BLINDS or CURTAINS for your window?

Putting up your own curtains or blinds is a practical option

Curtains and blinds may not be top of your list of priorities at the beginning of a building project but they can cause a disproportional amount of stress by the end. Most contractors will leave you to fit them yourself and the number of choices on the market can seem overwhelming

Options for windows - blinds or curtains?

First, decide whether you want curtains or blinds. Curtains deliver a more luxurious feel to a room, conserve warmth and can cut out light. Nets and the various gauzy fabrics or sheers on the market give privacy while letting light in. You will then need to decide whether you want your curtains to run on hooks along a track or to go for a curtain pole with rings. Blinds come in different forms, including roller, Venetian, vertical, pleated, blackout and Roman.

After choosing your window dressings, decide whether to fit them yourself- relatively easy if you're adept at DIY but quite fiddly if not. A carpenter or odd job man should do the job for about £40 or so. Depending on the amount of work you need doing.

Blinds

Roller blinds are practical and cheap and can look less fussy than curtains, delivering clean, modern lines. They can be cut to shape and a basic model for a double-hung sash window will cost about £39 from John Lewis. Its standard "light stop" plain fabric blinds come in a 122cm width with a 177mm drop, with a side cord. Roman blinds open upwards in a concertina fashion and look a little less minimalist.

With Venetian blinds, you can filter or cut out light entirely They come in metallic, gloss or matt finishes. Vertical are similar in that they provide shade and privacy. Pleated blinds filter the light to provide a warm glow.

For some window, particularly those with a long drop, you will need a made to measure blind. John Lewis provides a bespoke service: a roller blind 120cm in width with a 215cm drop, for instance, in plain fabric will cost from £80. Web Blinds provides a wonderful, made to measure service and you can try out different virtual options on its web site. If you are looking for a standard size, you might be lucky at Argos, where prices start form £1.74 for a 60cm x 160cm bamboo blind.

Curtains

Choose between pencil pleats , tab tops, tie tops, pinch pleats, random-finished, or any number of different finishes for curtain tops. Swags or pelmets may be a bit 1980s but they can suit grand windows. The cheapest unlined curtains cost form £25 or so but you can expect to pay up to £100 for fully-lined, standard versions and much more for made to measure.

The Curtain Exchange is the place to buy or sell second hand quality curtains, on approval if you pay a deposit. You can pick up other people's designer mistakes, dry cleaned and at bargain prices, sometimes for as little as a third of the original cost.

For new curtains, John Lewis is a safe choice, with reasonable prices. You will find an informative guide to measuring up for curtains (or luxurious fabrics) at www.sanderson-uk.com.

Fitting tracks to curtain poles

Cut the tracks to length using a fine-tooth hacksaw. If the window is wide and the curtains thick, you will need to extend the track to accommodate the bulk of the fabric when the curtains are open. Place the track where it will lie above the window and measure 25mm in from each end and 50mm up; the is the fixing position for the end brackets. That come with the track at equal distances between these points.

Drill fixing holes and insert wall plugs of the correct size for your screws. Secure the mounting clips into position and attach the track to them. Follow the same procedure to fit a pole- and the outer brackets should be at least 50mm in from the end of the pole

Fitting a roller blind

You will need to decide whether you want the blind to fit inside or across the top of the widow recess or across the top of the recess. Follow the instructions if yours is a cut to fit model, ensuring that you cut the fabric straight.

Remember to leave 3cm plus the fabric width to allow for the space taken up by the brackets. With most blinds, you can either fix the housing to the side of the recess or above- again, using a drill, wall plugs and screws.

Ensure that the cords are hanging downwards when you come to slot the blind into the fixing brackets.

Anything else?
Remember that if you go for a heavy fabric such as velvet, you will need to make sure that your curtain track or pole can bear the weight- and that it is securely fixed into the wall or window frame.

Check for pipes and cables with an electronic detector before drilling into a wall and never drill directly above or below a light fitting or electric socket. If you are trying to screw curtain rails or blinds into crumbly plaster, consider using longer screws and wall plugs than those supplied with the fittings to obtain a more secure fix.

Curtains and blinds are not the only options when it comes to privacy: you can fit etched glass into bottom window panes to stop passers by peering in. If you want to make your own blinds, www.alternative-windows.com is a great resource.

blinds & curtains