Complete step-by-step instructions for perfect Installation

How to Install Roman Blinds

Our roman blinds hang on a row of clips. You screw the clips up, hook the front of the headrail in, roll it back until every clip clicks, then fit the chain tensioner or the cord cleat. The first one takes 25 to 35 minutes. Ours are DIY made to measure: you measure, we make the blind to your sizes in Australia, and you fit it yourself with the steps below.

The steps below follow the video, with the spacing and checks written down.

What you need

A drill with a Phillips bit, and a drill bit to suit your wall.
A pencil and a steel tape.
A step ladder set up square under the window.
Fixings for your wall. We don't include screws or plugs, because every window is different.
A second person for a wide blind. Romans carry a lot of fabric and are heavier than they look.

In the box: your blind on its aluminium headrail and the mounting clips. Wider blinds get more clips. A chain-drive blind comes with its chain tensioner, and a corded blind comes with its cleat and acorn. Check them off before you start.

Choosing fixings

Timber frame, architrave or stud: timber screws go straight in.
Plasterboard: find a stud, or use a hollow-wall anchor rated for the weight. Most windows have a timber stud running up each side of the frame.
Brick, concrete or tile: a masonry bit and matching plugs.

Not sure what's behind the wall? Your local hardware store can match an anchor to the job, or send us a photo and we'll tell you.

Recess fit or face fit?

You chose this when you ordered, and it decides where the clips go. Check your order before you drill.

Recess fit (inside the opening): the clips screw up into the top of the window frame, towards the front. It looks built in, and a thin line of light shows down each side.
Face fit (outside the opening): the clips screw to the front of the architrave, or to the wall. It covers the frame and blocks the most light.
Face fit above the window: fix the clips higher on the wall so the folds sit above the glass when the blind is up. A raised roman stacks about 30 cm high, so measure your drop from where the clips will go.

Our clips are 43 mm deep. If a handle, lock or winder sticks into the opening, go face fit. Unsure? Face fit is the easier choice.

Step 1: Fix the mounting clips

Mark the end clips. Put one clip 2 cm in from each end of where the headrail will sit. Hold it in place and mark through the holes with a pencil.
Space the rest evenly between them. Keep them no more than 990 mm apart, which is the largest gap Acmeda allows on this clip system.
Screw them in, into timber wherever you can.

Step 2: Check they line up

Sight along the clips from one end. They should all sit on one straight line. Each clip has a little adjustment if you're a millimetre out, but get them close first. A clip out of line stops the headrail clicking in, and a headrail that isn't level makes the folds stack unevenly.

Step 3: Clip the headrail on

Lift the blind up to the clips. On a wide one, have your helper take one end.
Slot the front edge of the headrail into the clips.
Roll the back of the headrail up and press it back until it clicks into each clip.
Look underneath and check every clip has caught the bottom of the headrail.

To take it down later, lift the blind a little and push back each clip. Our guide to removing blinds covers romans and every other blind we make.

Step 4: Fit the chain tensioner or the cleat

Do this before anyone uses the blind.

Chain drive

Our chain-drive romans run on the Acmeda SS38 system, and the chain tensioner comes with the blind.

Click the tensioner over the chain loop.
Move it to where the loop is held taut but the chain still runs freely when you pull it.
Screw it into something firm, like the timber window frame. Plaster on its own won't hold it.

Cord and cleat, or cord lock

Screw the cleat to the window frame or the wall beside the blind, up high, and wrap the cord around it every time you raise the blind. The acorn is the pull at the end of the cord.

Whichever control you have, leave the warning label on the headrail, and keep cots, beds and anything climbable away from the chain or cord.

Step 5: Check the folds and do the first lift

Lower the blind all the way, then raise it all the way. The folds should stack evenly at the top, about 30 cm high when it's fully up. A chain-drive roman holds at any height, so stop it halfway and let go to check.

A white roman blind raised above a window seat in a walk-in robe, its folds stacked evenly above the glass and the control running down the left side

Folds stacking unevenly? The headrail usually isn't level. Take it down and check the clips are on one line.
Headrail won't click in? A clip is out of line.
Chain catching? Move the tensioner a little so the chain runs freely.
Missing a clip or cleat? We sell roman blind parts, including SS38 mounting clips, cleats and acorns.

Still not sitting right? Get in touch before you force anything.

How to measure for roman blinds

Still ordering? Measure the window, not an old blind, in millimetres with a steel tape.

Choose recess or face fit first, because it changes what you measure.
Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom. For a recess fit, give us the smallest with nothing taken off; we make the deduction so the blind runs freely. For a face fit, give us the width you want covered, at least 50 mm past each side.
Measure the drop at the left, centre and right. For a recess fit, measure to the sill and give us the smallest. For a face fit, measure from where the clips will go to where the blind should finish.
Pick the control side. Stand inside facing the window and choose the side you can reach without leaning over furniture.

A roman stacks into folds at the top, so on a tall window it still covers the top of the glass when it's up. We make romans from 600 to 3,000 mm wide. The measuring guide has a video and the common mistakes, and our roman blinds page compares the fabrics and controls.

Harries Carroll and Emily at a table with a laptop, going through their blind order

How to take roman blinds down for cleaning

Unclip the chain from its tensioner, or unwind the cord from the cleat. Then lift the headrail a little and push back the clip on each bracket in turn, with someone holding the other end. It goes back up the way it came down: front edge in, roll it back, click.

You often won't need to take it down at all. How you clean a roman depends on its fabric, so read our guide to caring for blinds and curtains before you wet anything.

Printable instructions

Want the steps on paper? Download the guide that matches your blind, recess fit or face fit.

Click to download PDF

Roman Blind Face Fit Installation Instructions

Roman Blind Recess Fit Installation Instructions

Common questions

Are roman blinds easy to put up?

Yes, if you can drill a hole and use a step ladder. Ours clip onto a row of mounting clips, so there's nothing to screw into the headrail. Allow 25 to 35 minutes for the first one, and get help with a wide blind.

Do roman blinds sit inside or outside the window?

Either. A recess fit sits inside the opening and looks built in. A face fit goes on the architrave or the wall, covers the frame and blocks more light. Fit it above the window if you want the folds clear of the glass. If you're unsure, go face fit.

How many brackets does a roman blind need?

One clip 2 cm in from each end, with the rest spaced evenly and no more than 990 mm apart. The clips come with the blind, and wider blinds get more of them.

Are screws included with the blind?

No. Brick, timber and plasterboard each need different fixings, so choose screws or anchors rated for your wall and the weight of the blind.

How do you hang a roman blind with a cord?

The same way as a chain-drive blind: clips, then headrail. Then screw the cleat up high and wrap the cord around it whenever the blind is raised.

Design your roman blind

Start with free roman blind samples, choose a chain drive, a cord and cleat or a cord lock, and see your price as you go. Made to measure in Australia; you measure and fit it yourself.

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