How much

What are we talking about?

How long does it typically take to fit a blind or curtain rail, track or pole?

Typical time

The time required is very variable. This is due to the range of wall or window frame types encountered and in the case of blinds whether they are made to measure or need cutting. For example fitting a made to measure roller blind to a wooden window frame can take only 30 minutes or sometimes even less. Fitting a roller blind that needs cutting down to a window with a metal lintel above or into a plasterboard wall can take one and a half hours.

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Dependencies

Type of blind or track or pole. Whether made to measure or needs cutting to size. Type of wall. Plasterboard walls need specific fixings. Drilling into metal lintels requires a specific drill

Questions to ask

Type and number of blinds, rails or poles. Number of fixings. Whether wall is solid or plasterboard. Whether heavy curtains are being hung. Whether any window is a bay.

Comments

Whilst hanging a blind or fitting a curtain rail or pole is often a simple task the job can throw a number of challenges at a fitter.

It usually pays to obtain made to measure blinds. Cutting to length, whilst relatively straightforward (note that many roller blinds use a metal roller) does take time and for long drops plenty of space is needed to unroll the blind and cut it to size.

In older buildings soft plaster and bricks (or wattle and daub walls) make getting a secure fixing difficult and may require dowelling or wooden battens. Modern buildings with plasterboard walls need special fittings or battens. Newer buildings can have concrete or steel lintels. Concrete ones can be drilled with an SDS drill; steel lintels usually need a work around such as fixing elsewhere or if plasterboard covered, with expanding fixings.

Bay windows also pose challenges. If fitting blinds they need to be of a suitable length so as not to interfere with each other.