11 ms·

Do It Yourself Blind Repair

614 points by nsajko 3y ago

nsajko 3y ago
A very nice for profit site. Their business model seems to be selling parts for repairing window blinds, but the site is a treasure trove of information on the topic of window blinds, and the design of the site, organization and presentation of information regarding this specialized topic are beautiful. Just wanted to share it, no affiliation. NB: despite the richness of information, the site fails to help me because it's missing info on the specific type of blinds I was interested in ;) EDIT: relevant Wikipedia pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_blind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_blind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter_hardware https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter_hardware Window shutters are often used as/instead of window blinds in Europe. The linked site sadly doesn't seem to cover shutters yet, presumably because they're not popular in the USA currently. EDIT: possible explanation by another commenter - "They're hella illegal in America because of weird fire code rules": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38845794 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38845794
- jsmith45 3y ago
  Shutters are complicated, as they are really are several different things. For example, interior venetian shutters are closely related to blinds, but are not especially common in the US. Blinds with slats (venetian blinds) can perform a similar function, but can be raised to prevent any blocking of view, while interior venetian style shutters usually swing open and require additional wall-space. such shutters might win on maximum amount of light blocking (even vs wooden slat blinds) but that will vary by shutter design. Cost is certainly a major factor of them being uncommon (but far from unheard of, we even have multiple different names for them) in much of the US. Roller shutters could be considered an exterior equivalent to roller blinds (or roller shades), although roller shutters are often designed with proper blackout capability, which most blinds and shades lack. I presume cost is one of the major reasons these are rare in the US.
  - gambiting 3y ago
    The main reason for using external blinds is heat - in Spain in the summer you want the sun to be hitting a blind outside of your window, not inside it. If you only have an inside blind then it still heats up and warms up the room.
- anthomtb 3y ago
  Are you talking about shutters on the exterior or the interior? I have plantation shutters in my house, as do several of my middle-America neighbors. Exterior shutters in these parts are almost always decorative. I like the look, ease of tilting the louvers up and down and, most importantly, they are dead simple to clean. But they were not cheap and not easy to install. I could have had high quality fabric shades for half the cost and spent one-third the time on installation. Edit: Maybe its particular to what I installed (Veneta) but good luck fix a single louver if one breaks. The frame which contains them is either glued or very tightly press-fit. I'm not saying it would be impossible but you'd need to be careful and probably need to build some sort of jig for re-assembly.
  - sarchertech 3y ago
    Plantation shutters are very common on older houses in the South. They’re also pretty common on higher end newer houses. I love them and had them installed when we moved into our current house a couple years ago.
  - gorkish 3y ago
    > good luck fix a single louver if one breaks. I am facing exactly this repair now. My method is to modify one side of the vane so that a pin can be press fit/glued into the vane from the side and covered with a glued plug. This can be done in-place when needed. It's not completely invisible but putty and a little brushwork make it almost so.
tomjakubowski 3y ago
This site really has it all. Somebody took a whole lot of know-how about window blinds, organized it, published it online, _and_ they found a way to make some money to sustain it, without being obnoxious or burying the information in toxic SEO sludge. It's like the sheldonbrown.com of window blinds. I wish I knew a site like this on every subject. This page is a work of art, god damn it https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/troubleshooter https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/troubleshooter
- romseb 3y ago
  I agree this is well-made. > This site really has it all. It doesn't have German Rolladen though.
  - torcete 3y ago
    That system is very common in Spain. I didn't know it was German. I had to fix several of them, sometimes with more success than others. Yes, I would be nice to also have a guide por the Rolladen system.
    - munk-a 3y ago
      They're hella illegal in America because of weird fire code rules - so you rarely see any support for them on US oriented websites.
      - lostlogin 3y ago
        Assuming I’ve searched the right thing (are they external blinds?), what would make this particularly bad in a fire?
        conductr 3y ago
        Perhaps difficulty escaping from interior.
        3y ago
antiquark 3y ago
Site seems to be missing the "Top-Down Bottom-Up" shades.
- duskwuff 3y ago
  You mean like this one? https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/top-down-bottom-up-cellular-shade-diagram https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/top-down-bottom-up-cellular-sh...
  - antiquark 3y ago
    No, my version doesn't have strings to pull, you just grab the top or bottom of the blind itself and raise or lower it.
    - dendrite9 3y ago
      It says the shown model is just representative. I haven't seen them with strings like at the link but I believe they all use internal strings unless there is some other mechanism for adjusting the height.
      - antiquark 3y ago
        Here's a demo of the shades I'm referring to: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iUpVEZo1Xdo https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iUpVEZo1Xdo
        deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
    - tectec 3y ago
      Does it use two sets of lift tape? https://fixmyblinds.com/collections/cellular-honeycomb-pleated-shade-flat-lift-tape https://fixmyblinds.com/collections/cellular-honeycomb-pleat...
goda90 3y ago
They don't seem to sell mini-blind slats. I know most sets usually include replacements attached to the bottom, but our dog has damaged a lot of them.
