Great video. A couple of tips for those with long and wide shades. Bind them so that they don't unfurl. It makes getting the "stringer needle" through a lot easier. Or use books or blocks to hold the shad in place on the table. Also - if the stringer needle doesn't work from the top down - just do the bottom up.
Thanks so much for this video. I ordered the string & needle from you, then followed this video step by step, repeating steps many times as my blinds are over 15 years old and somewhat different. I never thought I could do this alone, but I did. I had a bit of problem getting needle through 2nd hole, but found it kept hitting brass ring at top in hole…was able to move ring slightly in hole with screwdriver & needle went through! Thanks so much, where I am I use to pay over $100 for string repair, then company stopped repairing & Hunter Douglas wanted me to ship blinds to them for repairs & pay for all that…no thanks. I still can’t believe I did this repair on my own…thank you 👍🏻
Thank you for this tutorial, I was able to finish this in about 15 minutes, and only because I didn't know if i needed two pieces of cord that are 2xL+W or one...i ended up using two with some cord left over, which was fine...and also because i put the blinds on backward (put the cord on the wrong side). Otherwise, this would take 10 min. Thank you so much again for this tutorial this was very helpful and a money saver! 3 Day Blinds wanted to charge me $150 for this job. Got the string and needle off amazon for like $16 bucks. : )
Thanks so much for posting this. I just completed the restringing after watching the video a couple of times. Although I might have reverse-engineered it without the video, I know I would have screwed up the threading of the locking mechanism.
excellent video and we're going to buy the parts we need from you guys. I had a question regarding the needle and when reading the comments below, you gave a customer information on how to "make" a homemade needle or pointed them to where they could buy one locally. You guys were more concerned with helping people than in trying to sell them something, so combine that with the fact you are showing me how to repair FOR FREE, I'm happy to pay whatever cost you charge for a needle and string. I'm VERY confident your price will be in line with normal retail cost for the items and I don't have to run all over town to try to save three dollars. Thanks for the video. After viewing it, I'm confident I'll be able to fix my blind ( you see what I did there?). By the way our local Hunter Douglas rep said it would cost $300 to have them re-string the blind. Yikes!
Hi Joe, Thanks for your comment! We love helping people and are glad we could be there for you. Let us know if you run into any questions during your repair.
I viewed this a couple of times, then followed it very carefully step-by step as I did my repair. It was perfect, and the equipment/string I ordered from you was great. Thank you for making this easy.
This was really helpful, and I was able to repair my 30 year old shade. It would be helpful to have a slo-mo close up of how to thread the cord lock (or a schematic); it took me a couple of tries to get it threaded so that it would lock. Thank you for posting this!
Great video! Thank you very much! It helped tremendously fixing our blinds. One thing to note, if you are having troubles pushing through the new string in the hole, check to make sure there isn’t old string. We had old string blocking in two holes and it was a frustrating mystery. Lifted the sides of the honeycomb and used a wire to extract.
An excellent vid- thank you for making this! Our local store charged me $78 to repair this which is nuts. We've had these shades for 10 years and the strings break in 100% of each one- repeatedly- over time (yes we are gentle with them).
I have my three-string shade down and feel certain I can tackle this task with a minimal amount of frustration because of this video, thank you! Something handy to know is before you unscrew the shade pay attention to how the tiny brackets hold the shade into place. Make sure you don't get any material caught under the bracket when you reinstall. I was told by a drapery/blind saleswoman that these blinds last only 10 years ... hahaha! mine are about 20 years old and look great! I leave them open all day and only close them at night so that may save them from UV damage. Knowing how to restring them is adding more life to mine : )
Excellent video tutorial!! Very easy to follow and understand. The entire video was right to the point and did not waste any time with unnecessary info. Thank you very much for helping me save money! Very much appreciated...
Just wanted to leave a positive review. I had been in the habit of taking my blinds to Next Day for free restringing, but now there's no good way to get repairs at a reasonable price except DIY. FixMyBlinds videos make it easy even for the spatially-challenged like myself, and respond quickly and accurately to parts orders through their website. All in all, a well-run small business!
