DIY Chevron roller blind

As promised, here are the instructions to re-create the dramatic chevron roller blind shown below:

I came across a post on Apartment Therapy about painted roller blinds a while back. The post showed an example of large black and white vertical stripes painted on a pair of plain roller blinds, and the result was beautiful. I knew I’d have to try it out myself.

Instead of stripes, though, I opted for chevrons. I’ve been a little obsessed with everything chevron lately, so using this motif somewhere in the kid’s room was a no-brainer.

What you’ll need for this DIY:

• white vinyl roller blind
• ruler
• 45-degree drafting triangle
• pencil
• painter’s tape
• acrylic paint
• small paint roller and tray
• large plastic sheet or dropcloth

DISCLAIMER: This project is not for the faint of heart – prepping the blind requires a lot of patience and meticulous detail. I found it therapeutic, but my family thought I was crazy.

Step 1: Buy the roller blind and pre-install it.

I purchased a white vinyl roller blind for about $60 and had it cut down to the appropriate size (the store I got it from offered this as a free service). Before taping and painting, we installed the hardware and hung up the blind to ensure correct measurements.

Step 2: Draw a pattern on the blind.

Make sure you have an ample, flat working space and lay the blind down, unrolling it completely.

Lucky for me, I had a drafting triangle that I could use to draw the chevron pattern directly on the blind. It took me a couple of tries to determine the right thickness (2″) of each chevron and the overall alignment of the pattern. Tip: start your pattern from the bottom center of the blind, work your way out to each end, and then up. This was the best way to ensure that the pattern was centered correctly.

 Eventually, I got the hang of it, and I used a little 2″ by 2″ cardboard square to easily measure the 2″ distance between each chevron point.

Step 3: tape up all of the sections that will stay white.

To avoid confusion, I lightly drew x’s on the bands that I wanted to paint black, then taped up all the alternating rows. This was the most time-consuming part. (about 3hrs)

Step 4: Paint. Twice. 

I got some black acrylic paint from an art store (I read online that this paint is the least likely to crack on such a flexible material) and a small paint roller for the job. Cover the large flat surface with a plastic sheet (or dropcloth).

 I applied two coats of the paint onto the blind, waiting about 24hrs between each coat. Don’t be scared if the first coat doesn’t appear very black. I had a mini heart attack on day one but saw that the second coat adhered well and became an opaque black once dry.

Step 5: Remove the tape. 

Once the second coat is dry, carefully remove the green tape, row by row. I noticed there was slight bleeding under the tape – not quite sure as to the best way to avoid this. Thankfully, it’s not noticeable unless you get up close and personal. 

Step 6: Hang up the blind. 

With all the tape off, all you need to do now is hang up the blind. Woohoo!!