How to Repair Vertical and Venetian Blinds

Vertical and Venetian blinds are the two most popular kinds of blinds that are used for home decorating. Vertical blinds have vertical slats that are long and hang from the main head rail, while Venetian blinds have slats that horizontally hang from a top bracket. Blinds can be made of many materials including, but not limited to plastic, wood, bamboo, metal, or fabric.

Typically, repairing your blinds will involve repairing or replacing one or more of the slats. Other problems can include a missing or damaged blind clip, and old or broken cords or string ladders. The procedures for repairing your blinds will depend on whether you have Venetian or vertical blinds.

For Vertical Blinds:

If one or more slats are broken or otherwise damaged, single replacement slats are sold at home improvement stores. Be sure to purchase the right style and length of slat. Simply remove the damaged slat out from the clip attaching it to the head rail and gently but firmly slide in the replacement slat.
Vertical blind clips can also be purchased to replace damaged ones. Remove the old clip from the head rail and fit the new clip on. When attaching the slat to the clip, check that the slat is facing the same direction as the other slats.

Some blinds have a spacer chain that threads through holes in all the slats. For this type of blind, you have to remove a sequence of slats from the chain in order to get to the damaged slat. Remove the screw or clip at the end of the chain before you thread the chain out from the slat at the endpoint to the slat you are replacing. Feed the chain back in after you have done the replacement.

To replace a damaged cord on vertical blinds, remove all the slats from the main head rail. Take the head rail down from the wall and replace the cords. The cord package you’ve purchased should contain instructions on how to go about the replacement.

For Venetian Blinds:

If you have a damaged slat on your Venetian blinds, you can purchase a replacement slat of the same brand and design at the home improvement store. To replace the slat, lower the blinds and turn them to their open position. On the bottommost rail, you will find caps that conceal the knots securing the lift cord and ladder string. Remove the caps and untie the knots carefully. Pull the lift cords up from the holes in the slats until you reach the damaged slat to be replaced. After replacing the slat, thread the lift cords back down through each slat. Re-knot the cords, make sure the bottom slat is level and replace the caps.

To replace the lift cord or string ladders on Venetian blinds, you will first need to take the blinds down from their top bracket. Untie the cords at the bottom and pull the cords all the way up to the bracket. If you are replacing the ladders, remove them from the tilt tube in the bracket and slide them off the sides. Attach the new ladders by reversing your steps. If you are replacing the lift cords, pull the old cord over the pulleys and out of the slats. Remember how the lift cord was threaded so you will be able to install the new one correctly.