Thanks for the detailed instructions, which helped greatly. I just fixed shades that have two strings a piece and found that the original string is one continuous piece that loops through the condenser where it is tied into a knot. This saves both labor and string, since it is very quick to balance the length of the loop towards both ends so that the shade is horizontal, and then tying the knot in the condenser in that spot. String length (only a single piece needed for a two string shade) for this method is 2xL + W + 10". The 10" are for the loop through the condenser. The formula in the video does work but uses a lot more string which just gets cut off and goes to waste.
Yes, our string formula is a generous estimate that covers for some mistakes and miscalculations. I'm glad you were able to find a way that was easier for you and got your shade fixed!
Wow - when one of my strings came loose and went inside, I used a pair of surgical forceps going in from the side to tediously thread it through every honeycomb, one at a time. Took forever.
Hi Lisa, The string is 0.9mm in thickness and can be purchased on our website here: fixmyblinds.com/collections/0-9mm-lift-cord-string. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.
Excellent video for do-it-yourself restring a cellular shade, thank you for posting it. However, I tried the 2H + W for the length of the repair string (2X58" + 30" = 146"), but came out short 14", so I had to undo what was done and redo it with a new 160" string (14" longer), which was the correct length. I wonder why did this happen?
Hi Mohsen, The formula for the string length is two times the height of the blind plus the width. Sounds like that's what you did. I'm not sure why it was too short by over a foot. I'm glad that you got the restring done.
I had a similar shortage when I thought there was a single string making a loop, since the formula is close to what was needed for both combined. When I realized they were asking for separate strings I cut the second to a more conservative length.
Do both pieces of string need to be 2x width plus 1x height? Seems the string closest to the cord lift side would only need to be 2x height plus a wee bit …
Hi Greg, Yes, we use the same formula for string length regardless of the string's location to keep things simple. If you want to cut the string closest to the cord lock shorter, feel free to do that. The formula we use is a generous estimate that covers many mis-measures and mistakes. You can always trim string off if it is too long, but can never add to it if it is too short.
The string size is 0.9mm string. You can purchase it here: www.fixmyblinds.com/part-categories/cord-string-and-loops/lift-cord-string/0-9mm-string.html
My cords keep getting stuck in the guide when I pull on it so that my blind won’t raise or lower. Why would this happen? We’ve had it for 10 years. It has 5 strings. Is there a way to prevent this?
Hi Megan, thanks for reaching out! Over time, the cords can wear a groove in the plastic inside the locking mechanism. This can cause the cords to get stuck and even break. I'd take your blind down and do a little investigation. It may be as easy as replacing the cord lock or you may also need to replace the cords if they are frayed. We have videos showing how to do those repairs. If you need any additional help, email us at service@fixmyblinds.com. We'll be happy to help you find the right replacement lock!
I am having trouble looping the string back thru the ferrule: it says .9 mm but the string seems too thick. Would a little dab of krazy glue keep the string from fraying and provide a little stiffnes
Hi Bill, Instead of using glue, melt the end with a cigarette lighter so that it the end of the string is a bit stiffer and doesn't fray. Once the string is melted a little, roll it between your fingers so that it is crushed and will fit through the ferrule.
I am in the middle of replacing the cord on my Hunter Douglas 52” cellular shade but when I get to the step where you say to turn the shade over to access the “ferals”, on the bottom of my shade there is another solid piece of metal with no access to the ends of the two old cords. In all respects my shade looks identical to each part on your shade except the bottom is covering access to the cord ends. I took each end cap off the bottom but it doesn’t want to slide off. This shade was restrung several years ago by Home Depot (they shipped it somewhere) so I know there has to be a way. Any tips on what to do? Thank you.
Hi there! There shouldn't be any adhesive holding the rail onto the fabric. The end of the fabric may be stuck; I'd try sliding it off toward the other side to see if it will move. If you continue to have trouble with it, please send us a few pictures of your bottom rail and we can let you know how to best remove it. Our email is service@fixmyblinds.com.
