Here's how I measured and installed bay window blinds. This process applies to Venetian blinds, roller blinds and vertical blinds. Also, to install, I'll be showing you how to attach to plasterboard.
*Please note this is to be treated as a guide and ultimately, you should follow the instructions of who you plan to order from. This post also has an affiliate link for Gripit fixings.
Here's my bedroom window with our newly installed Venetian blinds. But they didn't always look like this.
Originally, this room used to be our living room and a bedroom at the back. However, we wanted to change them around so we could also extend with a conservatory.
So if you want to learn how I worked around a fireplace, you can find my planning and designing post here. And I absolutely love this room. But, I just wasn't happy how it felt too connected to the road outside. Plus, I find nets very dated and they wouldn't match our Venetian Perfect Fit Blinds upstairs.
You see, it's a bay window. And I've found with two properties in the past, bay windows are tricky. If you put a curtain straight across outside the recess, you lose a chunk of your room.
Above, you can see I have a dressing table. But it extends past where some curtains would lie. The only answer was to ditch curtains across and place curtains around the bay. However, it also meant, we have no privacy if we want to let light in through the day.
So the answer? Installing Venetian blinds instead. But how to measure for bay window blinds isn't straightforward. And I'm going to show you how to do it. Then fit them to a plasterboard recess window which is even trickier!
HOW TO MEASURE FOR BAY WINDOW BLINDS
Firstly, you may have a:
- Square bay window (see video from this starting point for a usual layout)
- Angled bay window (see video from this starting point for a usual layout)
In our case, we had the latter, but with only one corner angle.
Note: Just a heads up: your windows may be suitable for Perfect Fit Blinds as I show in that 2018 post. These are much easier to install, however, this bedroom window, for example, is not suited for them.
DETERMINE THE HEADRAIL SIZE
Depending on the manufacturer you are using, you need to find out the headrail size. This will depend on type of blinds you choose. For example, I ordered mine from Swift Direct Blinds. This post is not sponsored in any way, but they are a previous client from 2018. I am not legally bound to say anything nice about them.
With some easy maths, I worked out that the Swift Direct Blinds' Venetian headrails would be 50mm. This is:
- Swift Direct Blind's Venetian Blinds Rail Depth for 25mm slats = 3cm
- + 2cm to allow for our protruding window handles
So I cut two strips of this size. To work it out what you need, ask the manufacturer what their rail depth is.
MEASURING THE WIDTH FOR ANGLED BAY WINDOW BLINDS
Once you've cut your two strips of paper. (In my case, these were 50mm wide). Place them in the corner of your bay window angle until they meet. I got these as evenly as possible, then drew along the edge and corner of the paper where they met. Now I have pencil marks where I could measure from one end of the window up to that mark. And repeat for the other window.
Finally, you'll need to measure the depth of the window. I do this in three places and take the smallest measurement.
Note, if you are unsure, Swift Direct Blind do offer insurance for £5 if you give them the wrong measurements. I did take them up on this in case I was unhappy. BUT, I've ordered blinds twice from them this month and found a 10% off voucher code with a quick google search which covered it.
INSTALLING BLINDS TO PLASTERBOARD
One of the most frustrating DIY jobs is finding the right plasterboard fixings. There's a variety out there and many are rubbish. I've even tried many in this recessed window before and they've been hit and miss. So I had to do my research.
But over the last two years, I've heard wonderful things about Gripit fixings. Gripit plasterboard fixings also come in a variety of colours. Each are heavy duty plasterboard fixings, designed for different weight limits. For example:
- Yellow = 71kg (requires 15mm hole saw)
- Red = 74kg (requires 18mm hole saw)
- Brown = 93kg (requires 20mm hole saw)
- Blue = 113kg (requires 25mm hole saw)
IF YOU HAVE BRICKS AND MORTAR: You can find my regular installation here in an older video.
WHAT ARE THE USES FOR GRIPIT PLASTERBOARDS FIXINGS?
- Yellow = Curtain rails, blinds and bathroom accessories
- Red = Shelves, mirrors, speakers and shower units
- Brown = Televisions, ceiling lights, bathroom suites, AV equipment
- Blue = = Radiators, kitchen cupboards, air conditioning units
You can buy them individually or in a set as above. Now, the reason I bought a set, is because finding a 15mm hole saw instore and online via Amazon Prime (and a cheap one) was difficult!
It actually worked out the same price to order this starter pack in the picture.
HOW TO FIT BAY WINDOW BLINDS WITH GRIPIT FIXINGS
Firstly, above, I want to familiarise you with how they hook on to the plasterboard. On the reverse, you can see they have metal wings. These come out with a slight twist of a screwdriver on the opposite side.
However, they're larger than normal plasterboard fixings. So I understand that it can be daunting to drill a larger hole than you would need for regular plasterboard fixings.
You need to use the right hole saw for the right gripit fixings. See above for the list. Below, we're using a 15mm hole saw for yellow gripit plasterboard fixings.
TIPS FOR DRILLING YOUR GRIPIT PLASTERBOARD FIXING HOLE
After finding the position of where you want your bay window blind brackets, mark the screw holes with a pencil.
Note, you'll need to drill two holes per bracket and need two gripit plasterboard fixings each. However, here are some safety tips:
- Get someone to use a hoover to catch any plaster dust
- Wear goggles and a dust mask
- Avoid being inline with any sockets or switches
Due to my bay window blind rails needing to be fixed to plasterboard, I found the angle tricky. It was difficult to hammer in the gripfit fixings upwards.
So, for a little help, I used a piece of scrap wood to hold the gripit fixing towards the ceiling. Then hammer it in. Obviously, my fingers weren't in the way - I'm clearly posing so you can see what I'm doing!
This needed a few wallops because they're meant to be snug. Once flush with the ceiling, I used a screwdriver to twist in the centre of the gripit fixing. Don't forget this as it makes the wings on the gripits protrude and hook on to the plasterboard. Once your brackets are attached, you can slot your blind on and twist the attachments. You'll see an explanation in m video here.
PIN HOW TO MEASURE AND FIT BAY WINDOW BLINDS
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