The Best Ways to Set up Curtains and Blinds on a Budget

Keeping your windows covered gives you privacy in the home, as well as allowing you to control the light levels indoors, muffle outside noise and even keep your space at a comfortable and consistent temperature. At Spotlight we're pleased to offer you a huge range of curtains and blinds to choose from, as well as plenty of guides to help you set them up at home.

If you're trying to save some money on your window furnishings, you can also find plenty of budget blinds and curtains you can install yourself. We've got some handy tips and tricks that will make installing professional-looking curtains and blinds on a budget easy - read on to discover our favourite hints for installing blinds and curtains on a budget.

Quick Links

• Window Furnishing Budget Style Tips
• Budget Curtain Set Up
• Budget Blind Set-Up

Window Furnishing Budget Style Tips

Before we get into the nitty gritty of installing budget curtains and blinds, we wanted to let you know of a few style tips that can actually help you save some money in the long run when it comes to budget blinds and curtains.

Look For Amazing Value Spotlight Brands

If you need curtains at an affordable price, a great place to start is with some of Spotlight's exclusive home furnishing brands.

• Mode Home: You can update your entire home with Mode Home, with gorgeous bedding, bathroom decor and home decor, as well as affordable blinds that are quick and easy to install.
• Emerald Hill: You'll love the wide range of stylish blinds and curtains offered by Emerald Hill. You can also find beautiful bedding, rugs, chair covers and tablecloths in this collection.
• Brampton House: A huge range of curtains is available from Brampton House, as well as comfy bed and bathroom linen, tableware and decorative cushions.

Each of these brands will offer you a range of budget blinds and windows, with different colours, materials and prints to choose from across them. And make sure to check out all the other brands you can find at Spotlight in our Brand Directory.

Choose Timeless Designs For Your Curtains and Blinds

One of the best ways to ensure you don't need to worry about installing blinds and curtains is to only do it once… and that means choosing window furnishings that you'll never need to change. Our budget curtains and blinds come in many timeless designs, and choosing ones that will never go out of style will ensure you never need to stress about changing or updating your window furnishings again!

Timeless curtains and blinds are usually in neutral colours, as this means they won't clash with any other home decorations and furnishings in the space. Avoid very busy designs that could overwhelm other pieces in the space, such as ones that feature lace, trims, tufts and bold patterns and prints. Smooth or lightly textured curtains and blinds will fit into any space, as well as require less cleaning and maintenance.

Clean Your Furnishings Lightly and Often

Keeping your window furnishings in their best condition will ensure you don't need to replace them and stress about buying new ones. Excessive damage from UV rays, mildew or mould growth can cause your curtains and blinds to weaken, thin and tear, so giving them a dust, a wipe down and the occasional hand wash will prevent them from being damaged in this way - you should also avoid hanging delicate curtains directly in the path of the sun.

Budget Curtain Set-Up Tips

Here are some of our favourite ways to hang and alter your curtains on a budget. Make sure to carefully browse our budget curtains and in-store to choose the perfect design for your space.

How To Use Curtain Tape To Hem Your Curtains

The quick and easy way to hem your curtains doesn't require sewing - instead, you use iron-on tape designed for use with curtains. It's easy to use and creates a neat, seam-free hem.

You'll need fabric shears or a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, a transparent ruler, an iron and an ironing board. Make sure the curtains you are hemming can stand high heat, as you'll need to use a very hot iron to melt the glue in the tape.

1. Measure how much material you need to remove before you hem your curtains. This is easy to see when they are already hung, as you can decide if you want your curtains touching the floor or not. You'll need to give yourself around an extra 2.5cm (1 inch) for your hem, although this may vary on how thick or thin your chosen hemming tape is. For heavier curtains, choose a thicker, stronger tape!
2. Lay the edge of your curtain onto your cutting mat, set up your ruler and then cut along the hem using your rotary cutter or shears. Make sure they are sharp, as this will prevent any loose strands and jagged edges from appearing. You may have to do this in sections due to the width of your curtains, so carefully re-measure your hem length each time.
3. Lay the tape out across the hem of your curtain with the sticky side down and set your iron to medium heat with no steam. Press firmly down as you slowly iron across the tape, then remove the paper backing to expose the sticky residue underneath.
4. Measure out 2.5 cm from the bottom of the curtain and fold it up, pressing the line of glue into the length of the folded curtain. Turn your iron up as high as your curtains can handle and slowly iron down the new seam again without any steam.
5. When you have ironed down the whole length, cut the protruding edges of the seam at either end at an angle.

You should now have a flat, neat hem at the bottom of your curtains!

Choose Multi-Drop Sheer Curtains For The Perfect Width

The term 'drop' is used to mean 'length' when talking about these sheer curtains. If you want to find sheer curtains that are the perfect length and width - no hemming required - multi-drop sheers are an easy and stylish choice for any home.

