Restringing accordion blinds?

[LuckyDuck]

One of the strings on our accordion blinds broke, so I’m looking to replace it. I’m reading past threads about it and looking at the restring kits available online (United Shade). Unfortunately, it looks like the string only comes in tan, white and black. Our shades (and strings) are a darker brown. Has anyone with the same shade color replaced theirs, and where did you find the matching replacement string?

I’ve bookmarked YouTube videos on restringing them and plan to study up, but any helpful advice is welcome! I assume I’ll need to take the valance off first to get to the shade itself. TIA.

[Cincinnati Kid]

I bought this-https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N12CX73/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Works like a charm.

Also went to Walmart and got gigantic sewing needles, 10-12" long, I'd guess. They were in the craft dept. With them, it takes seconds to get the string through all the holes in the fabric. Just lay the blind on a table, squeeze it to the closed position, and push the needle through every hole at once. It works well.

I had one blind break, Then another, so got to looking at the others and did them all in a couple hours.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Cincinnati Kid

I bought this-https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N12CX73/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Works like a charm.

Also went to Walmart and got gigantic sewing needles, 10-12" long, I'd guess. They were in the craft dept. With them, it takes seconds to get the string through all the holes in the fabric. Just lay the blind on a table, squeeze it to the closed position, and push the needle through every hole at once. It works well.

I had one blind break, Then another, so got to looking at the others and did them all in a couple hours.

Excellent — thanks! Is this cord appreciably thicker than the OEM strings? It looks a bit larger in diameter. The strings on ours are attached to the tensioners at the bottom and the blinds just slide up and down on the taught strings.

[Cincinnati Kid]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Excellent — thanks! Is this cord appreciably thicker than the OEM strings? It looks a bit larger in diameter. The strings on ours are attached to the tensioners at the bottom and the blinds just slide up and down on the taught strings.

It's very close to the same, at first I thought it was thinner than the original, but then I realized that the old ones had 'grown' as they were fuzzy from wear.

It seems like the next size up might be better, but you wouldn't want it smaller than this.

Our blinds are the same as yours.

[Cincinnati Kid]

Also, a day after installing them, they had relaxed, and had to be retightened. but it only happened once, they've stayed tight for a month or so now.

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

One of the strings on our accordion blinds broke, so I’m looking to replace it. I’m reading past threads about it and looking at the restring kits available online (United Shade). Unfortunately, it looks like the string only comes in tan, white and black. Our shades (and strings) are a darker brown. Has anyone with the same shade color replaced theirs, and where did you find the matching replacement string?

I’ve bookmarked YouTube videos on restringing them and plan to study up, but any helpful advice is welcome! I assume I’ll need to take the valance off first to get to the shade itself. TIA.

If your valence is attached like ours, look up underneath for two or three short L brackets. I removed the screws that were into the valence, leaving the brackets on the wall. That makes it easier to reattach it by yourself. Once the shade/valence is off, you'll see two or three screws holding the shade to the valence, take them out too. After that, put the shade flat on a good size table to restring it. The first time's not too bad. The second time it's easier. I've done a few, the two string is the easiest. The last one I replaced was the 4-string on our back window. That one wasn't hard either, just different.

HINT: be very gentle taking the plastic end caps off the top and bottom rails to get to the upper and lower part of the string. They can break if you're not careful.

Give me a PM if you have any other questions for me.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

The wife said 'no' to replacing our blinds with new blinds when they started to get worn. She went to the Fred Meyers and got five small, round, brass curtain rods and sewed up cloth ones with a decorative pattern, installed those instead. No more rattle. I have to admit I liked this idea. The blinds were mounted onto little squares of wood. She left the wood in place and just installed these little hooks to hold the curtains and the rods.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Cincinnati Kid

It's very close to the same, at first I thought it was thinner than the original, but then I realized that the old ones had 'grown' as they were fuzzy from wear.

It seems like the next size up might be better, but you wouldn't want it smaller than this.

Our blinds are the same as yours.

Originally Posted by Cincinnati Kid

Also, a day after installing them, they had relaxed, and had to be retightened. but it only happened once, they've stayed tight for a month or so now.

Thanks for the tips! Great to know you have the same blinds. Makes me feel better!

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

If your valence is attached like ours, look up underneath for two or three short L brackets. I removed the screws that were into the valence, leaving the brackets on the wall. That makes it easier to reattach it by yourself. Once the shade/valence is off, you'll see two or three screws holding the shade to the valence, take them out too. After that, put the shade flat on a good size table to restring it. The first time's not too bad. The second time it's easier. I've done a few, the two string is the easiest. The last one I replaced was the 4-string on our back window. That one wasn't hard either, just different.

HINT: be very gentle taking the plastic end caps off the top and bottom rails to get to the upper and lower part of the string. They can break if you're not careful.

Give me a PM if you have any other questions for me.

Thanks a bunch! You answered all the questions I was going to ask! The valance on one of the small bedroom windows was loose recently and canted away from the wall. I was able to unscrew it from the angle brackets, tighten them back into the wall and reattach the valance. Good to know it’s the same process.

[LuckyDuck]

All done! And thanks fellow JOFers for the tips. For anyone in the future who calls up this thread, here are a few things I learned after successfully restringing the blinds on our two largest windows:

— Getting the valance off the wall L brackets was simple, but reattaching at the end was a b…h. A long Phillips screwdriver with a magnetic tip would help. And a partner to hold the valance while you try to get the screw up in there would be good.
— Trying to screw the valance back up over the jackknife sofa meant dropping screws down behind and under where the furnace is. I rolled up a big towel to fill that gap and catch the screws.
— I wrapped two thick rubber bands around the shade and valance to keep it all tightly compacted. I left them on until it was reattached and then just clipped them off.
— A couple of small HF ratchet clamps also helped keep the “accordion closed” while sliding the plastic top/bottom rails back on.
— The United Shade First Aid kit was great. More than you need but worth it for the excellent instructions alone. And our shades were actually made by United Shade. Although they say there’s enough string for up to five shades, I used most of it on two four-string shades.
— These shades are not exactly high-quality Hunter Douglas items. The plastic caps and rails are cheap and crude and don’t slide off that easily. Same for the valances and how the head rails attach. Take your time and be prepared to improvise.

Overall, it’s great to have working shades again. If I can do it anyone can!