure & A Torpedo Bubble Level

For centering and positioning brackets, a measuring tape is a must. To keep headrails level, you may also need a small torpedo bubble level to make the task an easy one.

 

Two (green) Anchor Plugs, A Hex Driver Bit A Hex/Phillips (cross) Installation Screw

The kind of screw on the picture often comes in installation hardware packages. It’s a pain in the butt to work with efficiently. Period. That’s why we avoid using them at all times. Because it falls off the driver bit easily (hex or Phillips), putting up a single bracket might take you a long while.
Again, go for “square” screws and you’re laughing – really.

Using these plastic inserts in a drywall (outside-mount application) is okay in a pinch. A more secure and longer-lasting alternative is using the auger-type anchors pictured above. Because these “green plugs” have very little that bites into the drywall material, it’s not uncommon for heavier blinds to pull them back out from the drywall (e.g. vertical blinds, faux wood blinds or even wood blinds).

Now, visit the installing window blinds and shades step-by-step category and learn how to make your installation project quicker and easier.