Multi-drop sheers come in a range of intricate and elegant styles, as well as beautiful colours like ivory, champagne, grey, cream and black, making it easy to find a set to match your home's current decor theme.

Multi-drop sheers will come in many different sizes for you to choose from, but keep in mind to choose a wider curtain if you want a more gathered look in the fabric. Check out our guide to measuring your windows to help you choose the perfect multi-drop sheers for your home.

Shop Multi Drop Sheers

Cut, Hem And Hang Curtains Are a Great DIY Option

For curtains that are easy to customise, look at our cut, hem and hang curtain range. These curtains come with ready-to-use eyelets or heading tape so they are ready to hang straight away, or you can alter them easily, even if you're not a sewist.

• Cut: Measure your curtains so you'll have enough leeway on either side to hem, then cut using a rotary cutter or fabric shears.
• Hem: You can sew your hem using a sewing machine, or use hemming tape and an iron to do the job instead.
• Hang: Eyelet curtains can be slipped straight onto a curtain rod or pole, while those with heading tape can be attached to tracks using hooks.

It's easy to create your own custom curtains using the cut, hem and hang range. You can choose from sheer, light-filtering, thermal and blockout curtains to alter in this collection.

Shop Cut, Hem and Hang Curtains

Curtain Stretch Wire Is Versatile for Small Curtains

You can use curtain stretch wire to hang lightweight curtains over smaller windows. Stretch wire is affordable, easy to apply and each pack comes with hooks and eyes for you to work with.

Curtain stretch wire comes in lengths from 5 to 15 metres and is suitable for use with rod pocket and multi-drop sheers - avoid eyelets, as the weight of these curtains will be too much for the wire to hold.

Use curtain stretch wire to quickly hang light curtains in any room of your home, and look for longer wire packs if you need curtains across multiple windows.

Tension Curtain Poles

If you need a way to hang curtains without creating a permanent fixture, then look to tension and conduit curtain rods to do the job. These affordable tools make hanging curtains in smaller spaces and temporary residencies easy, and come in a great range of colours and materials to give you some style options too.

Conduit rods and tension poles can generally hold curtains up to 10kg in weight, but each will have a different maximum weight. You should also be careful using them on slippery surfaces like tile, as the rod can not be able to grip the surfaces well enough to stay up.

Shop Conduit and Tension Rods

Budget Blind Set-Up Options

Blinds don't need as much length editing due to how they function, but there are still a few sneaky ways you can customise them to suit your space. Look for budget blinds for style inspiration, or feel free to chat with any of our Spotlight team if you need more assistance on deciding.

How To Cut Roller Blinds To Size

Cutting budget roller blinds to the right size is actually pretty easy, as long as you take care while measuring and cutting. Look through our range of cut-to-size blinds for blinds that are a great price and can be cut to size at selected Spotlight stores. You can enjoy a wide range of colours and opacity options. If you are confident with DIY, you can follow the steps to cut your own blinds:

1. Unroll the blind on a flat surface and slide the fabric away from the top tube, while also removing the caps from the bottom rail and sliding it off.
2. If you need to shorten the tube and rail, use a hacksaw to cut them and then sand away any sharp edges.
3. Use fabric scissors or a Stanley knife to cut the blind material, using a steel ruler to ensure you are cutting straight. Use a cutting mat to ensure you don't damage your work surface.
4. Slide the fabric back into the upper tube and bottom rail and replace the caps - your newly-cut blinds are ready to hang!

For a more detailed walkthrough of cutting and hanging blinds please read our handy guide to installing roller blinds.

Shop Cut to Size Blinds

Install Two Blinds On A Double Bracket

Using a double blinds bracket allows you to install two budget roller blinds over one space, giving you more options when it comes to stylish layering and light filtering, as well as saving you money from buying a second bracket.

A great idea when using double brackets is to install a sheer blind closest to the window, and then a more solid blind on the outside. This will allow you to enjoy filtered, natural light during the day using the sheer blind and then have complete privacy at night using the darker blind.

Installing two blinds isn't too different from using a single blind, but you need to carefully measure your window's recess to ensure it can fit the double bracket and second blind inside. While your outer blind can protrude a bit, you want them to fit as snugly inside the recess as possible for a neater look.

Enjoy One Of The Widest Ranges Of Curtains And Blinds In Australia At Spotlight

You can always find a great deal on window furnishings at Spotlight! Shop for affordable curtains and budget curtains online, pay your way and we'll deliver your order straight to your front door. You can also visit your nearest Spotlight store, where our bargain-savvy team will help you find the perfect budget blinds and curtains for your home.

Spotlight is the best place to look for affordable curtains and budget blinds online or in-store. Read through our buying guides on the best types of window furnishings for different rooms, how to hang curtains at home and how to care for curtains and blinds to ensure you are choosing the perfect budget blinds and curtains for your home. And for a really budget DIY experience, make your own curtains using our range of beautiful curtain projects!