HOW TO GET A GOOD FIXING AROUND A WINDOW 

How long have I been waiting for someone to cover this one. I've spoken to qualified builders who encourage a bodge job 🤬 Thank you, as ever, Stuart 👍🏻

Good suggestions, thanks. If I may add two further ones: first, having spent a lot of my life drilling steel, put some oil on the HSS drill bit. Just dip it in car engine oil. It reduces wear on the bit and speeds up the operation. Second, one option is to make a properly tapped hole in the lintel and use a machine screw (bolt), which is perfectly possible in 2mm thick metal. Drill a 5mm hole and run an M6 tap into the hole and bingo, you can use M6 bolts to hold your curtain up. Strong and also easy to dismantle and reassemble if you want to do so for future decorating, for instance.

The prop idea is very clever. Things like that are what makes your videos on another level to others. I’ve used many of you tips like the dot and dab filler when hanging a radiator on a dot and dab wall. And fixing metal back boxes into walls with filler before screwing. Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to create the mock-up, really helped with the explanation... indeed have run into this issue on a couple of occasions and the solution is much clearer now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. *Nobody* has explained this like you, one of those things that is always skipped over. Like you did in your roller blind video! But you redeemed yourself with this. I’m about to fit a blind for my father in law tomorrow, so perfect timing.

I tried once, I made a mess, I tried on the side walls --apparently on the wrong (void) place--, I made an even worse mess that needed a contractor to be actually fixed; I said NEVER AGAIN! But, sir, your video is making me reconsidering it... so you're really good at explaining things. Thanks for the channel!

That was well worth the time spent watching; the visual aid was a welcome look behind the curtain, and, for many people no doubt, dispelled the mystery of 'The Lintel'. Thanks very much for sharing.

Brilliant video stu if you can remember I commented on your video on drilling through a steel joist about the technique that shipyard drillers used to use & that was exactly the same principle as you have just demonstrated as I said before we used to call it a swage stick ýou can't beat the appliance of science! You definitely know your stuff Stu thanks again.

Explained brilliantly as usual and with the added length of making a full blown mock up for a full visualisation of the situation makes it so easy to understand. Fantastic video as usual!

Stuart, your channel is getting more and more informative every time I watch it, first class, well done and keep it going…..

Stuart, you are a DIYer's saviour! Was scratching my head wondering what I needed to hang a "simple" curtain rail- now I know why I failed.

You just go that extra mile Stuart by building a mock-up to explain the building construction, well done! Having spent many hours and aching arms drilling vertically it could all have been so much easier if I'd thought of a pivot! You could get another video out of this construction by showing safe methods of demolition. Regards Keith

This might be the best DIY video I’ve ever seen. The mock-up made clear something I’ve struggled to understand for years in different houses. Thank you.

Brilliant explanation even if some of us knew about these lintels and have fought with them in the past, I enjoyed how you used the mock-up to explain and kept it simple👏👏

Can I come in here and give you a tip. Increasingly a lot of lintels are made os stainless steel which would be completely useless for drilling with an HSS drill bit. The best drill bit to buy which covers all manner of steel lintels is the cobalt bit, I’ve used these on several occasions and find them invaluable. They’re not expensive, slightly dearer than a HSS bit but will stay sharper for a lot longer thus making them more economical.

Brilliant Stuart, as usual lots of clear and easy to understand information on something not often explained. Not only that but some really useful tips too. Of curse, all made even better by your effort of producing a fantastic mock up. Cheers.

Great video. I have struggled many times. Never bothered going through the steel. I will try it now. Love the lever idea. Genius.

I appreciate the transition from your window to the lintel mockup set!

Thanks Stuart. I could have done with watching this in 1985 when I bought my first house. Having said that, I have got a couple of curtain rails that need to be installed, so it’s never too late. If my school teachers had explained things as well as you do I would probably have learnt more. Too late to sort my education but thanks to you, at least my house is starting to looks nice now😉

Another great video Stuart and on my birthday too! Getting into my sixties now, but still learning lots and this lintel session has really helped with some pending curtain fitting. Thanks and well done. Paul

The prop is ingenuous having struggled with this task before! Top notch content as always.

Nice to see the evolution of the channel and the incorporation of a relevant sponsor - you are really going from strength to strength on here. Great tip about using the wood to create a pivot, but top marks have to go for the mock up window opening that you built - great to visualise the structure and to see the different elements that the drill passes through. Any tips for drilling through the hardened concrete equivalents? Absolutely top drawer work - keep it up! Mike

Brilliant thanks. I've struggled with exactly this problem in the past but now feel fully prepared to tackle it in the future.

Brilliant video Stuart, so much effort and detail goes into you videos, along with your presenting and humour 👍

Good video. Gotta admit, the 2 pieces of wood trick (used as a lever to allow the drill to be pressed against the steel lintel) was brilliant. Well done!

