So very disappointed after having our 400 Series Andersen windows installed and realizing we can't mount the blinds the way they are supposed to be mounted. After spending thousands of dollars! Can anyone post a picture of what your windows look like after installation of outside mounted blinds? TIA

For the life of me I don't understand why people buy this kind of window[not just Anderson BTW}As others have said you can't go with a inside bracket only outside applications. Ask questions first.

I am so disgusted by this. We just built a brand new home and chose these windows because we liked the way they looked and now I cannot install inside mount blinds, just like the rest of you. I've contacted Andersen and they could care less - I can't even get a phone call back. I've been researching for the last month now what to do and it's obvious as you all have said inside mount blinds are not an option. Never again - ever - and Andersen? Never again on that either.

just give them 5 years and they will need replacing anyway. Mine are all rotting after a few years. Went with Anderson 400 series. Never again. No response from the company either

i ended up with shutters on my windows

That works! Good job

I will never ever ever buy Andersen windows again. I've spent the last six months trying to come up with the right window treatments without sacrificing the beauty of our window trim to no avail. We're just going to have to get Plantation shutters little by little. They are just too expensive to do the entire house at one time. Andersen is completely unresponsive to any requests. One of our windows won't stay up and we discovered there was a broken part. Not sure who is responsible but Andersen says all complaints are to be directed to the builder or whoever installed the windows for the first year. Otherwise they want nothing to do with it. I've read very few positive comments about these windows and regret the day we decided to spend the extra money to have them installed on our new home. Had Marvin Windows in a home we built many years ago and never had a single problem with them - blinds could be installed easily and with inside mount - none of this crap where the warranty will be voided if sashes are used in any way to hang blinds. I tell everyone who asks about our windows that we would never use them again.

Azek as in Azec decking? Good for you sometimes you have to McGyver things, I guess I would be concerned what happens if the double sided tape loosens, but who knows how long that will take. Again Good for you

Azek as in PVC exterior trim board. 3M tape is rated to hold twenty pounds. Time will tell.

@gumpy_gmg Thanks for this! 5 years looking for a solution, I was thinking something similar but thought of using command strips—this is even better. Question—is this the hardware that came with your shade or did you purchase separately? If so what is this type of hardware called?

I used the hardware that came with the shades. I used the cut to size type as they are much less costly than the ones you custom order, and they can be trimmed if they get cut a bit too long.

Thank you for sharing! Does the shade bump out when it passes the lower sash?

As shown in the last pic above, it does lay on the lower sash, but not enough to impact the effectiveness of the shade. I just put three more up yesterday and they are working great.

Hi, thanks for this solution. Brilliant! Question re: hardware. Did you mean don't drill all the way through to protrude on the other side? I assume you drill enough to secure the hardware to the Azek, yes? Thanks for your patience with these questions,

Yes - don’t screw all the way through the Azek or the point of the screw will stick out and potentially damage the window. Use short screws (1/2” - 5/8”) and no need to pre-drill holes for the screws.

Thank you gumpy_gmg! simple and effective solution. I refused to drill into or obscure the beautiful moldings i just made and installed around our new windows. Here's to hoping the adhesive holds for years to come! I made sure to buy thick enough azek that i could rip down to perfect size to maximize surface area for the adhesive tape in hopes it will increase its holding strength. As for the blinds I opted for the filtering/blackout combo.

gumpy_gmg what thickness in azek trim board did you use?

A thickness enough to hold the mounting hardware screws without allowing them to go through. I used 3/4”.

Thoughts on if this solution would work with faux wood blinds?

no way, faux wood blinds are really heavy.

3M tape, used in a sufficient amount along the edge will hold it - no problem; it’s rated at 20 pounds. When you are using it along a longer strip, it will hold more. Call 3M toll free 888-364-3577 and they can give you the specs.

Gonna give Gumpy’s method a try. Might add a dollop of silicone for added strength. I might drive the screw all the way in and cut the exposed part off with a grinder.

I'm considering doing this, any follow up from the people who did this months ago? Has it held up?

The shades I installed have been up now for over a year with no problems. I’ve used this install method at other locations as well, for friends who wanted inside mount but didn’t have a way to do it. Once the top strip is taped into place you can change the window covering and hardware to whatever you want; just reuse the same screws or similar ones of the same length to mount the hardware. Simple 😬

I like your creativeness and success! Is there a reason why you couldn't just double side tape the blind directly and not use the hardware?

