Blinds Installation Cost Calculator
Blinds Installation costs $245 to $375 for a typical 6 items job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $300. Labor runs 5.2 crew hours at $40.06 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.
What makes up the price
Cost by size
National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.
| How many | Items | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 items | 3 | $195 | $160 to $240 |
| 5 items | 5 | $265 | $220 to $330 |
| 6 items | 6 | $300 | $245 to $375 |
| 8 items | 8 | $375 | $305 to $460 |
| 10 items | 10 | $445 | $365 to $550 |
Do them all at once
| Blinds | Total | Each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125 | $125 |
| 2 | $160 | $80 |
| 6 | $300 | $50 |
| 10 | $445 | $45 |
The reason is the minimum charge: a handyman's visit is $75 to $200 before anything happens, and fitting a blind is twenty-five minutes. One blind is almost all overhead; the tenth is almost all work.
So if you are replacing blinds in a house, replace them in a house. Measure every window, order them together, and book one visit. Fitting six individually would cost $750 instead of $300.
The blinds are not in these figures — they run $25 for a stock aluminum venetian to $250 a window for made-to-measure wood or cellular shades, which is why a single figure would be useless.
Measuring is where the money is lost
Installation errors are cheap to fix. Measuring errors are not, because made-to-measure blinds cannot be returned. This is the part to get right.
Decide inside or outside mount first.
- Inside mount sits within the window reveal. Neater, shows the trim, needs at least 2 inches of depth for most headrails — check yours.
- Outside mount fixes to the wall or the trim face, covering the opening. Use it where the reveal is too shallow, out of square, or where you want to block more light.
For an inside mount:
- Measure the width in three places — top, middle, bottom — and use the narrowest.
- Measure the height in three places and use the longest.
- Do not deduct anything. The supplier takes off the clearance it needs, usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch. People who deduct a half inch themselves get a blind an inch too narrow with daylight down both sides.
- Measure to the nearest 1/8 inch, and write down which window it was.
For an outside mount: add 1.5 to 2 inches each side of the opening and 2 to 3 inches at the top for the headrail, and decide whether the blind will overlap the trim or sit on it.
Check the squareness. If the three width measurements differ by more than about 1/4 inch, an inside mount will show a gap somewhere. That is a reason to choose an outside mount rather than a reason to accept a bad fit.
What actually takes the time
Twenty-five minutes a blind, and almost none of it is the screws:
- Squaring the brackets. A blind hung a sixteenth out of square binds when it is raised, which is the most common complaint about a self-installed blind and is entirely a bracket-position problem.
- Finding something solid. Brackets in the top of a wooden reveal are fine. Brackets on a hollow return, a metal window frame or plaster need the right anchors, which is the +15% to +30% on this page.
- The cords. Cordless and motorized blinds have no cords to deal with; corded ones need a cord cleat fitted and used, which is a child-safety requirement rather than a preference.
- Checking it works before moving to the next window, which sounds obvious and is what separates a tidy job from six blinds that all need adjusting afterwards.
Cordless, corded or motorized
Cordless is now the default and should be. A looped cord is a strangulation hazard to young children, which is why US regulations have pushed stock blinds toward cordless operation, and why any corded blind in a house with children needs its cords cleated to the wall out of reach. If you are buying new, buy cordless.
Motorized blinds are genuinely good and have two practical questions: power and grouping. Battery wands need charging once or twice a year, which is a chore on a high window; hardwired motors need power at the head of the window, which means an electrician if there is none. And if several blinds should move together, say so when ordering — grouping is a configuration done at setup, not a feature you can add later on every system.
A note on cellular (honeycomb) shades: they insulate meaningfully, which matters on a big north-facing window, and they are the one blind type where the upgrade has a measurable effect beyond looks.
Light gaps, and what cannot be fixed
Worth saying because people are often disappointed by something that was never avoidable.
An inside-mounted blind has a small gap at each side by design — that is the clearance it needs to move. It will show daylight. Nothing short of an outside mount, side channels or a curtain over the top removes it.
If the room is a bedroom and the point is darkness, the answer is an outside mount with a generous overlap, or blackout cellular shades with side channels, or blinds plus lined curtains. A standard inside-mounted blackout blind still leaks light at the edges, and no installer can change that.
What you are paying for
Six blinds, into wooden reveals, at $300:
| Labor, about 2.75 hours | around $154 |
| Screws and anchors | $24 |
| The visit | $45 |
| Overhead and margin | the balance |
Can you do it yourself?
Yes — this is the most approachable job in the wall-mounting group, and the tools are a drill, a tape, a pencil and a small level.
Where people go wrong: ordering before measuring properly, deducting clearance the supplier has already deducted, and fixing the second bracket by eye rather than measuring down from the head. Take the brackets off the headrail, position both by measurement rather than by holding the blind up, and check the blind operates before moving on.
