Repairing a vertical blind that keeps coming down
Do your vertical blinds keep falling off? Here's a cheap easy and, honestly,a very, very lazy way to fix the blind
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Step 1
Okay! One or more of your vertical blinds keeps falling down. The reason is there is a tear or break above the hole that connects the blind to the hook. This method works best for full length blinds that typically cover a large window or deck/patio door- Step 2 Pick up the blind and lay it across a surface where it will lay flat (the floor or long workbench will do just well)
- Step 3
- Step 4 I know what you are thinking...".. if I cut a piece from the bottom, won't this blind look short??" Nah. The missing piece is all the way down toward the floor. Only the cat will notice and I'm sure he won't say anything. Just keep it around around 1/4" or less and you'll be OK
- Step 5 So now you have the bottom piece of the blind say 3/16" by let's say about 3" (depending on how wide your blinds are). You are going to use this piece to mend the tear or break above the hole in your blind
- Step 6 Take the piece you just cut off and trim it to at least 1 inch (UNLESS the tear above the hole is more than 1/2 inch. If that is the case, add another inch)
- Step 7
Next we'll want to glue the cut piece above the hole in the vertical blind. The whole purpose of this is to mend the tear or 'bridge' the tear so that you'll be able to hang the blind back onto the clip. Put Krazy glue or super glue or equivalent on both sides of the tear. - Step 8
Press the piece you cut off the bottom of the blind into the glue. If it doesn't span across the whole tear and still contact 1/4" on each side of tear, you'll need a longer piece. If it obstructs the hole that the manufacturer put in the blind (that the clip goes through) you'll need to make the piece less thick. - Step 9 Most krazy glue or super glue says hold for 30 seconds. Hold it for a good minute across the tear to be sure you get a good bind
- 10
Blind I installed is second one in from the left
Connect blind back into the clip. Should work like a charm.
I must say that this post really caught my attention even from the start...because of its good content about shutters blinds shades in Walnut. It's really cool!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, cut off the bottom? You will definantely notice one short vane in a floor length blind. How about use a sliver of plastic cut from well, anything else - like a plastic margarine tub, a microwave dinner tray, the oatmeal box lid... Just be sure it is near or slightly thicker than the same thickness as the blind.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Anonymus.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could inspire you to other options. The problem with your idea of using 'any old' plastic is that I guarantee you it won't match in color which can be problematic if there is not some covering trim over the top of the blinds or if entering through the side of the sliding door opposite site of the trim (like from the outside deck cominginside)
Using any old plastic could also be difficult to adhere to the blind since it might not have the same contour as the blind. Often blinds have a little curve to them that flat plastic doesn't.
The oatmeal box (that you pull packets out of) lid you recommend would be made from cardboard like the rest of the box, which is entirely too flimsy, though you might want to try the cylinders with the round plastic lid. Again, the problem it is unlikely that have the contour or color to match the blind.
You suggest using thicker material than the blind to keep it from coming down. I'm not so sure that will work all the time. I highly suggest you consider thinner or same size. If you go thicker you won't be able to fit the blind back into the hanging clip.
Lastly, I assure you no one will ever notice a quarter inch off the bottom of those vertical shades unless they are inspecting the fibers in your carpet. Believe me, I went over and looked at the blinds I repaired at home and I can't even notice. We're talking less than 1% of the total blind length.
Thank you for the helpful information. My issue is that my blind does not have a tear in it. The clip does not appear to be broken or cracked - it just won't hold the blind any longer. The blind keeps falling down. Haven't been able to figure out a way to get the clip to hold the blind. Any ideas? Thank you.
ReplyDelete