Cut Your Blinds To Size

Cut Your Blinds To Size Cut Your Blinds To Size
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The DotcomBlinds Guide To Shortening Blinds 



So your readymade blinds are a bit to long? We know how to fix that, having blinds that are too long is a common occurrence when buying premade blinds or when you bring your blinds when you move house. Of course you wouldn’t have this issue if you got some DotcomBlinds made to measure blinds, but regardless, we’re here to help you out.


Now how to shorten blinds varies between different types of blinds, so we’ll cover some of the most popular types of blinds and how to cut then down for size, then if that sounds like too much effort, we can always custom make you a made to measure blind instead.


Shortening Roller Blinds


Luckily, roller blinds are one of the easier blinds to cut down to size, so if you’re wondering how to shorten a roller blind, you’re in luck, because it’s easy-peasy!


To Reduce Length/Drop Of Roller Blinds


(You’ll need a tape measure, ruler, pencil and a utility knife for this)


1)    Fix the bracket of the blind to the wall in the position you want your blinds on the window (Make sure the blinds aren’t attached).


2)    Lay your roller blind flat on a flat and clean surface, ideally not directly on a floor as there will be some cutting involved.


3)    Using a tape measure, measure from the top of the bracket down to just below your windowsill and note down the length required.


4)    Measure out this distance on your blind along both sides of the blind with your pencil, so that you have the measurement for the drop on the left and right edge of where you’ll cut.


5)    Use your ruler or another long flat object to draw a straight line across the blind to each marking you made for length.


6)    Hold the ruler on your blind with your non dominant hand just where the marking is on the side of the blind you want to keep.


7)    Using your utility knife, cut along the line you’ve drawn out, using the ruler to stop you from cutting the part of the blind you’ll be keeping.


8)    Attach the blind to your roller and attach to the brackets.


9)    Sit back and enjoy your masterfully cut roller blind.


To Reduce Width Of Roller Blinds


(You’ll need a tape measure, ruler, pencil, utility knife and a hacksaw for this)


1)    Fix the bracket of the blind to the wall in the position you want your blinds on the window (Make sure the blinds and roller tube aren’t attached).


2)    Measure the length from the outside edge of each bracket.


3)    Measure the thickness of the winding mechanism and then deduct that from your measurement between the brackets.


4)    Lay your roller blind flat on a flat and clean surface, ideally not directly on a floor as there will be some cutting involved.


5)    Mark out your measurements onto the roller blind at the top and bottom of the blind with your pencil.


6)    Use your ruler or another long flat object to draw a straight line across the blind to each marking you made for length.


7)    Hold the ruler on your blind with your non dominant hand just where the marking is on the side of the blind you want to keep.


8)    Using your utility knife, cut along the line you’ve drawn out, using the ruler to stop you from cutting the part of the blind you’ll be keeping.


9)    Using your pencil, mark out your measurements onto the roller tube.


10) Using your hacksaw cut the roller tube down the marked size.


11) Attach roller blind into the roller tube and then connect to the brackets.


12) Enjoy your perfectly cut blind and wonder why you’ve ever paid someone to do DIY for you.


Shortening Venetian Blinds


Venetians are another easy type of blinds to shorten, cutting them down to the correct length is quite a simple task, however cutting them down for width is quite hard and we don’t recommend that an average person attempts it because of how easy it is to ruin the blinds, because of this, if your venetians are too wide for a window, we recommend simply getting a new set of made to measure venetians (Note: The same technique will also work for wooden and faux wood venetian blinds).


To Reduce Length/Drop Of Venetian Blinds


(For this you’ll just need a pair of sharp scissors and a steady hand)


1)    Install your venetian blinds as directed by manufacturer


2)    Fully extend the venetian blinds with the slats open to take note of how many slats go past your windowsill (all these will be removed, leaving about 5mm between the last slat and the windowsill)


3)    Remove the plugs on the bottom rail of the blinds (These hold in the cords)


4)    Using your scissors, cut the cord just above the plugs.


5)    Slide off the bottom rail of the blinds


6)    Now, de-thread the cord from any slat you wish to remove, then gently slide it off one slat at a time


7)    Put the cord back through the bottom rail of the blinds.


8)    Tie a knot in each cord at exactly the same height to avoid any wonkiness.


9)    Using your scissors cut off any excess cord pas your knot.


10) Place the cord knots back into the plugs and reattach them to the bottom rail.


11) Marvel at your amazing DIY skills and enjoy your blinds.


