How To Cut and Resize Roller Shades. It's EASY! Why buy custom shades? 

Happy to have been a help! 😃👍

You’re very welcome. Glad it was helpful!

Glad the video was helpful. I’ve trimmed down a lot of these and it’s just so easy!

I have done the exact thing. I bought 5 shades (luckily and on sale at 80% off). The one shade that I have to fit on the interior has to have an exact cut. I have been to have it cut 3 times. The first time they cut it the width too narrowly (I got it to fit on a window exteriorly). The second visit was to a Lowes many more miles away (they would possibly have cut it correctly but the machine was not working). The last time: The cut was NOT MADE AT ALL; apparently the guy put the rod on the wrong end for cutting. I am going to try one more time and then I will use this video to cut it myself!

Glad the video was helpful! I always enjoy DIYing and building/taking things apart. It’s cool to see how things work. If I break something, I’m no better or worse off (…unless it’s a safety issue like electrical work or plumbing, in which case you need to know your limitations). 💦⚡️😃👍

Great ideas! Thanks for sharing that info.

Very welcome! Glad the video was helpful.

Thanks for the feedback. I often wonder if anyone uses the time stamps.

Thank you and same to you. I’m glad the video was helpful! Cheers to a better 2021!

Glad it was helpful. I try to repurpose as much as possible. 😃

Very welcome! 👍

Thanks! 👍 When installed between the panes, less light gets in.

Ha! Glad it was helpful.

You're welcome! 😃👍

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks so much for the kind words. 😃👍

Very welcome! 😃👍

Very welcome! 👍

You're welcome! 😃

Glad the video was helpful! At my local Home Depot, they have a cutting machine setup to cut the roller shades marked "cut to fit." The problem I had when I did that was that no-one ever changed the blade on the machine. The blade was so dull that the shades, which I had already paid for, came out shredded along the edges. They looked awful.

Thanks for the kind words and for subbing. 😁👍

Welcome

Great idea! Thank you!

>Settings button on top right of the video >Captions

@@leighhills1 Thanks for pointing that out!

Thanks for sharing that. I prefer to use a straight edge since you only get one shot at it.

Thanks for sharing that info. Yes, miter saw can melt vinyl shades. My local Home Depot has a machine with a blade on it but they don’t maintain it. I purchased some inexpensive vinyl blackout shades there and they cut them to size for me. I went to put them up and the cut edge looked like it had been cut with a spoon. It was terrible. Thanks again!

Thanks for the kind words and for subbing!

It may be difficult to find the square pin with spring part, but if you have another shade and tube that can be repurposed, you can cut the cardboard tube and move the shade onto it with a few staples. If you don’t have another shade to repurpose, buy an inexpensive one and use the tube and hardware.

@@BruceAlanR Thank you very much. I will end up buying a new tube. This is very helpful

It’s definitely a fair amount of work. The quality of the old shades was so much better than the cheap replacements available at the local big box store so it seemed like a better option for me. Less materials for the local land fill too. 😃

Unfortunately the blackout roller shades were in the house when we bought it. Like most things in out house, they were most likely 20-30 years old. They just don’t make things like they used to.

That’s a great question. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you. I’d sure like to give it a shot though.

It will be hard to find just the spring mechanism. Two options are to repurpose the spring from another shade (hopefully the tube is the same diameter), or buy an inexpensive shade at Home Depot or Lowe's and use the tube and hardware. You may also want to look on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for a used shade and repurpose the tube and hardware.

@@BruceAlanR I would like to add some additional options for repurposing or seeking cheap or free shades. Shop your local second hand store for shades or post a note in your breakroom at work that you are looking to repurpose shades. A fellow coworker may have a shade or two you could repurpose or use for parts at no cost to you.

I had the same question because we have a Velux shade that is broken and they want over 300euros to replace it. Since I’m renting trying to find a more reasonable option.

Great idea!

The screens aren’t custom. They’re probably 20 years old and were installed when we got the house. I the windows are by Andersen so the screens likely came with them.

@@BruceAlanR Thank you Bruce for answering my question.

If you have the shade material the only way to do that is to attach two cardboard tubes together and support them in the middle with a dowel or get longer tubes and cut them down.

Good advice! Thanks for sharing that.

Unfortunately there’s no undo feature if a shade is cut too short. Sorry!

Ha! Glad it was helpful.

You shouldn’t be cutting the metal. Sounds like you’re cutting the wrong side. Remove the cap from the side that doesn’t have the spring and cut the cardboard tube. Then replace the cap.

Use a steak knife and start sawing back and forth. It'll take a while but friction will eventually wear the aluminium tube down.

True! And a good idea if both edges of the blind are slightly frayed. Thanks for sharing that.

Many things can go wrong with simply rolling up the shade and cutting it… and there’s no undo button. For example, if the shade isn’t rolled up perfectly or the blade doesn’t make a clean cut, the shade will not be symmetrical. I’ve also unsuccessfully tried rolling up a shade and hacking off one end with a miter saw using a fine finishing blade. A fast spinning blade will shred the shade material or even melt it (in the case of vinyl).

Interesting. Most of the time the tubes are hallow cardboard and only the ends are metal and/or plastic.

Ha! Sorry about that. I tried to keep it simple and use tools I figured most folks would have.

Great idea!

Ha! Does Mark Cuban even have a RU-vid channel? 😃

I don’t recommend that. A circ saw and even a recip saw will melt a vinyl shade. Last time I bought a vinyl blackout shade at Home Depot and used their cutting blade, the blade was so dull that when I got it home, I noticed the edges were completely ragged and wavy. Because it was a custom cut shade HD wouldn’t allow me to return it.

It’s amazing how funny commercial’s can throw me. 😂

Ha! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I try to provide methods that incorporate tools that most folks have around the house. Additionally, grinders and saws (Sawzall, miter, circular, table), of which I have many, will of course cut a shade quickly; however, they can also melt and burn some shade materials, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it.

I liked your video.And your comment was true...many if us dont have chopsaw so your options are terrific

I get that question often. I usually don’t show my face on the channel. I’ve found it doesn’t add much value. Also saves me time since I don’t have to comb my hair. 😁

I see where you’re coming from. Unfortunately, it’s not a one size fits all when it comes to resizing shades. If you use a demo blade on your chop saw, the edges of the shade may get frayed. Also some vinyl and cellulose shade materials will melt from the friction of the blade... I’ve done it.

Geeze, not everyone has a bloody drop saw. Get a grip man, he clearly aimed this demo at people who don't already have the skills, knowledge or expensive power tools to learn simple DIY tasks they could try at home. In my case I want to install a blind on a very small window at my mothers house and the smallest blinds I can buy (60cm) are still 50% too large - so I wanted to know how easy it would be to modify myself. This video demonstrated perfectly how blinds are constructed (without me having to buy one first and rip it apart to see) and then what methods and tools I can use. It's an immensely helpful video, you're clearly sad about something in life or just one of those people who can't understand other people don't always have the same skills experience and knowledge in life as yourself. We all have to start somewhere bro. Why don't you go use your power saw on a shoelace or something!

Thanks for that! Glad the video was helpful.