At last, someone showing us the bits others miss! Excellent, as usual. 😎

Great advice. When I hung all the blinds in our house (Saving hundreds of £££s in the process) I very quickly figured out I would need a metal/steel drill bit to drill the holes due to the lintels above the windows. I found (however terrible an idea it might be) that the metal drill bits also gave a much neater hole when drilling through the plasterboard so I used one bit for the whole thing. The block work was sufficiently soft for it not to damage the bit once I was through the steel. I wish I had known about the lever technique though as it would have saved me a lot of grief with my shoulder for a few days afterwards! Work smart not hard. Great video!

Great explanation of a perennial problem. Same applies for fitting widows and doors. I tend to use cheap drills as I prefer not to blunt my good ones which inevitably happens as they break through the steel and smack into the stone above. Also, I've found that if you use a smaller drill then you can use a self tapping screw rather than a rawlplug. I love the prop idea!

I was coming across this issue in my flat, was a nightmare. The blinds would keep falling off. After watching the video, feel reassured that it was not just me facing this problem ; ) Thanks for the demonstration, well presented and easy to follow 👍

Excellent video Stuart, practical and with your usual humorous edge. Have a good week.

Ace! Exactly my question when I watched your blind video yesterday. Cheers Stuart!

I really loved the mock up to explain the window construction. That was very informative. I also loved the lever system to help with drilling.

Now that you've shown how to make a fixing into a cavity IG lintel. How about a Catnic lintel for solid walls which have a hollow box on the internal half. Sadly not all houses are constructed the same way, depending on age and construction rules/laws at the time of construction or additions. Some houses even have timber lintels above windows that support roofs. I'm not posting to pick fault, just to remind you there are two other main players besides cavity IG's and concrete lintels. Other than that, I liked your video, especially the use of the timbers, because it would also help the less experienced to keep the drill steady and make it less likely to snap the drill bit.

Really appreciate the time and effort you must of given to make this video. Making that wall in your workshop must of taken a bit of time. I didn't think a regular drill would be able to do that.

Thank you - extremely useful. This is something I need to do within the next few days to install some blinds.

Always worth watching your videos Stuart, even if you've previously worked out your own solution. Really worth going the extra mile with the mock-up, this is what lifts your videos above the rest ! As usual a smattering of humour too for good measure, thanks Stuart, Cheers, AndyC.

This was great. Thanks. I have endured blood sweat and tears with this very issue. We paid a guy to fit blinds and I watched with keen eyes how he was going to tackle this problem. He used self tapping screws. Not sure if this is an answer but 2 years later still up and strong!

Great job and serious work on the mock up. Greatly appreciate the effort and tips 👍🏼

Great video. I've tripped up on window fixtures many times. When I've failed drilling up I've tried the walls and hit those metal corner pieces instead! Having a mock up has really helped me visualise it.

Great advice just before I'm putting up some blinds, probably the best clear video I've seen. Even builders struggle with this and end up with a hole the size of Jupiter.

A really simple fix for what I have found to be a near impossible job. Top marks sir!

Excellent video. The best DIY videos and advice on RU-vid.

Really useful video - thank you. I can't even begin to tell you how blue the air turned when I tried fixing venetian blinds to the inside of my window recess. Now I know why!

Hi. Brilliant idea 👍. I myself have alot of trouble drilling above windows etc. At last, you've solved my frustration. Thank you for sharing. . Absolutely fantastic videos. Helped me our of so many d.i.y jobs. Top man. Cheers. 👍👌

A great video which explains to me what I encountered the other day I tried to install curtains unsuccessfully. Thanks a lot.

Absolutely love your channel really good explanation and great presenting and educating skills! Thank you

I've always struggled drilling into steel lintels but never thought of using some mechanical pressure under the drill. Great tip.

What an excellent channel. Best DIY channel on RU-vid. Thanks.

Had exactly this problem when trying to fit a new blackout blind to my window, love the wood fulcrum idea!, worked a treat if a little taxing!😁 Many thanks for your great advice.

Excellent video! Never seen a DIY video explained so well. Really helpful and interesting, great work 👍 😁

We fit windows & get these questions a lot about blinds & curtains as we have put fresh pvc all around the windows! Top video! 👌

Another DIY frustration fixed. Brilliant video thank you again.

the effort you put into these videos is outstanding, thank you !

Trial and error got me to almost this point. Great tip about the drill support and lever. Next blind to fall down gets the full, Proper DIY treatment. 👌👏

This is just brilliant! It really does help to be able to visualise whats under all that plasterboard.

This has been an issue in our homes! Over the yrs Tysm for this video 👍

Great video, you are correct about the quality of drill bits

Excellent. Very helpful content and professional production!

Great vid, thanks for your time, effort and expertise in demystifying a job many hate. Regards Mike

Good video and helpful tips for drilling the lintels - would suggest some eye protection too, as you tend to be looking up and the bits are falling, especially the metal bits which tend to be hot too.

