Update Your RV's Blinds & Shades

Updating your RV's window coverings is a great way to refresh the look of your coach. The Keystone team walks us through two common window treatment types: blinds and shades.

  1. Blinds are made up of multiple slats, which help reduce the amount of sunlight that may enter the RV.
  2. Shades are one undivided piece of material. Shades are further divided into roller shades and pleated shades. Most shades come with retaining clips which are secured to the wall or window treatment depending on the orientation of the product's use.

In the RV industry, we refer to the rigid piece that surrounds the blind and shade as a "window treatment", valance, or lambrequin. These are used for privacy and to minimize light coming in around the edges of your blind or shade.

REMOVING THE VALANCE

If you have window treatments, you'll need to remove these to access the screws holding in your blind or shade.  Locate the L-brackets securing the window treatment to the wall. With a screw gun and a #2 square bit, remove the screws in all L-brackets. An extension may be a good idea for reach especially if you have larger fingers.

  1. If you have L-bracket retaining clips for the blind or shade, you will need to remove the blind or shade to access the screws holding in the top of the window treatment.
  2. If you are replacing a window treatment, you will want to make sure to reconnect everything with the same screws, in the same orientation that you removed them. 
REMOVING THE BLIND OR SHADE

HORIZONTAL BLINDS: this style blind is your basic home improvement store blind.  The top comes with corner brackets that secure the blind to your wall.  The difference between RV and residential use is that the bottom rail of the blind will typically come with standoff brackets to hold the blind in place during transit.  This particular blind does not require any tools to replace.  You can slide it right out of the brackets that secure it at the top by pulling out the locking tab on the top of the blind.  You can then slide the new blind back into the brackets, and reattach the locking tabs. 

ROLLER SHADES: The vinyl roller shade system works off a roller tube much like a projector screen.  By pulling the shade down from the closed position, the tube has catch points that will keep the shade from retracting when let go.  To get the shade to retract, you will slightly pull on the shade from the down position which will allow the material to wrap back around the tube. 

PLEATED SHADES: The shade is attached to the wall with retaining clips as well, but this style of shade requires standoffs for the strings to attach at the bottom which will allow the shade to run vertically with the window.  To remove this style shade you will need to detach the string from the standoff at the bottom prior to removing the top section.  To install the new shade, you will insert the top section and then tie the strings to the standoffs.