Pay somebody if: the windows are plaster or masonry, there are more than a handful of them, the windows are high, or the blinds are motorized and need wiring.
Questions worth asking
- Inside or outside mount, and is the reveal deep enough?
- Who measures — and if the supplier measures, do they guarantee the fit?
- Are the windows square?
- What are the reveals made of?
- Cordless, corded or motorized?
- If corded: are cord cleats being fitted?
- If motorized: battery or hardwired, and is there power at the window?
- Should any of them be grouped to operate together?
- How much light gap should I expect?
- What else can go up on the same visit?
Common questions
How much does blinds installation cost?
About $300 for six blinds, or $50 each, which is the handyman's time plus screws and anchors. One blind on its own is $125, because the minimum charge for a visit is most of a single small job. Ten blinds come to $445, or $45 each. The blinds themselves are extra at $25 to $250 a window depending on whether they are stock or made to measure.
How do I measure for inside-mount blinds?
Measure the width in three places — top, middle and bottom — and use the narrowest. Measure the height in three places and use the longest. Do not deduct anything: the supplier takes off the clearance it needs, usually a quarter to a half inch, and people who deduct as well end up with a blind an inch too narrow. Measure to the nearest eighth of an inch and label each measurement with the window it came from.
Should I choose inside or outside mount blinds?
Inside mount sits within the reveal, looks neater and shows the trim, but needs about 2 inches of depth for the headrail and a reasonably square opening. Outside mount fixes to the wall or trim face and covers the opening, which is the answer where the reveal is shallow, out of square, or where you want to block more light. If your three width measurements differ by more than a quarter inch, choose outside mount rather than accepting a visible gap.
Why do my blinds have a gap at the sides?
Because an inside-mounted blind needs clearance to move, so a small gap at each side is by design rather than a fault. It will show daylight and no installer can remove it. If the point is darkness in a bedroom, the answers are an outside mount with a generous overlap, blackout cellular shades with side channels, or blinds plus lined curtains — a standard inside-mounted blackout blind still leaks light at the edges.
Why does my blind bind when I raise it?
Almost always because the two brackets are not square to each other. A blind hung a sixteenth of an inch out of square drags on one side, and it is a bracket-position problem rather than a fault in the blind. The fix is to take the headrail out, measure both bracket positions from the head of the reveal rather than eyeballing the second one, and refit. It is the most common complaint about self-installed blinds.
Are cordless blinds worth it?
They are now the default and should be. A looped cord is a strangulation hazard to young children, which is why US regulations have pushed stock blinds toward cordless operation. If you are buying new, buy cordless. If you are keeping corded blinds in a house with children, cord cleats fixed to the wall out of reach are not optional, and a good installer fits and uses them as a matter of course.
Are motorized blinds difficult to install?
The fitting is the same; the two extra questions are power and grouping. Battery wands need charging once or twice a year, which is a nuisance on a high window, and hardwired motors need power at the head of the window, which means an electrician if there is none. If several blinds should move together, say so when ordering — grouping is configured at setup and cannot always be added later across every system.
Do cellular blinds actually insulate?
Yes, measurably — the honeycomb cells trap a layer of air against the glass, and on a large single-pane or north-facing window the difference is noticeable. They are the one blind type where the upgrade does something beyond appearance. Double-cell is better than single, and a tight-fitting outside mount or side channels is what turns a modest improvement into a real one.
How long does it take to install a blind?
About twenty-five minutes each for a professional, and most of that is not the screws — it is squaring the brackets, finding something solid to fix into, dealing with the cords and checking the blind operates before moving on. The first blind in a house takes longer than the sixth, which is the arithmetic behind doing the whole house on one visit.
Can I install blinds myself?
Yes, and it is the most approachable job in this group — a drill, a tape, a pencil and a small level. The three mistakes to avoid are ordering before measuring properly, deducting clearance the supplier has already deducted, and fixing the second bracket by eye. Take the brackets off the headrail, position both by measurement from the head of the reveal, and test the blind before moving to the next window.
Who is responsible if made-to-measure blinds do not fit?
Whoever measured, which is why it matters who that was. Made-to-measure blinds cannot be returned for being the wrong size, so if you measure and order online, a mistake is yours. Many suppliers offer a measuring service, and some guarantee the fit if they measure — worth asking for explicitly and in writing, because it transfers the only expensive risk in this job.
Does the window material change the price?
Yes, by 15 to 30%. Brackets screwed into a wooden reveal are straightforward. A hollow vinyl return, a metal window frame or plaster each need specific anchors and more care, and brick or concrete needs a hammer drill. Tell whoever is quoting what the reveals are made of, because it changes both the hardware they bring and the time they allow.
Where these numbers come from
Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.
- All other specialty trade contractors, United States: $40.06/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023899003)
- Screws and anchors: $4.00 per blind (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)