Venetian and vertical blinds are popular window treatment options because they offer any increment of light control with the turn of a wand. Blinds come in a variety of colors and finishes and can be made of wood, fabric, metal or plastic. Venetian blinds have horizontal slats that are strung from a top bracket and vertical blinds are made of long perpendicular slats that are installed on clips suspended from a horizontal rail mounted above the window.
Damage to blinds can occur when an object falls against the blinds, bending or breaking slats that need to be replaced. Other typical damage to blinds include broken or worn blind clips and fraying or broken cords and string ladders, which is the mechanism that is used to raise and lower Venetian blinds or move vertical blinds along the head rail.
Wood Wall Brackets
Repairing Vertical Blinds
When installing vertical blinds, you will often have a slat or two left over; store them flat in a dry place so that you can use them to replace broken or damaged blind slats in the future. You can also order replacement slats at a home improvement store or through the website of the manufacturer of your blinds. Take care to order the correct length and style and remove the damaged slat by removing it from its clip on the head rail; then gently clip the new slat into place.
If the blind clip becomes damaged you can order replacements from the same sources. Remove the damaged clip and insert the new clip making sure that the new clip is facing the proper direction. If your blinds have a spacer chain that runs through holes in the top of each slat, you will have to remove as many slats as necessary to reach and remove the damaged slat. Remove the clip at the end of the chain, remove the necessary number of slats as well as the damaged slat; then replace the damaged slat and thread the chain back through the slats that have been removed.
If the cord on your vertical blinds has been damaged, you can purchase a cord replacement kit. You will need to remove all the slats from the head rail in order to remove the head rail from the wall so that the cords can be replaced. Follow directions that came with the cord replacement kit.
Repairing Venetian Blinds
Replacement slats for Venetian blinds can be purchased at a home improvements store or the manufacturer's website. When you're ready to replace the slat, lower the blinds completely and turn them so they are in an open position. Look for the caps that hide the cords and ladder strings at the bottom rail of the blinds. Remove the caps and carefully untie the knots, then pull the lift cords up through the holes in the slat, removing one slat at a time until you reach the damaged slat. Thread the replacement slat into place and re-thread the lift cords back through the removed slats as you replace them. Tie of the knots in the bottom of the cords taking care to keep the bottom slat level and then replace the caps.
If the lift cords or string ladders on Venetian blinds need to be replaced, remove the entire stack of blinds from the top bracket. Untie the cords at the bottom slat and pull them out of the slats so that every slat is removed from the cording. To replace the ladders, remove them from the top of the bracket by sliding them off the tilt tube; then slide the new ladders onto the bracket. If you need to replace the lift cords, remove the old cord by pulling it over the pulley. Pay attention to how the lift cord was threaded so that you can follow the same pattern with the new cord, then replace the slats and your blinds will be like new again.