How to alter Vertical Blinds

How to Cut your Vertical Blind down to fit

1. Measure the inside of your window recess width at the top of the recess. Subtract 1cm from this measurement to allow the track to fit snugly in the window recess. This is the size you will need to trim your track to.

2. The track has “trucks” on it which you will be hanging the slats from later. Spread out the trucks evenly along the track and measure the track to see where you will be cutting it down. Work out how many of the “trucks” you will then need to remove from the track and note this down.

3. Use a straight-edge screwdriver to unclip the end of the track which doesn’t have the control cords attached. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the screw which holds the metal bar inside the track. Slide the end of the track off, pull out the metal bar and the internal fittings from the track and look closely at the end “trucks”. All but one truck will have a red washer. The one without a red washer then needs to be separated into two parts. Pull the part closest to the edge of the blind (with a metallic covering to keep the blind’s cord in place) separate from the part which has a mechanism for hanging a slat later and put these (with cord still attached) out of the way so they cannot be cut accidentally in part 4.

4. Previously we took down a note of how many “trucks” needed to be removed from the track. Pull the red washers off each of these trucks and space them along the track so you are able to cut them with ………. All the trucks are attached to a white plastic rail, a cord and a metal bar. Use the…….. to cut the white plastic rail so that all the “trucks” you wish to remove are on a separate piece of rail. MAKE SURE that you do not cut the cord or your blind will not open/close or twist properly. Making sure again that you don’t cut the cord, use the …… to cut the truck in half to be able to remove it easily from the metal bar.

5. When you have removed all the trucks you wished to remove from the metal bar, tighten the cord which runs through all the “trucks” and pull them taut so that they are all next to each other. You should now have at the right edge of the blind as you see it space to hacksaw through the metal bottom bar and have the aluminium track separate. Use your hacksaw to cut both the metal bar and the aluminium track using the measurement worked out in part 1. Slot the metal bar, the “trucks” and the cord all back into the aluminium track. Screw the metal bar back to the track and clip the end of the track back on. You have now trimmed down the width of your vertical blind.

6. Measure the Drop inside your window from top to bottom on both the right and left sides of your window. Take 2cm off this measurement and cut down your slats to this drop. MAKE SURE you cut from the top of the slat and not the bottom as the bottom has already been stitched to contain the weight which helps these blinds to hang well. Once you have cut the slats down to size take the “hangars” which you will hang from the trucks and the PVC rods which accompany them. Place the rod against the back of the slat 1cm from the top. Fold the slat over the rod and slide the hangar so that it goes over the slat and the rod so that the slat is pinched in place and will not move. Repeat this for all the slats you need remembering you will need 1 slat for each “truck” which remains on your track. You have now shortened the drop of your vertical blind to fit.

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