DIY Fabric Roller Shades

Vinyl roller shades are one of the cheapest options for covering your windows, but they aren’t really the most pretty option out there. However, it’s easy to update a roller shade with fabric to give it a completely new look in a pattern that you love.

This tutorial will give you the steps on how to add fabric to an existing vinyl roller shade, not to replace the entire shade with a new fabric shade.

For years, we’ve been working on updating our cottage lake house in Wisconsin. It’s two bedroom house, but has a large extra sitting room in the front that we want to also use as a bedroom when needed.

We wanted to keep the area semi-open to the main living area, but we also wanted the option to close it off in case people were sleeping in there.  Originally, there was a solid wood door separating the two spaces, so we cut out the inside and installed a piece of glass to help open it up.  I love the way it turned out, but I needed to come up with a solution to create some privacy when it needs to be used as a bedroom.

How to Add Fabric to a Roller Shade

1. Measure window opening and have your roller shade cut to size

how to make a fabric covered roller shade

When purchasing a vinyl roller shade, home improvement stores will cut the shade to size for you. Don’t forget to purchase your mounting brackets (which will be sold separately, but in the same aisle as the roller shades).

2. Cut fabric for the roller shade

diy fabric roller shade

Cut your fabric to be 1 inch larger than the roller shade. It helps to work on the floor in a large area so you lay out your fabric and the shade and then cut it down to size. You’ll attach the fabric to the highest point you are able to access on the vinyl shade without taking it off the metal roller.

3. Attach fabric to the vinyl shade

how to attach fabric to a roller shade

Before attaching the fabric, make sure to read the instructions that come with the roller shade to determine which side of the shade will face your room and which will face the window. You can use the photo above as a reference for how the roller shade should look when you’re attach the fabric to it.

add fabric to roller shade

Use heavy duty spray adhesive to glue the fabric to the shade. Be sure to spray both pieces (the back of the fabric and the front of the roller shade) and then stick them together.

After the fabric is attached and the glue has dried, cut the two sides of the fabric to be flush with the sides of the roller shade. Then, use a little ModPodge or other clear glue on the edges of the fabric to help it from fraying.

Update: Originally, I folded the one inch overhang over the sides of the vinyl shade and glued with hot glue. Although this held up great and gave a clean edge, it caused the roller shade to be too thick when it rolled up. I ended up having to retrofit the bracket to compensate for the additional thickness of the rolled up shade. I’ve tested the method described above to trim the excess and seal, and it worked well, so that is the method I would now recommend having tried both ways.

add fabric to roller shade
DIY Fabric Roller Shade

It’s the perfect length to cover the entire window, and can easily be rolled up during the day. Plus, I think the patterned fabric looks much better than the boring vinyl shade. (Note: Through the back of the window you can still only see the white vinyl. I did not add fabric to both sides, but for a normal window, this wouldn’t be an issue at all as this would be side facing outside.)

add fabric to roller shade

You can see that I made my own rustic valance by adding some wood and rope. You can find the full tutorial for that post by clicking the link above.

Cottage Lakehouse Tour

We slowly renovated our cottage that was stuck in the 1970s. It took us over 10 years to complete every project on our own, but our hard work paid off and we have a cozy place that we can enjoy for weekend getaways. Here’s a tour of our little lakeside ranch that we call our “cottage”!

Welcome to our Cottage!
Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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