Cutting down vertical blinds.....

[charry]

After forcing me to repaint our living room, the wife decided on new blinds so I now have 3 perfectly good verticals that will go to waste, unless I can cut one of them down (1 of them already fits in another room, but unless I can get a matching one for the 2nd window in the room, I still cant use it).

Basically going from a 125" wide setup to a 60" wide setup. Is there any way to cut down the headrail on the existing vertical? I know I can use a hacksaw to cut the track, but there is 1 guide and 2 or 3 strings inside the track itself, Im not sure how/what these connect to yet (havent had a chance to really look at it). I think its even more complicated by the fact that we have a "split open" instead of "one way open" blind..........but just for ideas sake Ill assume that doesnt make a difference.

Any suggestions would be appreciated......Id hate to see the blinds go to waste.

Thanks!

-Chris

[Colbyt]

Chris

I install the things for a living. Been doing it for 20 years. I would not try to cut one down. It can be done if you have the right tools and experience. Look for a Kirsch or Graber stocking dealer/distributor in your area. Most can do the job for you. Last time I had it done for a customer I think the charge was $20.

Colbyt

[charry]

Wow, I didnt realize it might be so inexpensive. I just spent 45 minutes doing it myself, granted if I figured it would be that cheap I would have dropped it off at a blind place!

I do believe you though, it wasnt the easiest thing Ive ever done.

-Chris

Colbyt wrote:

[charry]

As an aside, do you know of anywhere I can purchase the fabric used on the verticals that have the PVC slats that fabric slides into? Basically want to change the color of an existing blind without buying a whole new blind. Pattern isnt as important as just getting the right color.

They seem to be about 3" wide, and the fabric isnt very thick but it feels very stiff (like its starched? or maybe even has some plastic content in it).

Thanks!

-Chris

[e-mail] wrote:

[Colbyt]

Kudos to you on the cut down. Did you remove all the extra carriers or are you just going to have a lot of overlap?

Like all other industries no one wants to sell parts and when you can find them the slats cost as much as a new blind.

But here are a couple of tips for you:

Any fabric can be used if you can keep it in place. Carefully applying a heavy contact paper to the back of any fabric and then cutting the strips should make it stiff enough. They use a similar product when the customer provides a custom material.

3M makes or made a foil backed self adhesive tape that is almost perfect for this. The foil tape such as is used to seal the foil/fiber ductwork may also work. Measure one of your existing slats before you go shopping for the backer

A spray on adhesive can also be used but the prior method is the best.

Either way once you have the fabric in place you can cut the hole in the top with an exacto knife.

Do post back and let us know which method you used and how it worked out for you.

Colbyt

[charry]

Thanks for the advice, Ill look into all of those options (currently waiting on samples of the new blinds the wife wants, so I dont know what color I need to match just yet).

Re cutting down the other vertical: since Im too particular about everything :) I measured the existing track, counted the slats, divided the track length by slats and got a "slat per length" number. Then measured how long I needed the track and divided by the slat/length number to get the exact number of slats. Yes, I have too much time on my hands! Because it was a center open, I was going to remove equal amounts of carriers from each side, but then I realized I could get rid of the stop in the middle of the track, load all the carriers to one side and have a right open/left stack blind (which is exactly what I need for the window its going onto). Worked like a charm, I just had to remove some of the metal bands from the carriers and reverse them (half were left to right and the other half were the opposite). Still need to make one more adjustment (the track is a tad long right now, but the slat number is fine.....just need to trim an inch or two off the track and we're set).

I hear ya about the parts....especially considering the place I ordered them from recently went out of business. In the end I had about 17 carriers and the center stop left over. Ill also have a complete casement-size blind that wont fit anywhere else......instead of tossing it all, Im going to keep it so Ill have plenty of spare parts for any of our verticals.

Thanks again!

-Chris

Colbyt wrote:

[nj_dilettante]

You can order custom replacement fabric inserts for the slats anywhere you can buy custom vertical blinds. Cost can vary from about $1 per slat to up to $10-12 depending on the fabric you select. Lowe's has a nice low-cost line. Just take a vane in with you so they can measure it. And FYI - you can supply your own fabric and have slat replacements custom made (expensive!).