can you cut the headrail on vertical blinds to fit other windows?

Question

i am moving house and the windows have same drop but the width is smaller, i wondered if there was a way we could alter them ourselves without ruining them???

the blinds are not required and our new house windows are very similar so just trying to save a few pounds by seeing if we can cut them rather than binning them

Answer 1

You can still use them- just don't mount them on the inside of the window- mount them on the outside slighly above the opening of the window

Answer 2

Thing to remember, the blind fabric should be 2mm shorter than the pole it's on. This is so it doesnt get caught up at the sides when it's going up and down. Many people don't take this step and their blind's end up all twisted and bent and eventually break. I use a jigsaw with a very fine toothed blade to cut everything, roll up the blind tight and cut straight through, perfect straight cut in seconds. Then cut the pole to 2mm longer on each side, re attach the blind. If the blind is not removeable from the pole, do as the person above said and cut the blind with scissors. Make sure they are sharp, might need to use good quality ones like dress making scissors, do a test cut on an area that will be cut off to make sure it won't fray. Then cut the pole at the top with a hacksaw 2mm wider than the blind on each side. Cut the bottom pole to the same width as the blind.

Answer 3

Yes, you CAN cut them, but you must do it CAREFULLY or you could end up with a big mess. Here's what I have done in the past to alter mine...if they are plastic, it's easy. You just open & lock your blinds with the adjustment string, then wrap tape around each end where you want to cut them (make sure the tape is on the INSIDE of where you will be cutting, to hold the shade together as you make your cut). You can also put tape on the end that will be removed, if you want easy clean up that ends up in neat little "bundle". The only way that you can ruin a shade is if you cut off the adjustment hardware or strings. It's usually a safe bet to make your cuts on BOTH ends & take off even amounts from each side of the blinds, avoiding any parts of the blinds that are needed to make them work as if you had never altered them. You can use a handsaw or an electric saw to make your cuts on each end. Some blinds are thicker than others & some plastics will look shredded on the ends after the cut, so this is where you must make adjustments. Sometimes it's just easier to use a saw on the top rail & use a regular scissors to cut each blind separetely, one at a time. Practice on one & see how it goes. If you have questions, I have a working email address that can be accessed through this site. If you have metal blinds, then it gets tricky & you needs a vice to hold the blinds in place as you cut them & a corner clipper/end crimper to make a smooth end on each one, so that you don't end up slicing your fingertips every time you get near your blinds! I don't know if that little tool is still readily available on the open market like it used to be when EVERYONE had metal blinds!

Answer 4

You can ... BUT

The headrail and each of the blind slats can be cut to match the new dimensions, however, the strings will no longer be symetrical as they pass through each slat.

It would look pretty weird.

Most folks leave the blinds when moving.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Yes if you don't have to cut off a whole lot you can take it to lowes or depot and they can cut them down to size. Just check and see where the hardware is on the top and make sure you have room.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Probably too late now, but it is good to know that:
They can be cut, but all must be the same.
Keep in mind the weight pockets.
Good luck!

Answer 9

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Answer 10

yes you can cut a small amount off each end ive done this a few times