Planning on buying vertical blinds for your windows and or doors? If so, you need to make sure that you know what you will need in order to install them on your own.

Before purchasing your vertical blinds it is always a smart thing to know what the exact measurement is of your window or door. Then you should be able to find out if they are standard or need to be special ordered

Once your vertical blinds are in and you have brought them home for installation make sure you have specific tools and hardware items in order to be able to successfully install your window blinds.

The tools that you will need are a tape measure wood or metal, pencil, flathead screwdriver, hammer and finishing nails, drill with a quarter inch hex head bit, a level, scissors, wall anchors and one sixteenth and three sixteenth drill bits.

The blind hardware should be wall brackets, mounting screws, mounting clips, nuts, bolts, louvers and headrail, chain with a clip and a cord with a weight.

There are two different kinds of common mounts; one would be the kind that is mounted inside windowsill the other one mounting on the outside of the frame.

No mounting brackets will be used for an inside mount, this is where you would use mounting clips. Just remove the mounting brackets from the blinds and discard them. Now adjust the screws keeping the mounting clips intact.

The next thing you will do is mark the valance and the frame of the window. You need to hold the valance up and measure out the width of the valance marking it on the wall. Measure an inch out from where the width mark is to get the depth. Center it by placing the mounting clip in the third groove which is four inches from the end.

Now you will hold the valance up and line up the back of it with the marks that have been made. If it is dry wall, remember to include wall anchors then screw all the screws into the valance, clips and sill.

The next thing you will do is snap the headrail into place and make sure that you have the blinds cord is on the side you want it to be on and then take a screw driver and place between the headrail and release tab to remove the blind.

Outside mounting blinds are done a little differently than the inside mounting. You will need to mark the height of the wall at the louver length and then add two inches. Then you will center the headrail where you have the height marked. Then you need to make a two-inch mark on the wall about four inches in from each end. Then make marks for each bracket and make sure they are evenly placed.

Next you will need to hold the brackets up to the two-inch marks and mark an area for the mounting holes that will go into the wall. Now drill holes into these marks. Make sure to use wall anchors if you are mounting into dry wall. You will now screw brackets into place making sure that you use two screws for each bracket you use.

Now you need to snap in the headrail, before doing so though make sure the screws for the mountings have been screwed in securely. Now you can take your screwdriver and place between the headrail and release tab.

Take your louvers and attach them gently to the stem slot making sure you do it slowly and gently and then put back down into place. It is important to note that if you have cloth window blinds make sure the hems are facing in the same way.

For safety purposes the cord should have a cord weight fastened to it and secured to the wall. For the inside mount the cord should be fastened towards the back of the sill.

If you find the cord is longer than you would like it to be just tie a knot to where you want it to be and then use scissors to cut the rest off.

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