Installing New Shades from The Home Depot

I have a french door in my family room that is, to be honest, a hot mess! The roman shade that I had installed years ago is on its last legs. The cord is broken, and it looks like it's falling apart. So it's time for a change!

This is the french door and the "hot mess" shade

Old Roman Shade

WHERE TO START

I've always relied on a window treatment company to help me out with my window covering needs. They would come over, measure the window, present options and then install it while I watched from the corner.

It's a full-service company, but it's pretty pricey too. Since I've been doing DIY projects lately, I felt like I could tackle this project myself and even do my own installation. Plus, it gives me another opportunity to use power tools!

I decided to use The Home Depot because I know they have many options available for window treatments right on their website. I could also do the shopping right from my own home. I started browsing through all of the many blinds and shade options and quickly narrowed down my search by typing in "natural woven shade."

The first thing to do when replacing or adding a new window treatment is to get proper measurements of the window. Take a tape measure and measure the width and length of the window and write it down. This is so important because if the measurements are off, the product will not fit.

Next, figure out if the window treatment will be mounted on the inside or outside of the window. I will be mounting this window treatment on the outside of the window, so I will need to add on 2 inches to each side (4 inches total) to my width measurement. I will also add 2 inches to my height measurement for the top of the window treatment.

Once the correct measurements are noted, you are ready to make your selections. Go to The Home Depot website and search for window coverings. The search will pull up a few categories for windows—I went to the "Shades" category.

There are SO many choices, and this may take some time to cycle through so that you are able to see all the options for the window you want to cover.

Once you find your window treatment, you can input your measurements and find pricing for each product. If you're ready to make a purchase, double check AGAIN that your measurements are correct.

Once you purchase the product, you will receive a confirmation order in your email. It is that easy!

READY TO INSTALL

Once you receive your product, you are ready to install the new shade. The shade comes with all hardware and step-by-step instructions on how to hang the window treatment. It's pretty easy when you follow the provided instructions. You will need only a few tools for this project:

• Tape measure
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Level
• Ladder

The shade went up very quick using these tools and the instructions provided and I am so happy to say I LOVE THE RESULTS!

Bali Horizontal Natural Woven Roman Shade, Custom

The shade we chose is cordless and easy to pull up and down. This shade updated my family room in a BIG way and gave my French door the custom look that I wanted.

Decor doesn't have to be expensive, and updating a window covering can make a huge difference in your space. Don't be afraid to try new things because if I can do this, you can too!

The hot mess shade is gone and I can finally look over and see a clean, beautiful shade that I installed myself (with a little help from my husband!)