I like your creativity and your success! Thinking seriously about doing this. Is there a reason why you couldn't just double side tape the blind to the window without the hardware? That could be less weight maybe..

the top piece of most shades is not flat. i guess you could try it if you think you’ll have enough surface area for the tape to hold. i put two more up using this method in the past week; took me about five minutes 😊

Any updates by people who used this method? I'm considering it... not sure roman shades would hold though.

Hi gumpy, novice here - what did you use to cut the azek strip?

I‘ve just moved into a house with replacement windows and want 2 “ blinds but they will stick out horribly! Dont think there is a solution for that!

I was a installer for a few years, if you have this kind of problem (no sill depth} go outside bracket, you will get over it, its not that big of a deal.

Same issue here !! Wanted to remount old min-blinds on the inside of frame. Can’t drill into new window frame or warranty void. My solution was double sided 3M tape rated to 24lbs for the mounting brackets flush on the new window frame. Then drilled original screws at ‘45 degree angles into the deeper part of crown molding surrounding windows. Very stable configuration, but can’t drill screws all the way just tighten for support of the upper bracket. if you drill too shallow will crack your outer wood molding. You can also pre-drill holes to prevent cracking. This worked for me, all mini-blinds are slightly different so my have to get a bit creative for your individual type. Good luck.

Here's a nice solution that allows the blinds to hang freely in front of the two window sashes.

I used two aluminum plates with holes drilled for mounting the blind brackets using short machine screws and nuts. Each plate is then secured to the window frame with three 3/4" long wood screws.

Beware of Anderson. I thought they were top in product and service--Not At All. They installed Windows in my parent's house and screwed the blinds into the frame. My parents are elderly, frail and with disabilities. They could not have done this themselves. Found out recently of this situation when removed blinds to paint. Now cannot get any return action from Anderson. Shame On You Renew By Anderson for Taking Advantage of Poor Elderly People.

That is horrible. After learning about the problem with installing blinds on our Andersen windows, we vow never to purchas them again.

UPDATE: I had one shade that I installed with my double sided tape method that came loose due to the high-heat/direct sun heating up the window frame; so much for the claim of ultimate insulation properties by Anderson 🤷🏼‍♂️ I re-applied the 3M tape, but this time also applied a nickle sized drop of GOOP glue between the tape strips; kind of a dash-dot-dash-dot-dash effect. A similar glue is called E6000. This glue is super strong once cured. The tape holds everything in place while the glue cures (24 hours). While this glue is strong, you can still pry the Azek away from the frame (if you have to) without damaging the window frame. I also mounted curtains on the bedroom window trim to block any light coming in from the sides. This resulted in a total black-out effect! 😎 So far, so good 👍

One really has to embrace outside mounts, its really not that big of a deal.

READING ALL THESE COMMENTS and I'm about to cancel our install for Anderson windows now. Our salesman told us that Anderson Woodbright 400 series are wood and therefore we can hang inside shades. Any thoughts or feedback on this? Anyone have the woodbright series and have hung inside shades? I'm not trusting what he said, TIA

Its all about how much sill depth you have, not about wood.

My 400 series windows came with a sticker

”there are balances at each end of head jam. do not nail into jamb within 7” of each end”

so we did inside mount with brackets at 8 inches from each side. three years ago nothing has hsppened window opens and closes fine better than Azek & glue

@stratton70 do uou have a picture?

Amazon sells mounts that can be carefully nailed intothe aude wiid trim for an insude mount

Amazon sells mounts that can be carefully nailed to the inside wood trim for an inside mount

@cdennin can you post a link please?

This thread is everything! I have Andersen 400 Series and want inside blinds.

Thanks for all these comments - I did not read the warranty info and oops mounted the inside mount so my bad I lost my warranty but no worries to all of you because the screens don't come off unless you unmount all of your blinds to take them off - I have tried everything but they must have done it on purpose. So I am stuck removing my blinds to take my screens off - Buy Pella

@smileythecat, I think you are correct, it may be about how much depth youy have. We have one Andersen 400 series Tilt-Wash in our house and the cellular shade we have is mounted inside.

This is how we hung ours. They oretty much look the same as before we got the new windows with the beautiful wood trim.