Wood & Faux Wood Blind Troubleshooter Commonly referred to as 2" blinds and horizontal blinds, wood and faux wood blinds consist of 1", 1 1/2", 2" or 2 1/2" horizontal wood slats that stack at the top of the window. Lifting & Lowering Problems Back to the topHow to Fix Blinds That Won't Close All the Way Blinds add a touch of practical elegance to window treatments, but they do not always work the way you want. The wide range of options for window blinds makes them an attractive candidate when considering how to dress your windows. The downfalls come in the frequent use. Movement can cause problems within the components. If you find yourself with blinds that will not close, it is time to do some troubleshooting. Examine the blinds for obvious problems. Blinds that will not close may have tangled cords or need a new tilt mechanism. Check the cords to ensure they are clean and untangled. Remove any knots or debris. Attempt to close the blinds manually. Depending on the type, you may be able to pull gently and force it closed.

The key word is gently. If you pull too hard, you may break the mechanism or cords. Adjust any slats facing the wrong direction. Especially with vertical blinds, slats turned incorrectly can keep them from closing. Use your hands to move the blinds until they are inline. Pull blinds all the way up, or to one side if they are vertical, and try to close them again. If the lift component is stuck, getting them to move in the opposite direction may be enough to release it. If the blinds move upward, pull them high enough so that they are flush with head rail, then try to lower them. Lift the cord so it is parallel to the head rail. First, pull in one direction, for instance to the right, then try the other direction. This may release the cord lock. Pull horizontal blinds out of the window. Remove the end caps and pull the piece forward until it clears the brackets. Vertical blinds should be left intact. Locate the locking mechanism inside the head rail. Trace the cord up to locate the lock.

At the end of the cord, you may see an adjustment component. Push against this with a flathead screwdriver. This might disengage the lock and force the blinds to close. Remove the tilt wand or cord. Slide it all the way to the right to pull it out. If your head rail has end caps, remove them first. Once the tilt mechanism is out, try to reinstall it by sliding it back onto the casing. If there is visible damage, locate a replacement kit at a building supply or blind store. Brushed Nickel Bathroom Faucets Single HoleFollow the instructions to install a replacement.Stainless Steel Sink Gardenweb Levelor Support: Why won't my vanes open and close properly?Cheap Prom Dresses In Detroit Mi Blinds Chalet: Blind Repairs

Wood Blinds Guidebook: DIY Repair For Your Wood Window Blinds How To Fix Blinds. Part of the series: Home Maintenance & Repair Tips. When fixing blinds, ... How to Fix a Window... Ohnlysister said: My vertical blinds won't close. The cord still pulls the very front piece to the other side, but the blinds... How to Fix Vertical Blind Rods. In vertical blinds, ... moved back and forth across the track to open or close the... How to Fix Blinds That Won't Close All the Way; Venetian Blinds Tilt Instructions; Open and close the vertical blinds with the chain. The adjustment problem should be resolved. If vertical blinds won't open, check the alignment of the slats. If the slats are not all facing the same direction, ...... As a sanctuary from work and as a place to relax, the privacy of your home is important. Window blinds are one... How to Repair Horizontal Window Blinds. You probably open and close your window blinds every morning and evening, ...

How to Fix Blinds That Won't Go Down. How to Fix Blinds That Won't Close All the Way. How to Lower Window... From a few feet away you won't even notice the difference, and it holds up well. You May Also Like. How to Fix Blinds That Won't Tilt Up or Down When Open. Venetian blinds are a logical choice in homes, ...... Venetian blinds are comprised of horizontal slats of varying materials that connect with strips of cloth or strings. These horizontal slats form... Vertical blinds rely on a fairly simple adjustment mechanism. However, there are still several things that can go wrong in a vertical... What to Do When Venetian Blinds Do Not Open or Close Easily; How to Fix Blinds That Won't Close All the... Horizontal blinds simply don't close as tightly as vertical blinds. How to Fix a Window Blind That Won't Open & Close;... Pull the shade all the way down by gripping the middle portion ... Levolor cellular blinds and shades are popular window ...... What to Do When Venetian Blinds Do Not Open or Close Easily

How to Fix Blinds That Won't Tilt Up or Down When Open How to Repair the Tilt in Venetian Blinds How to Repair Vertical Blinds How To Fix Blinds How to Fix Window BlindsVENETIAN blinds contain two separate operating mechanisms, each of which is actuated by a separate control cord - the lift cord and the tilt cord. Each of these does exactly what its name implies: The lift cord raises the slats from the bottom up when you pull down on the looped end that hangs down on one side of the blind; and the tilt cord serves to tilt the slats open or closed. Pulling down on one end of the tilt cord causes a pulley inside the headbox to rotate, and this in turn activates a worm gear that tilts the ''ladders'' at each end of the blind (rope or tape) that support the individual slats. Tilting the ladders causes the slats to tilt with them, thus serving to open or close the blind (depending on which end of the cord you pull). As can be seen in the accompanying drawing, the lift cord runs in one continuous length, starting from the knot where it is fastened under the bottom slat of the blind, near one end.

