Cutting roller blinds to size - through metal pole!

[BlogOnTheTyne]

I've got 4 new roller blinds to cut down to fit the width of the window recesses and am scared of doing something wrong. These were fairly expensive blinds.

What do I need to know before going at them with a hack saw (for the metal poles) and scissors (for the blind itself)? Is it easy to hacksaw through metal or will there be a jagged edge that rips the blind? How can I ensure it's exactly the right fit when I start cutting/sawing?

Has anyone done this and regrets not knowing something before that first cut? Please tell me what to watch out for!

I was told to ALWAYS measure twice, cut once!

Meaning I suppose to take your time, measure carefully (write the measurements down if need be).
When you ask if the metal will have a jagged edge to rip the blind, do you mean the round pole that is attached to the top brackets that the blind will roll around, or the pole that weights the blind at its base?

Thanks Shimmering. I meant both the metal pole that the blind rolls around and the slightly slimmer pole at the base. There are removable ends on each - although I haven't yet tried to remove them. So I hope they will cover the jagged sawn part.

I think I'm just afraid to begin sawing/cutting, in case I do something horribly and irrevocably wrong! I'm even scared of cutting the blind itself!

Then there's the job of fixing it to the plasterboard. The fixings that come with it are for wood. So I need to buy screws and plugs for plasterboard and not sure what sizes to get nor whether the plaster board will rip/crumble when I fix them in!....So many things that could go wrong!

Without being able to see it I can't tell you what you will need. However, I know B&Q offer support and mini tutorials in using tools etc. Why don't you go to your local one, take the window measurements, and blind with you and explain to them what you need to know. 'Twill be easypeasy after that.

Have faith in yourself, you are more able than you think.

John Lewis have a very good tutorial of this on YouTube - Google "cut down roller blind to size" and you will see. We watched it twice through then tentatively went ahead (using JL blinds) and the result was excellent.

The reason you have fixings for wood is because the blind should be fixed to a wooden batten, which is fixed to the wall.

Ooh, bravo for that explanation, nancy! I've done a few of these, and that's exactly the method I use.

Brilliant and helpful advice, everyone! Thanks very much. I think I'll watch the JL video as these are JL blinds (hence the expense) and then just do every single step very very slowly indeed.

I tend to get flustered, have no natural spatial ability and could very easily measure completely incorrectly.

The bit I'm most worried about is knowing exactly where to cut the metal pole so that when it then goes back into the end cap fixing, the resultant measurement makes it fit perfectly in the window recess.

Other than the DCs, I've got no one to help with this - and the DCs will probably make me even more flustered! So I just need to find time and space to get each step done, without being disturbed. Trouble is that the mimute I ever go off to do anything that requires maximum calm and concentration, invariably, they start to fight with each other!

CallMe Nancy, I wish I knew a good local handyman. The person I'd hoped to use, who was part of a big building project recently, made so many mistakes that I feel I can't rely on him anymore.

(See my other thread about fire hazard and builders and another, a few days/weeks ago, when the new toilet leaked all over, just days before the very expensive flooring was put down by a completely different company, that would therefore have been totally damaged by the leaking toilet!)

I've now got the mindset that 'if you want a job doing, do it yourself' - and with a bit of learning and confidence, I expect I can do as good a job or better. However, it's the length of time it'll take me, as opposed to someone already competent - that bothers me and also the fact that I'll be learning on the job and don't really want to invest in a cheaper blind to practice on.

I'm increasingly irritated these days at having to rely on others to do things that, if only I'd been taught them at school, I'm sure I could do perfectly well myself. I'll come back on here with a different thread when i start to tackle different ways of using different kind of 'filler' to prepare walls for painting...but that's another thread!

In the meantime, discovering that there are quick tutorials for all sorts of DIY stuff on the web, is a revelation!