Cordless Pleated Shades Installation Instructions

If you’ve recently purchased Cordless Pleated Shades you’re in the right place. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the installation process, making it quick, simple, and stress-free. Below, you’ll find everything you need to install your fresh Cordless Pleated Shades.
Let’s get started!

Tools Needed to Install Cordless Pleated Shades

Installing Cordless Pleated Shades from Factory Direct Blinds should be a very quick and easy task that won't take you much time at all. You will need some everyday basic tools for a typical blind install:

• A Pencil
• A Tape Measure
• A Drill
• A Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Step Stool
• The Appropriate Fasteners
  *You may also need some alternative fasteners (not included) to properly install your shades if you are installing into an aluminum or concrete fixture. 

Determine the kind of mounting your blinds use

Did you order inside or outside mount blinds?
Depending on the ones you have, the instructions change.

Bracket Location and Installation

A mounting bracket should be positioned about 1” to 6” from each end of the head rail. For wider shades that require 3 or more brackets, these should be spaced evenly between the two outermost brackets. Always position the brackets such that there is no interference with the cords and mechanisms inside the head rail. The procedure outlined below will assure proper bracket placement.

Attaching the brackets:
The shape of head rails and mounting brackets varies by style of shade.

For style ‘A’ [see illustrations below]: Lift the head rail into position such that the inner front edge of the head rail slides into the slot at the front of each bracket. Push the head rail upward until the flexible tab at the bottom of each bracket snaps onto the back of the head rail. Check carefully to assure that each bracket is properly secured.

For style ‘B’ [see illustration below]: Lift the Head Rail into position such that the front edge of the bracket is under the inner front edge of the head rail, and then push the head rail upward until the flexible tab at the bottom of each bracket snaps onto the back of the head rail. Check carefully to assure that each bracket is properly secured.

For Inside Mounting: 
Clip the brackets onto the head rail as described above. Hold the shade in place and make a pencil mark at the rear of each bracket where it contacts the inside of the window frame. Remove the brackets from the head rail and align them with the marks. Attach each bracket using the 1 1/8” screws, pre-drill the screw holes using a 3/32” drill bit.
For Outside Mounting:
Clip the brackets onto the head rail as described above. Hold the shade in place and make a pencil mark at the rear of each bracket where it contacts the inside of the window frame. Remove the brackets from the head rail and align them with the marks. Attach each bracket using the 1 1/8” screws, pre-drill the screw holes using a 3/32” drill bit.

Attach Handles

Attach the Handle to the bottom rail as illustrated. The handle is designed to minimize contact with the shade fabric. Always raise and lower the shade SLOWLY(!) to assure that the pleated fabric stacks neatly. 

Wider shades have (2) Handles – to precisely determine the correct position for each handle, divide the total width of the shade by 4, and then attach one handle that distance from each outside edge of the shade – always grasp both handles when lifting and lowering the shade. 
For TDBU and Day/Night cordless shades, attach the 2nd handle to the Middle Rail as illustrated.

And that's all, you've successfully installed your shades!

How to operate: 

• Make sure that the Handles have been attached to the rail(s) as described above (see Step 4)
• To maintain optimal performance of the springs that make your cordless shade function, lift and lower your shade through its full range of motion – all the way up and down – every day if possible.
• For shades with a single handle, which must be centered on the rail(s), lift or lower the shade slowly and evenly, keeping the rail(s) level, until the shade is positioned as desired.
• For wider shades with a double set of handles, grasp the handles using both hands and lift the shade slowly and evenly, being sure to keep the rail(s) level.

Standard Shade
Always raise and lower the shade SLOWLY(!) to assure that the pleated fabric stacks neatly. To lower the shade: grip the bottom rail handle and slowly pull straight down. To raise the shade, grip the bottom rail handle and push up slowly.
Always keep the bottom rail level.
Top-Down Bottom-Up & Day/Night Cordless Shades
To raise and lower the shade from the bottom, follow the directions above. To lower and raise the shade from the top: grip the middle rail handle and slowly pull straight down/up.
⚠️Pleated Shade Break-In 
The fabric used for your new pleated shade is designed and manufactured to provide outstanding pleat retention. As a result, the fabric has “pleated memory” which sometimes prevents the shade from hanging to its full stated length when first installed, and/or the shade might not lift to the full open position.
The pleats should “relax” if the shade is allowed to hang for a few hours.
Or, you can hasten this process by way of a manual break-in. To do this, just raise and lower the shade slowly several times following the operating instructions in this owner’s handbook; and then stretch the shade by pulling the bottom rail downward gently several times.

Extras, Hold-Down Brackets & Connectors

Hold down brackets are provided for optional use. These brackets should be used only if the shade is to be in a permanently lowered position. With the shade fully lowered, make pencil marks at the outside ends of the bottom rail. Brackets should be lined up to the pencil marks and screwed into place using the 3/8” screws. Insert the pins protruding from the brackets into the holes on both ends of the bottom rail (see illustration).

2-in-1 Connector for Wide Windows
Connect the Head Rails using the 2-in-1 Connector, as shown

Cleaning
The vinyl head rail and bottom rail can be wiped clean with a damp sponge. To clean the shade fabric, use a feather duster or vacuum lightly using the soft brush attachment.

If you still have some questions, take a look at our Cordless Pleated Shade installation PDF for more in-depth information.