Hiding The Hardware On Bamboo Blinds

WARNING! * WARNING! * WARNING!

This might be the most boring blog post ever, unless you are in the market for bamboo shades.  

If you're not, then you are excused from class today :)

Bamboo blinds are really popular right now.  They are such a great way to add texture and warmth to a room and they're affordable.  

{via}

BUT….

just because something is affordable doesn't mean it has to look cheap.

From the picture above, all that jumps out at me is the hanging hardware.  This shade would look so much better without the hooks that attach it to the window exposed, wouldn't it?

The bamboo roll up shades I told you about yesterday come with a ridiculous system for hanging that is also common on inexpensive matchsticks blinds. 

Two flimsy triangle hooks are attached to the top of the shade.

An L-shaped metal piece is screwed into the window frame and the triangles are attached to them.

This is the L-shaped bracket which extends out a good inch.

In my bathroom, I opted to drill a screw into the wall and hang the triangle hook on that, hoping to disguise it close to the wall, but it was still very visible from anywhere in the room.  

To hide the hardware altogether, I removed the triangle hooks that came on the shades and installed new ones that are behind the shade vs. on top of it.  

It worked like a charm, so I thought I'd share it with you.  

But first, before we get to that -

make sure you invest in a shade that has a valance on the top.  

This valance covers the string mechanism that raises and lowers your shade.  Some of the shades at Lowes have the valance and some don't (by the same manufacturer!) - so make sure you check.  

And then - 

if your new shade has the cheesy triangle hook/L-shaped screw hanging system, hack it a little to hide that cheap hardware.

This is what you need: 

a drill and drill bit (I used the 3/32 drill bit for these screws - make sure your drill bit is smaller than the screw)

measuring tape

triangle hooks

small screws

(warning:  spaz learning how to use new camera lens)

My local hardware store sells both triangle hooks and boxes of little screws; they are great to have on hand for putting wire on the back of picture frames for hanging.  Any place that sells picture framing supplies for the homeowner (craft stores, Lowes, Home Depot, Dick Blick) will likely have these items.

To start, place your shade face down like this.

Remove the triangle hooks that are already on the shade:  using two sets of pliers, clamp onto either side of the hook, pull it apart and discard.

Now add new triangle hooks a little further down so that they will be hidden behind the shade.  You want the screws to go into the stacked layers at the top of the shade.  Measure, mark and pre-drill holes for your screws (without pre-drilling the bamboo cracks when you install the screw.)

The shade came with only two hooks, but since these shades will be pulled up and down on a daily basis, I placed four across the top of my shades for durability.

Find the center of your window, mark it, and mark your hook measurements accordingly.
Place four screws on the markings….

then hang the triangle hooks, and voila.

Now lets talk about the cleat that hold the cord.

Does anyone on this earth like these things?  Those tiny screws that come with it???  The fact that you have to wrap the cord around it 75 times???  However, they are important if you have young kids in your home since shade cords present a risk of strangulation.  I also feel like the dangling cord detracts from the look of a shade.

If your shade will be flanked by curtains, forgo the little annoying cleat, and simply hide the cord (and more importantly, keep the younguns safe) by screwing two longer screws into your window frame, about 10-12" apart.  The cord wraps around the two screws only 2 or 3 times and takes about 5 seconds when I pull up the shades in the morning.

The final affect is a less cluttered, more finished look.

Now that I have the shades all squared away - time to tackle the issue of the flimsy rod.  Tomorrow I'll show you how the windows got a little bling!

Have a wonderful day, friends!