Sitting on the porch on a summer day is an activity enjoyed by millions of people every year. However, that enjoyment can turn into a sauna-like experience once the sun starts shining down and heats up the porch.

Most people will leave their porch in search of more comfortable surroundings, but if you place horizontal bamboo blinds on your porch, all you'll really need to do is lower the blinds to block the sun so you can get right back to enjoying your porch

Here is how you can hang horizontal bamboo blinds on your porch:

You Will Need:

• Bamboo Blinds
• Measuring Tape
• 2-inch Picture Hooks
• V-Shaped Hanging Brackets
• Level
• Step Ladder

Measurements

The blinds should be placed along the southern and western exposures to protect your porch from the sun as much as possible. To determine the length of the shades, you will need to measure the distance between each porch column (and between a porch column and the side of the house) where you intend to place a shade.

You should also measure the distance from the underside of the porch beam where you will hang the blinds down to the porch railings to determine how long the blinds should be to effectively block the sun.

Install Blinds

You can hang the blinds using 2-inch picture hooks.  The picture hooks are screwed into the underside of the porch beams. You should use at least three hooks to hold up a blind – one at each end of the blind and one hook in the middle. If the blind is long, you should use extra hooks to support the length and weight of the blind.

You need to make sure the hooks are level so you can raise and lower the blinds properly. Use a carpenter's level to check to make sure the hooks are even with each other.

Place V-shaped hanging brackets on to the header of the bamboo blinds (the header is the thick part at the top of the blinds that houses the mechanisms that raise and lower the blinds) so you can slip them over the picture hooks. Once you've placed the blinds on the hooks, you should check again to make sure the blinds are level – if they aren't, take them done and adjust the hooks until they are level with each other.

The last thing you need to do is check to make sure the pull cords are working. You should roll the blinds up and down a couple of times to ensure the pull ropes work well and the blinds stay even as they go up and down. To learn more, contact a company like Brandt's Interiors & Workroom with your questions.