FULL FRAME: Installation Handling Fabrics: A Lucrative Portion of the Installation Industry

Handling Fabrics: A Lucrative Portion of the Installation Industry

BY ROGER MAGALHAES

No interior decoration is fully complete without adding soft fabrics and textures. They provide luxury, depth and coziness to any room. However, adding fabrics may also increase stress levels and be worrisome to window treatment professionals when the goal is to provide a stunning installation.

Soft treatments such as roman shades and drapery panels require extra time during installation because they are more delicate and the materials usually don’t behave as predictable as hard treatments. Also, not every installer has the patience, finesse or interest in learning this very lucrative part of the installation industry.

Along with a shortage of installers, a strong demand for installation of hard treatments such as faux-wood blinds and roller shades has left workrooms very stressed out and struggling to find professionals to install their beautiful creations.

I agree that installing hard treatments is much easier and straightforward, while installing soft treatments requires deeper math calculations, being extra careful handling delicate fabrics and out-of-the-box thinking. Unfortunately, many installers don’t see the benefit of investing their time in learning this very lucrative area of the installation world. Expert installers with a top-notch reputation for soft goods can easily make $125 to $175 per hour installing such treatments.

If you are having a hard time finding a good installer for this area of the business, perhaps it is time to start grooming your own installer. I am going to share five tips to help you and your installer when the topic is soft treatment installations.

Keep hands clean, clean, clean. It seems obvious that installers must keep their hands clean during installations. However, even the simple fact of grabbing screws, L brackets, moving the step ladder around or even handling a tape measure can add fine dust to their hands. Things may worsen if the installer has sweaty hands or if the fabrics are a lighter color. The solution? The installer must develop a habit to constantly check their hands. Eventually, it will become natural to spot-check their hands, but at the beginning, they must remind themselves to do so. Additionally, a good installer will have cleaning wipes in their tool bag when a washroom is not available and even wear disposable gloves before touching the fabrics.

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2Use a pinsetter tool. Not every workroom provides their drapery panels pinned. It is not a big deal when the installer has to pin a panel or two by hand. However, it may become a very tedious and time-consuming process if the amount of pinning is considerable. Also, when doing it by hand, the pins will be set at slightly different heights from each other and they won’t look professional. On the other hand, when the installer starts using a pinsetter tool, the

process of pinning panels will never be the same again. With the assistance of a pinsetter, the professional will be able to adjust a tab at a desired height so every pin will be placed at the exact same spot. Additionally, by utilizing this device, the installer will be automating the process and saving time. As a bonus, their fingers won’t be hurting the next day.

3Drill through fabric. Depending on the installation or product application, there will be situations when the installer must drive a screw through the fabric to achieve the desired results. Instead of taking the risk of possibly pulling a fabric thread and damaging the product as they drive the screws, I highly suggest using a razor blade to cut a small slit on the fabric where the screw will be driven through. That way, the installer will ensure that the fasteners will not get in direct contact with the material and, consequently, avoid screws from pulling threads and hacking the treatments.

4Make sure to have time for dressing. Depending on the content of the fabric, some materials will resist handling more than others. In other words, some fabrics will wrinkle much more easily than others. One is linen and, unfortunately, it is also one of the most popular in our industry. Installers should try to minimize handling the fabric as much as possible. Drapery panels should be transported flat in working vans or, if the installer has a commercial vehicle, a rod or track could be installed near the roof to create a hanging system for drapery panels. When arriving at the jobsite, use a drop cloth or blankets and lay the drapes flat on them to minimize moving them around. Once the drapes are hung, fan-fold them and use strips of plastic to gently tie the panels at top, middle and bottom to keep the folds in place for a day or two until the fabric is trained and the fibers create memory. Avoid excessive steaming, as water will make the panels grow. Use an iron and a board as an alternative to remove wrinkles.

Fill up a bag of tricks. As mentioned earlier, fabrics have a life of their own and different content acts and drapes differently than others. As a soft window treatment installer, it is important to fill up a bag of tricks with various aids for potential solutions. Tenderhooks or picture-hanging hardware are great solutions for drapery returns. Double-sided tape, a tag gun, safety pins, nails and even pushpins would surely come in handy when the installer must find creative ways to keep the fabric where it should be. Even a drop cloth is a must in the installer’s bag to use as a barrier between the ladder and the drapery panels while hanging them. Most ladders are made of aluminum and fine aluminum dust is natural and expected. However, knowing that, it is imperative the installer prevents contact between the ladder and the fabric at all costs.

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It is not easy or quick to become a soft window treatment installer.

It takes time to develop soft skills, a problem-solving mindset and knowledge about fabrics. However, the financial rewards and recognition are worth the efforts. Once an installer becomes good at it, their reputation will spread and so will the possibilities. Instead of being “just another installer” in the hard treatment arena, why not stand out in the crowd by becoming a top-notch soft treatment installer? I guarantee you won’t regret it. V

Roger Magalhaes is the founder of Trading Up Consulting, which provides installation training for window fashion professionals. Magalhaes has over 15 years of experience as a professional window treatment installer in the Boston area. He is also the installation instructor for the Window Fashion Certified Professional FastTrack program and is the president of Window Coverings Association of America. » TradingUpConsulting.com