The cord passes up through each of the slats (there are two slots or holes in each slat, one near each end, through which the cord passes), then across the headbox to the pulley- and-lock mechanism that serves to guide the cord and lock it in place when the blind is raised. Then the cord continues on down along the outside of the blind till it goes through the equalizer clip to form the loop that hangs down on one side. From there it goes back up into and over the headbox pulleys, and continues on down through the slats near the opposite end of the blind where the other end is fastened in place. Pulling down on the lift cord loop, when it is properly adjusted, should cause the blind to raise evenly and smoothly. If one side of the blind tends to go up faster than the other, or pulls up higher than the other, the cord needs adjusting. This is done by using the metal or plastic equalizer lock to regulate the length of each part of the cord: You adjust by pulling one side of the cord through the equalizer to shorten or lengthen it in relation to the other.

The side that is going up too fast needs to have the cord lengthened, or the side that goes up too slow has to have the cord shortened. In time, this lift cord may become so badly frayed that it tends to jam inside the pulleys or lock mechanism - or the cord may break entirely. In either case, replacing the old cord with a new length will solve the problem. This can usually be done without too much difficulty while the blind is still in place on the window. Lower it all the way down and tilt the slats to their fully open position. Under the bottom slat there will be metal or plastic clamps that cover the knotted ends of the lift cord. Pry these off and untie the exposed knots so the cord can be pulled free. Before doing this, however, tape the end of the new cord to the end of the old one so that as you pull the old cord up and out through the slats, the new one will be pulled up with it. Continue pulling the old cord out and feeding the new cord in with it as you go across the top (inside the headbox) and then out through the lock mechanism.

Form a new loop that hangs down alongside the blind as the old one did, then run the new cord back up over the pulleys and finally down through the slats again near the other end of the blind. Bring the end out at the bottom and tie the second knot where the original second knot was. If the original cord was broken and cannot be used to pull the new cord through, you will have to feed the new cord up through the slats by hand, following the path of the original cord, as shown in the drawing. Just be sure that as the lift cord goes through the holes or slots in each slat it also follows the original pattern of passing on alternate sides of every other tape ''rung'' of the horizontal ladder strips that support the slats. In other words, if the lift cord passes the rung under the second slat on its right side, it should pass the rung under the third slat on its left side, the one under the fourth slat on its right side, etc. (The newer, narrow blinds have ladders and supporting rungs made of string, rather than tape, but the lift cords for these blinds should still pass the rungs on alternate sides as they go up through the slats.)

Replacing a tilt cord that is frayed or broken is even easier. As the drawing shows, this cord goes over a single pulley at the top and comes down to end in a weighted tassel at each end. To replace the cord you simply lift the middle out of the pulley at the top, then cut off the tassel ends. Cut a new length to approximately the same length and thread it in place over the original pulley. Replace the original tassels, knotting the cord ends on the inside to hold them in place.We recently patched the mortar joints in our flagstone walk by adding fresh cement to various places where the original cement had cracked out. The trouble is that now all these patched areas are much lighter than the old cement, so the patches stand out like a sore thumb. Is there any way we can ''age'' these patches so they blend in better with the original material? - Mrs. A.C.N., Summit, N.J. The cement you used for patching could have been tinted while you were mixing it, but I'm afraid there is very little you can do now.

Dye colors that can be used on the cement would be tricky to use now. The lighter patches will get darker and less noticeable in time, but they may always look a little different. Our roof leaked earlier this year and some sticky material slid down the front of the cork panels we had installed in our guest room walls. Is there anything we can do to remove this and renew the appearance of the cork, as well as reduce the smell that the leak has apparently caused? - Mrs E.R., Walker Valley, N.Y. If the leak caused the material to run (glue or whatever it is), then the material causing the stain is apparently water-soluble and washing with water should take it off. As far as the smell is concerned, it's possible that there is mildew present. This can be washed off the surface with a bleach solution (one part bleach to four or five parts of water). However, if the mildew is inside the wall or behind the cork, washing the surface won't help; you may have to rip the wall open to treat the inside to get rid of it permanently.