How to Replace Damaged Blinds Slats: Part 2
In Part 1, we covered the process to remove damaged blinds slats. Now we need to cover the steps to replace damaged blinds slats. This process, more or less, is everything from part 1, but in reverse.
Acquire New Slats
In order to replace damaged blinds slats, you’ll need to get replacement slats from whatever company you bought them from. If you bought your blinds from Domir Blinds, give us a call and we can work out what replacement slats to send you.
If you have some generic aluminum blinds, your blinds may actually be long enough that there are many extra slats near the bottom. Do your blinds have a remaining stack of slats that rest on the window sill when the blinds are fully extended? If so, you can just take some from the very bottom of the stack. These won’t be missed if they’re not in the usable range of the blinds.
Place the New Blinds Slats
First, replace the blinds slats with the new ones. Just slide them in the same way you pulled the others out. Be sure they’re the right direction and match the rest of your slats.
Trim the New Blinds Slats
If you got replacements sent to you, they may be longer than the rest of your blinds slats. Often, when blinds are installed in a new home, the ends of the blinds are cut shorter so that they fit properly into the window frame. If your new slats are too long, you may need to trim them. There are two ways to do this.
If you only have a few slats to replace, it’s easiest to just do this by hand with an old pair of scissors. You can either place the slats in the cord network and then trim them by sight, or you can put them into an occupied part of the cord network and mark them with the help of an existing slat. Use pencil if you do this, so that leftover markings can be easily erased.
If you have more than a few slats to replace, we recommend you mark one of your new slats as described above, then use a saw. By stacking your new slats with the marked slat on top and clamping them together, you make it easy to cut the whole stack with a table saw. This is how blinds are trimmed professionally. When you’ve finished trimming them, put them each into their new home in the cord network.
Rethread the Lift Cord
When your new slats are in place, you’ll need to rethread all of the lift cords. Put them through the hole in each slat and then the rail at the bottom. If you have a hard time controlling the end of the cord, try wrapping a piece of paper around the end. This will act as a makeshift needle to thread it with.
Retie the Lift Cord
When you’ve threaded each cord all the way through the bottom rail, you can retie them. Create a knot at the end of each lift cord. Be sure to check that everything is hanging evenly. If you tie one knot further up than the others, your blinds may hang slightly crooked. Adjust them as needed until the blinds hang straight.
Replug the Cord Knot
And, finally, put your knot plugs back in to keep the knots from fraying or coming loose.
