Calling plaster experts - how do I strengthen ceiling for window blinds?

M

microsquid

Registered User
Messages
68
Hello AAMers,
Our house was built in 2001 and I had ACME roller blinds fitted. One of the main features of the house is rectangular bay windows in the living room and front bedroom where the windows go all the way to the ceiling. In all windows the blinds were screwed into the vertical 'ceiling' of the window including the plasterboard ceilings in the bays.
About 2006 the blinds in the bays started to fall down, taking chunks of plaster with them. We tried Polyfilla-ing the gap and putting them back but no luck. Over the next year about half all the other blinds started coming out of the Rawlplugs as well, which was infuriating as we weren't swinging out of them.
We took them all down and we've lived without blinds since, but I'm starting to get tempted again. I'd like an AAM reply as any blind company I go to is going to tell me it was a problem with the original blinds and their ones will of course be different.
Is the fault in the blind fixing, should it not have been Rawlplugs for a vertical fixing? Is the fault in the plasterboard - should I be strengthening it in another way (eg. for a heavy light fixing I'd put up a piece of wood through the wiring hole to spread the weight and screw the light fixture to that rather than the plasterboard, but this doesn't seem feasible for blinds).
I'd really appreciate a reply from someone who might have experienced the same problem or who knows a bit about plasterboard/ ceilings.
TIA
 
I cant really but I can offer some advice from my own blinds.

door blind in sunroom, just caught fitter ready to drill into pvc door where the roller blind was made to fit the door n not space above, continuing on the wrap around look of the other blinds.....wud u drill into windows.

We had considered blinds that fit directly onto window glass, cant remember the company. You cud look into them.

finally wev three windows that run like one window. Id asked for three roller blinds for fear of bowing middle. One arrived, nightmare to unroll n roll...bowing middle..immed changed...could u reduce the size of the blinds.

finally have u approach the original company, goodwill might kick in.
 
You can use these fixtures so long as the plasterboard is sound. They will hold way more weight than the regular plugs, which just can't hold significant vertical weight over time, especially where there is regular loading as with blinds.

What's behind the plasterboard? Ideally, if you could attach some battens or ply behind the plasterboard to screw into, that'd be nice and secure.
 
To the OP..........
If the blinds are falling down and pulling the plasterboard down then have a look at securing the blinds through the plasterboard into the actual brick work.
You can use M6 x 75mm frame fixers do do this.These cost around 80 cents each in a builders providers.
Thats how I fitted all my curtain poles and 2 of our blinds in our house.M6 x 75mm for the blinds and M8 x 100mm for the steel curtain poles.An sds drill with 6mm and 8mm sds drill bit and a size 2 and size 3 pozi screwdriver bit will be needed to drill the holes and screw in the screws.
 
Thank you all.
I was afraid of affecting window insulation / damp proofing by drilling direct but will have another look
We're really not sure what's behind plasterboard in bays, suspect laths only, definitely not brick. That twisty screw thing looks interesting and might be the answer, I'll look at the frame fixers too.
I take it ye all bought blinds wholesale / internet and saved a packet? I was always nervous due to middling DIY skills. (Give me a flatpack and I'm your gal, though)
 
You'll get a good idea what's behind by poking a thin screwdriver through a little hole. You'll know the difference in feel of wood versus concrete.

Blinds, curtains, shelves, etc., you name it, I've hung it. My kitchen cabinets are hung using the screw-in fixings, so they'll hold a lot of weight.
 
microsquid said:
Thank you all.
I was afraid of affecting window insulation / damp proofing by drilling direct but will have another look
We're really not sure what's behind plasterboard in bays, suspect laths only, definitely not brick. That twisty screw thing looks interesting and might be the answer, I'll look at the frame fixers too.
I take it ye all bought blinds wholesale / internet and saved a packet? I was always nervous due to middling DIY skills. (Give me a flatpack and I'm your gal, though)
Click to expand...

Nope,I bought my blinds from an Irish company and collected them from their deopt,as it was only 10 minutes away from my house..

I fitted all them myself and did all the curtain poles too.We paid for heavy duty thermal blackout curtains to be made so I made sure that none of the kids would pull them down that easily by securing them through the insulated slab and into the actual brickwork of the house.

Id say that you have brickwork there allright ,sure you would have to have it unless your house is a timber frame?

The usual is blockwork,then 2 x 1 timber battons and then the plasterboard is screwed onto these battons at 400mm centres.

If you house was built this way then when you look at your wall you will have skimcoat,then the plasterboard,then a 20-25mm air gap behind and then the actual brickwork.
 
OP.
Are the fixings into what u call vertical 'ceiling' going up vertically into the horizontal ceiling plasterboard or horizontally into the vertical wall plasterboard?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top