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  I’ve had good luck with blind-slats.com. No relationship with them other than being a happy customer.
sphars 3y ago
Ah I've been looking for this site again. I used it several years ago to replace the strings on some our blinds when we sold our home, but couldn't remember what the site was (we have blinds to fix in our current home). Great site, clean, has (nearly) any resource you need to fix blinds.
eysquared 3y ago
This is near and dear to my own lived experience, having dealt with what should have been a minor fix for Hunter Douglas blinds. The cord that was attached to the clutch broke and got caught in the mechanism itself. When I disassembled the clutch to retrieve the cord, an internal spring came dislodged and twisted causing the clutch to never function correctly again. Understanding exactly which part I needed replaced, I contacted Hunter Douglas, who told me to talk to a local rep. My local rep told me they couldn't repair this issue, and I would need to box up my entire window shade and sent it in. The cost was something around $200 for a repair. I spent a lot of time scouring the internet and came across this site where I purchased the entire clutch for around $30. 5 minutes of swapping a good part for bad and I was back in action.
- thechao 3y ago
  At least near me, HD repair is usually based on the area of the blinds; I have this unholy-huge 6.5' x 6' blind that the local HD shop wants $1000 to fix ... what I think is the clutch? (Just going off the troubleshooting section.) If I can fix it, myself, for $30, I'll be pretty stoked.
JadoJodo 3y ago
My Hoover carpet cleaner stopped working sometime in the past few months (between uses). The suction would start up, but the "motor" part of it would not turn on when I went to use it. I disassembled it (as much as it's designed to be disassembled – no unscrewing things) looking for jams or clogs. Nothing. I called Hoover, but gave up after ~45 minutes on hold waiting to talk to a real person. On a lark, I searched for my issue "Hoover Carpet Cleaner Won't Spin". I found this[0] video. Apparently, the spinning bit can get stuck if moisture get trapped somewhere inside (who would've thought with it being all about moisture?), which causes the main rotary portion to stop working. A simple hex-bit force-turn sorted it out in 20 seconds. I don't know what I would've done had I not stumbled on this issue, but the way things are today, I suspect most people would've thought "I guess it's broken", taken it to a landfill, and simply gone out to buy a new one. It's a real shame that there's so much focus on "every person who owns an ICE needs to immediately drop $30,000+ on an electric vehicle", when there's so much opportunity in the "let's try to fix our stuff instead of dumping it" category. #righttorepair [0] - https://youtu.be/q9UAEwPM91M https://youtu.be/q9UAEwPM91M
- tanseydavid 3y ago
  ^^^ THIS ^^^ It is true, "Durable-Goods" are very difficult to come by.
- epiccoleman 3y ago
  There is almost nothing as satisfying to me as being able to fix appliances. I've fixed a few issues with my dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer with just a little gumption and willingness to fuck around. In 2 of the last 3 cases I can think of, I didn't even need a new part - just had to mess around a bit to discover the issue. I fixed a non-functional agitator on my washing machine by just finding a stuck actuator, fixed a broken pump on my dishwasher by disassembling it and removing a stuck bit of plastic. My last dryer repair needed parts, but those only cost $30, and a dryer is a very simple machine. If I'd had to call a repairman or buy a new unit every time one of these problems happened, I'd have spent thousands of dollars.
  - bombcar 3y ago
deleted 3y ago
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LASR 3y ago
I have a home with several roller blinds. There are several in various states of repair. This resource looks very handy. Related: recently, I put up WiFi blind motors on all of them. With HomeKit automations, these now go up at sunrise and go down at sunset. Has been an unexpected life-changer by bringing in natural light and boosting mood. I'd highly recommend it.
- boredtofears 3y ago
  What did you end up going with for motorized blinds? I just bought a new house with a ton of great natural lighting and want to do this without paying an arm and a leg to get it done.
  - LASR 3y ago
    I ended up getting WiFi blind chain motors from Aliexpress. This allows me to integrate with the existing blinds that have chains. Also, if I ever need to remove them and go back to manual, it's easy. There are a ton of these on there. Here is the listing I ordered from: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005461906004.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005461906004.html I spent ~$40 per blind. They go on sale sometimes. (not affiliated in any way)
    - boredtofears 3y ago
      Thanks!
  - lsaferite 3y ago
    Not the PP, but I used these in my house: https://myiblinds.com/ https://myiblinds.com/ I used to use the similar ones from Somfy, but they were just too much of a pain in the end. The only thing I don't like about the iBlinds model is that there's no hard-wire communication option (I have 4 conductor wires with power and RS-422 at every window). I'm surprised there aren't any commonly available blinds that include an internal tilt motor with external manual fallback. Bonus point would be if it also included a lift motor.
quercusa 3y ago
Ordered lifting string from them to fix some cellular shades. However, it's hard to push string (through the cells) as you'll need to do if it broke . I borrowed a bodkin from my wife and it was the perfect tool.