Karen, Thanks for your comment and questions. Each piece of string is 2x the length of the shade plus the width. You cut one piece for each route hole that is in the fabric. You can take the bottom rail of the shade off and see how many holes there are for strings. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I have a pull-down/pull up-blind that doesn’t use a cord. It broke and there’s no way to lift it up and set it in place anymore. Is there a direction I can be pointed to, for that problem?
Hi there, That type of blind is called a cordless blind. We do not have any repair instructions for those and recommend that you find a repair shop in your local area who can fix it for you. If you let me know where you're located, I can provide a referral. You can email us at service@fixmyblinds.com with that information if you'd like.
Hi there, If one of the internal strings is tangled, you will have to take the shade apart to correct it. You may also need to replace the string to fully fix the problem.
Hmm, great video but I have a problem. I have Hunter Douglas honeycomb shades throughout the house and every one of them has a solid bottom rail. No ferrules, no little string bit showing underneath. Can’t find any instructions for repairing. Everything else looks just the same, but this has brought me to full stop.
Are you able to remove the bottom rail? Remove both of the end caps from the bottom rail and slide the rail away from the fabric. It should reveal that the strings are tied off under the fabric. If you have any questions, please email us at service@fixmyblinds.com.
@@fixmyblinds thank you. Someone else’s comment solved the problem. Easy to replace, looks great. By the way, it did help me to take pix with my phone as I took the shade apart so I knew exactly what it should look like as I put it back together.
I'm sure this is a great video, but I am stumped already.I removed the headers and turned it over, but mine doesn't look like that. It's a plain piece, no holes. Just had warning labels on it.
Hi Mac & Marg, Do you mean the bottom rail doesn't have any holes in it? That's OK; just slide it off after you remove the end caps. The string is tied off inside the rail.
Hi there, We sell needles on our website (www.fixmyblinds.com). Or, you can go to a local craft/sewing store and look for a tapestry needle. That's what we carry because tapestry needles have large eyes and blunt tips. Alternatively, you could get a length of floral wire about 18 inches long and fold it in half, using that has a needle.
Does this also work for the Easy Ride Duette models(Those are the parts they sent us)? We have a rope-y loop pull tassel, but otherwise construction looks pretty similar. It’s a little hard to tell if this is different than ours. Ours are easily 25 years old, but seems they haven’t changed much.
unfortunately no you can't. you call hunter douglass, they refer you to whomever holds the account locally. you can't just choose your local shop. our sales place charges 100$ a blind plus service fee. i would never choose hunter douglass again as a blind. at the 5 year mark they all started failing.
Hunter Douglas does not want to repair these blinds after 5 years. They want you to buy new blinds from them. They would not fixed the string that broke by me not lowering manually by pulling down on ends and not the middle. They were sent to them, and I had to buy a new blind for $650.
Hi Nina, The fabric of the shade stays inside the headrail once the cord lock and opposite side end cap are replaced. Those two items hold that fabric in.
@@fixmyblinds Did not work. What happened was that the whole fabric stack went up and down as a bundle, rather than stretching out. This is probably because it is a double action shade and, using the directions, I was unable to put back the top-down action. I finally tucked the cardboard of the bottom of the headrail into the top of the fabric stack. Shade works for now; I'll get a professional fix later when I can. If you possibly can, add a tutorial for double action shades.
@@ninaaschwartz Hi Nina, I'm glad you got the shade working. We do have a video for top down/bottom up shades. I think that is what you mean by "double action."
so this is so lame if you have a blind that is about six inches at its tightest. So way you can get that need to reach all the way through and you're just stuck.
Hi J, We do carry a wire restring tool that is longer than a traditional needle. It can fit through fabric stacks that are up to nine inches in thickness. Here's a link to it: fixmyblinds.com/products/wire-restring-tool. Or, if you have any craft or floral wire at home, you can make your own. Cut a length of wire and fold it in half.
