ST. CLOUD, Fla. – Karen from St. Cloud bought a new set of quality blinds on the internet for $60.
She measured her window opening herself and found the pre-cut blind size on the internet (she has a standard-sized window). So, we helped her take down her old blinds and put up the new one!
We purchased:
- Drywall anchors (these are sold by how much weight each anchor can hold - how heavy are your blinds?)
We brought with us:
- Hammer
- Electric screwdriver (or Philips-head screwdriver)
- Flat-head screwdriver
Step 1
Remove the old blinds. This involves opening the access covers on the ends of the blinds - sometimes the brackets are metal, sometimes they’re plastic. If they’re metal, you should be able to flip open the door on the bracket with a little force (you might need the flat-head screwdriver here). If they’re plastic, the cover piece should slide out. Either way, removing the bracket cover or door will give you access to the blind itself and the screws behind it. Remove each screw so you can remove each bracket.
Step 2
Map out the new brackets. Most new blind kits will come with brackets. If you’re really lucky, your new brackets will match your old brackets. Karen’s did not (her old brackets were plastic and her new ones are metal). Decide where you want the new blinds to sit on your sill (More forward in line with the sill? Or all the way back against the window?). You can trace around the bracket in pencil up against the corner of the window frame to make sure it will end up where you want it to go. Make sure to circle the holes so you know where the screws will go.
Step 3
Install the new brackets. Most window frames have some sort of wood backing in the wall. Depending on where you place your new bracket, you may or may not hit that backing - that’s where the drywall anchors come in. We hit wood with around half of the bracket screws we screwed in. Using the screws supplied with your blinds, screw one screw through the bracket and into the wall. Some people like to pre-drill their holes, not just to make a clean, straight hole, but also to see what’s inside the wall that they’ll hit: wood or hollow drywall. To save time, we used our electric screwdriver to screw in all screws (through the bracket of course) and if they hit wood, we’re done. If not, and the screw just spins in the hole and doesn’t catch any sort of backing, you’ll need to use drywall anchors.
Step 4 (skip this step if you don’t need to use drywall anchors)
Once you’ve determined a hole is hollow, use a drill bit that is a good bit smaller than the size of the drywall anchor you’ve purchased. Drill out the hole, place the drywall anchor in the hole, and then use your hammer to tap the rest of the anchor all the way into the wall until it’s flush with the wall. Do this for all holes that require drywall anchors. Then place the bracket on the wall and screw in all screws into the installed drywall anchors. The way an anchor works is once the screw is screwed into the anchor, it expands inside the wall to hold the screw in place.
Step 5 (skip this step if you don’t have a center bracket)
Some blind kits come with a center bracket (looks like a U) depending on how long and heavy the blinds are. Make sure to install this one as well!
Step 6
Slide in your new blinds! You might want to ask a friend or family member to help you lift them into place. Slide the ends into the brackets, close the brackets, and you’re set! If you really want to get fancy, some blinds will allow you to shorten the cord yourself - there are usually instructions in the box. This takes some time (half an hour) because you have to pull out the stoppers on the bottom rail, but it can be done - just follow the instructions. If you buy a cordless set of blinds, you won’t have a cord to worry about!
Great job! You’re Getting Results at Home.
SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT
Ever wondered how often to clean out your lint screen and why it’s so important (Erik found out the hard way!)? How about patching that hole in your wall that annoys the heck out of you? Why is your disposal jammed and how do you un-jam it? Could you install your own flooring (yes!)? Why does your toilet keep running? How hard is it to fix drywall (spoiler alert: it’s not!)? Why do those picture-hanging hooks always pull out and fall down? What’s the difference between satin, eggshell and flat paint? Why are ants coming inside only certain times of the year and what do you do about it???
Each week, Erik will pick one project and bring his tools and DIY supplies to YOUR house or apartment! That’s right. Send us some pictures of your project, give us a brief description about what’s wrong, and send us your name, phone number, email address and home address and we might pick your project! Be sure to include where is it in your home, how it happened, how long it has been that way and whether you tried to fix it.
Erik is willing to tackle just about anything but he is not a licensed or certified professional, so he cannot do electrical or plumbing work. Even if Erik can’t fix your project, together with the expertise of Ace Hardware, he’ll try to point you in the right direction.
Send an email to gettingresultsathome@wkmg.com with your name, address, phone number, a brief description of your project plus photos of what you’re looking to fix. Emails that don’t include the listed information will not be considered.
Every Monday morning on News 6 at 9 a.m. and News 6 at Noon, we’ll reveal where we’re Getting Results at Home (it could be your home!) and we’ll show you how Erik tackled the project of the week, so you can try tackling it at your home.
Saving money is the best part about doing it yourself, but the fun part is learning what you’re truly capable of. Erik learns something every time he fixes something (and especially when he can’t fix it!). Combined with the experts and expertise from Ace Hardware, Erik will do his best to get results. And if he can’t, he’ll point you in the right direction and we’ll all learn from it.