How to Shorten Venetian Blinds
With ready-made blinds, you may have to make some adjustments as these blinds, especially Venetian blinds, come in set sizes that won’t fit every window. This means that we recommend you always buy a size larger than your windows, as this will allow you to shorten your Venetian blinds with ease - and you can’t extend them if they’re too short!
It is important to alter them to the correct length, because if Venetian Blinds are too long, they will bunch at the bottom which can ruin the look of the blinds, especially coloured versions.
However, our made to measure venetian blinds will always be made to your exact size requirements. This means you would never have to alter them yourself. They will flawlessly fit within your window and you won’t have to worry about making adjustments.
So, with all of that in mind we’ve put together a guide to shortening ready made Venetian blinds, giving you a step-by-step guide to adjusting and installing them!
Step-By-Step Guide to Shortening Venetian Blinds
Before you start, you must determine the correct number of slats to remove. Once you know this, it becomes easy!
Step 1: Install Venetian Blinds
The first step in shortening your Venetian blinds is to install them - as this is the only way to reveal the correct number of slats to remove! The ideal length of Venetian blinds is to have the bottom of the blind about ¼ inch above the windowsill.
Making a mark on the cord where you want the blinds to end is a great way to measure the slats to be removed. The slat above the windowsill will become the bottom of the blind once it has been shortened. In addition, allowing a little space between the end of the blind and the windowsill will prevent any bunching of the blinds.
Step 2: Remove The Plugs
If you lift up the Venetian blind, you will notice that there are small plugs keeping the slats in place. In order to shorten the blinds, you’ll need to first remove these plugs. You can usually pry the plugs off with a little help from a screwdriver. Just make sure you keep the plugs to one side - as you’ll be using them again later!
Step 3: Cut The Cords
Once you have removed the plugs, you’ll notice that there are knots holding the slats in place. Cut the cords above these knots and you’ll now be able to remove the bottom of the blinds. Now, cut the cords again where you earlier marked the ‘bottom slat’, cutting just above the slat below to allow yourself enough cord to work with.
Step 4: Reattach The Bottom Of The Blinds
The last step in shortening Venetian blinds is to thread the cord back through the bottom part of the blinds and tie a knot; making sure it is even. Once you have managed to tie the knots evenly, reattach the plugs back into place. If you have excess cord, make sure to trim it before pushing the plugs back into place.
Step 5: Check The Length
Once you’ve completed the steps above, you should extend your blinds fully to check they work and are the desired length - if not, you can repeat the process again.
Revamping your entire home? You can also see our guide to altering Roman blinds or vertical blinds, or view our full range of Venetian blinds here.