Very helpful to be able to see what the steel above the window looks like. I have 6 blinds to fit in a new build and my concern is when you start drilling and hit one of the slots/holes already in the steel.

Great tip on using the pivot. Another tip to speed up drilling steel is to give the bit a squirt of wd40 before you start. It reduces the heat transfer to the bit, so it keeps cutting better for longer.

Thanks that was so useful. I've run into this kind of problem in the past and really struggled with it. I'll know how to deal with it in the future. 👍

I watch your videos all the time I find your work interesting you are so exact with your I measurements Tony P

Fantastic video and effort. Really helpful! One thing you could have mentioned is the steel reinforced concrete lintels which have rebar running along their length. That is a nightmare to drill because you don’t know when you are hitting concrete or the steel and have to keep swapping bits. Oh and it makes your arms drop off!!

Excellent video, well explained, thank you

Thank you very much. This is one of the most useful, informative DIY videos I have seeen. I wish I had known this years ago. It would have saved me so many sore throats from all the swearing.

I love your channel. I get so much great advice from you. Great video again explaining what’s inside a lintel . Cheers Mark

Well thank you very much... Ran out of excuses now. Great video, off to the DIY store this weekend and finally get this job off the list!

Brilliant video very well explained and to show what's the other side of plaster board ..

Another excellent video. This has always caused me problems. Entertaining too, as usual.

Brilliant Video thanks so much!

Excellent Video. Brilliantly explained👍

OMG the best video I've ever seen and easy to understand! Thanks mate!

Top tip that I learnt recently. When you put the drill bit into the Chuck turn the Chuck back one notch which locks it into place

I just stumbled on this, got to put a blind up this weekend in exactly these circumstances, tks for the tutorial

Spot on 👍🏼always hitting unexpected structure within the area around windows.

Very good video. The mock-up really helped

This was so well explained. One of the best.

Cheers Stuart. I ordered blinds for a huge sliding glass door that has a concrete lintel above it. I do have a small Bosch SDS drill as well so I am in good shape. I also ordered six shades so I am going to be a busy boy. I do enjoy your expertise but also your understated English style. I am a Scot living in the US and there always seems to be too much machismo around DIY here, as though the power tools were surrogate weapons. Thanks mate!

Brilliant video , I use the Bosch expert drill bits which will drill through metal and concrete.

Very good tios, Stuart! Thank you! 👍

I spend most of my days fitting into lintels and I've never used a plug into metal before. We use a 3.8mm hss bit to punch a hole then screw straight into the metal. It's much easier to get through just don't over tighten. A 3.5 bit is OK if you've a modern build which have quite thin metal but you'll be better off with a 3.8 if you can, especially if you have a girder across a larger span.

Great video very well explained I learnt a lot about lintels I tried the clamp method but needed three hands . The two bits of wood worked much better but as I had three windows to do I decided to screw two side flanges to the horizontal piece and bolted through the upright so it was joined and pivots which made it even easier although overkill for just one window it was easier th use than separate pieces thanks again for a brilliant video

Brilliant video, excellent setup to demonstrate it thoroughly!! 👍

Great video. Thank you

I feel this! Lost a bundle of cheap drill bits this way. When I have to fit a blind or curtains with lots of holes, I'll drill two holes through the steel and use plugs as normal but I will attach some painted interior timber to the frame to give me something to attach the blinds. Normally use a bead of construction adhesive to hold the timber up in addition to screws.

Yet another excellent video. I would like to see a similar one on pre-stressed concrete lintels though. A lot of curtain rods require drilling through one.

Excellent video,thank you.

Well I certainly learned something today. Thank you.

That was a first class video - everything about it.

I've had to do many fixings like this over the years and it is explained very well. The only thing I would add when drilling steel is to remember to put your drill on it's lowest speed setting #1 and make sure you're not on the hammer setting.

Ahh wish I'd seen this video ages ago as have struggled multiple times with installing blinds and couldn't work out what on earth i was trying to drill into. Have got one blind left to install and have since bought a SDS too so should be better equipped now! Thanks for the superb explanation!

brilliant idea, thanks.

Brilliant video, genius idea of using the 2 timbers.

Excellent as always Stuart 👍

As a curtain fitter I’ve never had a problem drilling through concrete or steel lintels , decent drill and bit does the job. Good video tho for the DIYer.

Very helpful advice thanks for sharing, keep up the good work 👍👍

thanks i love your reviews 👍👍

There is a much better way to secure the screw! - don’t use a raw plug. Instead simply use a screw that is 0.5mm larger than the hole/bit. Straight into the metal and it will self tap. A blind installer who had been in the business 20+ years taught me this and I have used it myself during a our self build to fit 20 very heavy blinds. Incredibly strong, never failed (In have had many using raw plugs that have slipped out of the lintel eventually). I’m actually quite glad when it’s a metal lintel now as I know it last simple and reliable. Like the level technique, although it not something I have needed with the right bit (still hard work mind). Great video 😊