How to get motorised roman blinds over protruding window sill

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mdf

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#3021386 14-Jan-2023 21:26

I'm not sure I'd want to shorten the windowsill personally. But if you do want to do this, I would use an undercut saw. These are used by flooring installers, I'd be very surprised if your standard chippy had one. You'd need to confirm that their particular saw was able to be used vertically (I know at least some can).

chez

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#3023671 19-Jan-2023 12:29

To do it properly is to take the sill off and put a short one. It means that you have to change the length of the trims on both sides too. Bottom trim should be installed too. Overall, it will change the look of your window because you will have to put a bottom trim. See the image below. Take note: you don't have to change the style of your trims. I am just showing you what it would look like as a result.

If you know how to, you can do your own trims, wood filler, priming and painting. You can ask the builder or a carpenter to take the sill off and replace a new one. It's an easy job and approximately will take less than an hour for the carpenter to do. From the outset, you may see it as a hassle but this project is relatively easy for the carpenter with the right tools. I wouldn't recommend cutting the sill even if you have a steady hand because once the roman blinds are up, you would notice how unappealing the window looks like and it'll start bugging you and your wife. So, I suggest to do it properly.

chez

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#3023887 19-Jan-2023 13:26

timmmay:

Some interesting ideas, thanks. Mount the top further out is interesting, but impractical, a professional installed them and it's fiddly. The romans work fine and cost about $8K so we're not replacing them. Can't bend them as they're cloth. Magnets is an interesting idea! Not sure if it'd work, but interesting.

I asked three builders who were here about trimming the sills, none would do it, one would take the whole sill out and replace the whole frame, at a fairly high cost and hassle, and risk of damage.

Unless someone comes up with a genius idea I think we'll just keep manually lifting them over the sills. It's annoying but what can you do. They can also just sit on the sills, but because they're made to go further that doesn't look as good.

Thanks for all the ideas. More are welcome but I think I'll just give up on it for now.

I'm sorry most builders want to get maximum amount of money for their time. Any carpenter can do this job, actually. The problem is finding the right tradie to do the job. It always is the tricky part. I don't think you need to replace the whole window frame. That bottom sill can come off using a utility knife (to cut off the paint), pry bar and rubber mallet/hammer. Multi-tool becomes handy too if there is a need to cut.

If you can't find the right tradie to do this, then you have to do it yourself. I said that I don't recommend cutting the sill but if there's no choice then that's the last resort. Get a ruler and mark where you're going to cut the sill, square to the window frame. The end result is the same of the image above. With multi-tools, cut the sill. Take your time and let the blade do the work. Remember to use the utility knife to cut the paint away where wood is touching the wall. If your cut with the multi-tools is not perfect and straight vertically, it's okay. You can use a wood file to take the edge off later on. Any imperfections, you can caulk or fill with wood filler. You still need to replace your side trims with the right length and install the bottom trim. You may find out that some parts of the wall's paint come off and may need sanding, priming and painting afterwards.

Materials: Prybar (small one from Bunnings/M10), rubber mallet/hammer, powered multi-tools (good investment if you don't have yet), utility knife/craft knife

Take note: remember to wear your ear muff

No magic idea here but if this were my window, this is how I would approach it. I'd make sure I have the proper tools and I'd take my time.

timmmay

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#3023905 19-Jan-2023 13:55

Yeah replacing the bottom sill and finishing it properly is probably the only way to do it properly. Until we get around to it I'll just keep lifting the bl**dy thing over.

mulac

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#3024052 19-Jan-2023 16:13

I'm with team Electric Planer. Most (all?) tool rental companies will have them for a small fee.
They're very simple to use, draw a straight line across the top of the sill and plane in small increments until you reach the line, then run a sander across the front to get it dead straight if required. Once it's painted it will look as good to the eye as a replacement sill with a lot less skill or effort required.

Canadaguy

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#3273893 20-Aug-2024 14:27

So after many hours of searching as I had a similar problem, a plant in the window and roller blinds I need to go around it, I came across this:

a 6” pipe clamp from Amazon.

$20 bought me a dozen, they are flexible but sturdy enough to guide the blind around an object in the manner you need to go around :)

timmmay

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#3273942 20-Aug-2024 16:45

Thanks @Canadaguy, sounds like an interesting option :) I'm not sure my wife would approve given how our window sills and blinds work. So far we're using automation to mostly close the blinds, then we close them the last bit of the way manually.

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