How to get motorised roman blinds over protruding window sill

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › How to get motorised roman blinds over protruding window sill

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

20581 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2975194 30-Sep-2022 08:12

gcorgnet:

Hi @timmmay, are you able to share more about what motorised roman blinds you have?
We just got a bunch of blinds/curtains/romans and I had just assumed that romans couldn't be automated.

Cheers

I got what this company supplies, built into new blinds. I don't know if you can retrofit, never tried it. "Shade Connector" is the company, though I suggest looking at options. There are multiple models, I think we got the base model. Another model lets you do things like set the blinds at x% closed, which would be handy for us.

@gcorgnet update - you can also get a "Connector" box which allows you to control the blinds with an app / home assistant. I have a DD7002B which cost me about $100 through Roman Blinds Direct, it looks like this. Roman Blinds Direct were AWESOME, some of the best service I've ever had, anywhere. I found them randomly on the internet, I have no association with them. They're very patient, not the cheapest, but service was amazing.

eracode:

I think my Plan B would be to try @wellygary 's idea of "white plastic-coated wire bent into a triangle". Attach single straight pieces (say 120mm) of the wire to the outside of the architrave on each side, sloping outward at their lower ends to meet the face/outside of the sill. Would be reasonably low-visual and has some elegant simplicity.

Blinds come down, hit the wires and move outward to clear the sill as they move further down.

I think the blinds hitting anything narrow like a wire would wear the fabric out quite quickly. The wide wooden block would probably be less wear.

timmmay

20581 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2975209 30-Sep-2022 08:27

mrdrifter:

Could also consider 3d printing the ramps, gives lots of options for the exact design and asthetic for the acceptance factor.

Interesting idea... I don't know anything about 3D printing, but I'd like to learn. The local library has a 3D printer as well.

Do you have any particular tips about how I would learn 3D design and printing?

MikeAqua

7785 posts

Uber Geek

#2975273 30-Sep-2022 09:52

eracode:

timmmay:

Make the window sill shorter.

Do you mean narrower?

You're both wrong, it's shallower 🤡

Mike

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8867 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2975671 30-Sep-2022 21:03

^^ That’s very revealing. 😀

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

mrdrifter

576 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2975741 1-Oct-2022 10:42

timmmay:

Interesting idea... I don't know anything about 3D printing, but I'd like to learn. The local library has a 3D printer as well.

Do you have any particular tips about how I would learn 3D design and printing?

For a simple 3d shape like a triangular ramp you could start with Tinkercad online. I would consider something like either a simple triangular ramp, if you wanted something wider you could used a half pyramid sized for the sill.

The output file from Tinkercad can be fed into a slicer such as prusa slicer. If your printing at somewhere like Waitohi in jville just the Tinkercad file will get them started. They are really helpful in there and can show you the process as well. Their prints are typically white PLA.

Could design something up and print a prototype at the library then check for size and function before printing multiple.

blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek

#2975757 1-Oct-2022 11:56

mrdrifter:
timmmay:

Interesting idea... I don't know anything about 3D printing, but I'd like to learn. The local library has a 3D printer as well.

Do you have any particular tips about how I would learn 3D design and printing?

For a simple 3d shape like a triangular ramp you could start with Tinkercad online. I would consider something like either a simple triangular ramp, if you wanted something wider you could used a half pyramid sized for the sill.

The output file from Tinkercad can be fed into a slicer such as prusa slicer. If your printing at somewhere like Waitohi in jville just the Tinkercad file will get them started. They are really helpful in there and can show you the process as well. Their prints are typically white PLA.

Could design something up and print a prototype at the library then check for size and function before printing multiple.

I think you are really over thinking things.

Cutting a wooden triangle and painting it white will take 10 minutes including clean up time. Then glue it in place.

You can adjust the angle to get the best compromise between visual impact and gap between blind and window.

Electric kiwi signup credit Sharesies credit

timmmay

20581 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2975774 1-Oct-2022 12:45

10 minutes, ha! Finding the wood, the saw, cutting it, painting one coat, and cleaning up would take me probably two hours! Plus you'd want more than one coat, so all in all it'd be a few hours over a few days.

Wood is probably easier, 3D printing might be more interesting. Apparently printing is 10c per gram, I wonder how much a little plastic triangle would weigh, one that's a maybe 8cm high and 5cm wide.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

chez

93 posts

Master Geek

#2976381 2-Oct-2022 18:02

It's a shame you have to modify your sills but you've got to do what you've got to do. My blinds are mounted inside the frame. Let us know how it goes, would be nice to see the end result with the blinds on.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8867 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2997997 18-Nov-2022 13:10

@timmmay Interested to know what you ended up doing.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
18663 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2998066 18-Nov-2022 14:13

What about a custom brass frame (so it's not solid), maybe even with some decorative curlycues, on each side from top to bottom so the blind is gradually guided out from the wall as it descends, instead of making a sudden change?

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8867 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2998088 18-Nov-2022 15:20

Rikkitic:

What about a custom brass frame (so it's not solid), maybe even with some decorative curlycues, on each side from top to bottom so the blind is gradually guided out from the wall as it descends, instead of making a sudden change?

I suspect you haven’t read through the thread.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

timmmay

20581 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2998163 18-Nov-2022 16:30

eracode:

@timmmay Interested to know what you ended up doing.

Procrastinated ;)

Rikkitic

Awrrr
18663 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2998233 18-Nov-2022 21:13

eracode:

Rikkitic:

What about a custom brass frame (so it's not solid), maybe even with some decorative curlycues, on each side from top to bottom so the blind is gradually guided out from the wall as it descends, instead of making a sudden change?

I suspect you haven’t read through the thread.

No, I just didn't understand it.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

aucklander

477 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3020796 13-Jan-2023 11:33

May I suggest investigating the idea to have these parts "to push the blind out" actually fixed to the blind itself, that way they should not be visible too much when the blinds are up. But this part would have to protrude from the blind into the room by at least the distance the window sill protrudes from the wall surface, so this "part" catches onto the sill and pushes the blind out.

Below is a very rough sketch of what I am proposing. This part does not have to extend to full blind width, it can only be in the form of two narrow sections (even thin wire but strong enough to do the job). Unless full width would be considered aesthetically acceptable (in which case you could look at folded sheet metal then have it painted or why not covered with similar fabric same as the blind?).

of course you can do 3D printing if you want to use new technology by all means, but is not a simple triangle, you need to model holes for fixing, etc, make it hollow as much as you can to minimise the weight (and price), so it gets more complex than a simple triangle. If triangle fixed to sill is the solution, wood is the best approach (you can paint the wood, not sure what colour range is available from the 3D printer, or if the material is paintable? sounds way overkill...)

timmmay

20581 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3020815 13-Jan-2023 12:19

aucklander:

May I suggest investigating the idea to have these parts "to push the blind out" actually fixed to the blind itself, that way they should not be visible too much when the blinds are up.

Interesting idea. I think something would have to protrude from the bottom of the roman blinds for that to work, and I'm pretty sure my wife won't be keen on that.

So far I've done nothing about this, because none of the solutions seem like they would appeal to my wife.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4