Shortening Roman Blinds


Due to their nature, roman blinds are a bit more tricky to trim down and can only be trimmed lengthways due to how they work, attempting to trim width ways may interfere with the cords so we don’t recommend it.  But here’s how you shorten a roman blind.


To Reduce The Length/Drop Of Roman Blinds


(You’ll need a tape measure, ruler, pencil, utility knife and a hot glue gun for this)


1)    Fix the brackets to the wall where you want your blinds to be.


2)    From the top of the bracket measure down to the windowsill, take a note of this measurement.


3)    Lay your roman blind flat on a flat and clean surface, ideally not directly on a floor as there will be some cutting involved (Make sure the blind is fully extended).


4)    Measure out the length from your measurement on your blind along both sides of the blind with your pencil make sure you do this on what will be the bottom end of the blind.


5)    Using the ruler, connect the marking for both sides by drawing a straight line.


6)    Measure an additional 10cm below the line and mark it on the blinds again connecting with a straight line.


7)    Hold the ruler on your blind with your non dominant hand just where the bottom marking is on the side of the blind you want to keep.


8)    Using your utility knife, cut along the line you’ve drawn out, using the ruler to stop you from cutting the part of the blind you’ll be keeping.


9)    Fold the bottom bit of the fabric (between both lines) up twice so it reaches your desired length.


10) Use your hot glue gun to secure the fabric in the fold at the bottom


11) Reattach your roman blind to the bracket.


12) Take a photo of your blind and post on Instagram saying you’re a DIY expert.


Shortening Vertical Blinds


Cutting down vertical blinds to size is again quite simple, but due to the amount of slats in some sets of blinds, it can take a while to do and you’ll need to be very precise to get all the slats equal when shortening their drop, but still shortening vertical blinds is a simple enough task, so let’s crack on.


To Reduce The Length/Drop Of Vertical Blinds


(For this you’ll need Scissors, a tape measure and a pencil)


1)    Install Vertical blinds according to manufacturer instructions.


2)    Using your tape measure, measure both the blind slat’s length from top to bottom and the length which it protrudes over the windowsill, take note of these measurements.


3)    Unclip a slat from its plastic clip in the headrail.


4)    There should be a plastic hook at the top of the slat, remove it and put to the side for now (It should be folded in a fold in the slat).


5)    Using your measurement of how far the slats protrude, make a mark on the blinds.


6)    Fold the top of the slat over using the mark as reference and slide the hook back in.


7)    Reattach the slat to the plastic clip in the headrail to make sure you’re happy with the new length (repeat steps 3-6 if you need to make any changes.


8)    Repeat steps 3-7 for each individual slat in the blinds, making sure they are all at the same length.


9)    Once all slats are adjusted and fitted, cut off some of the excess fabric on the rear of the slats from the fold with your scissors.


10)  Enjoy your blinds, make a cup of tea and bask in their glory.


To Reduce The Width Of Vertical Blinds


(You’ll need a tape measure, ruler, pencil, sandpaper and a hacksaw for this)


1)    Fix the bracket of the blind to the wall in the position you want your blinds on the window


2)    Measure the length between the brackets and the length of the headrail. Then subtract the length between the brackets from the length of the headrail.


3)    Using your measurement, mark out where you’ll be cutting the headrail.


4)    Take note of how many slats are past the mark where you’ll be cutting (Use the plastic holder on the slats as reference not the slat itself) and remove the slats from the plastic holders.


5)    Unclip the plastic end tab of the headrail (Make sure it’s the side without cords or operating mechanisms) and pull the blinds to the opposite end of the headrail so that they aren’t in your way.


6)    Once you’re happy your measurement is correct, using your hacksaw cut the headrail and the metal bar within the headrail.


7)    Using your sandpaper, sand the edge of the headrail where you cut to make sure it’s not jagged.


8)    Slide out the now redundant plastic holders from the slat you removed.


9)    Reattach the end tab to the headrail and fully close the blind to check you still have enough slats (Simply remove the end tab and reinsert the plastic holder for slats if you don’t have full coverage)


10) Enjoy your blinds, call your partner in to show off your handy work and declare yourself the master of blinds.


 


And there you have it, a comprehensive step by step guide on how to shorten blinds and cut them to size, if you have mastered the arts of cutting blinds to size, you’re a better person than I am. And if you’ve read the guide and think it’s out of your skill level, why not check out the blinds we have on offer and just get some custom made to measure blinds instead (it’s much easier).


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