- panzagl 3y ago
  I used an unfolded Christmas tree ornament hook to do the same.
prpl 3y ago
Having recently moved, I have to give honorable mention to the cheap ikea blackout shades (the folding type, not roller type). We use them in conjunction with curtains, and despite having to adjust them manually, they really last a long time and work great for the price.
davidy123 3y ago
Thanks, I might use this site. I want some motorized bottom-up shades, but they are crazily expensive. Motorized kits are available for DIY motorized blinds, but they aren't bottom-up. I have some ideas on how to use them for bottom-up blinds, but haven't got around to putting it all together, partially due to lack of info.
tempestn 3y ago
Saw the title and thought it was a site with DIY guides for blind people. Which would be pretty cool.
- wintogreen74 3y ago
  that's a different website: "Do It Yourself, Blind; Repair!"
  - philwelch 3y ago
    Reminds me of the old joke, “how do you make a Venetian blind?”. Which I’m sure was a popular question in 1204.
inimino 3y ago
I used to be neighbors with the owner of this business. Good people. Never in a thousand years would have expected to see this on HN though!
marknutter 3y ago
I just so happen to have a honeycomb blind in need of repair. Pleasantly surprised to see this at the top of HN today.
mkoryak 3y ago
I know they are trying to make money, but it would be nice if they could link some 3d printer models for things like handles.
- QuarterReptile 3y ago
  Perhaps send him links/files and some info to see if he'll include the information that you think he's missing. contact info is on the site.
4b11b4 3y ago
I once re-strung a set of blinds. It was not fun (really, really frustrating), but I'm one for pain in order to not make more garbage.
werdnapk 3y ago
I just fixed my roller blinds last week which wouldn't hold and would roll down by themselves. The plastic clips that hold the clutch in place cracked on one side so the inner plastic tube had no friction to hold the inner springs in place. Broke a toothpick up into some small pieces and inserted them into the gap of the clip to keep it pried open and my problem was solved. I thought these would be the type of things this site would go over instead of buying replacement parts (based on the site name), but this site will actually help me identify the correct size of a new clutch if my toothpicks ever fail.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
moyix 3y ago
Unfortunately the site doesn't seem to cover cordless blinds? In New York they're voluntarily phasing out corded blinds because of safety issues with small children, but the cordless blinds we have are terrible and unreliable.
- maxerickson 3y ago
  I expect they aren't as repairable. I have one that I'd like to fix, but I think the end of the cord that came unattached was fixed in place by gluing in the piece it attaches to.
- SamuelAdams 3y ago
  Same issue here. I specifically have this blind: https://www.lowes.com/pd/LEVOLOR-Trim-Go-2-in-Cordless-White-Faux-Wood-Room-Darkening-Blinds-Common-35-in-Actual-34-5-in-x-64-in/1000576741 https://www.lowes.com/pd/LEVOLOR-Trim-Go-2-in-Cordless-White... However they are around 8 years old. When opening the blind, it does not push up as smoothly - it takes a few small pushes versus one smooth, long push. Not a dealbreaker but it would be nice to know how to fix that. Edit: Looks like there is a section on some components of cordless blinds. https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/how-to-replace-a-wand-tilt-mechanism-on-a-cordless-levolor https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/how-to-replace-a-wand-tilt-mec...
- evan_ 3y ago
  Same, we replaced ours with cordless blinds a few years ago and they were all broken in less than a year.
chrsw 3y ago
This is amazing. I have some broken blinds I've been putting off fixing because I was afraid of what a time sink it would be.
trevor-e 3y ago
This is amazing, wish I found it several months ago before I bought replacements. Two of my Levolor blinds broke in the same exact way, the cord wore down the small piece of plastic that handles the locking mechanism. Clearly not designed to last and an obvious scam.
- tadfisher 3y ago
  I purchased a home with those blinds. Every single one of them has worn a groove into the cord lock, rendering them unusable. Absolutely ridiculous, and fixmyblinds wants $11 for each replacement. Problem is, even after replacing the cord lock, 6 months later they're broken again. I went with cordless shades from blindster.com, and they're performing great (knock on wood).
raimondious 3y ago
Really appreciate all the info about making blinds safer for kids organized into one place. Good link for sending to parents.
anthomtb 3y ago
I purchased replacement mounts for a couple shades from this site less than a month ago. The blind was "MyBlinds by Hunter Douglas" from Home Depot, purchased in 2019, but that branding seemed long gone. Luckily I was able to dig up the installation instructions, figure out the shape, then FixMyBlinds had enough info for me to get my shades up. Interestingly, FixMyBlinds had Bali, not Hunter Douglas as the manufacturer of the shade. I think (can't recall exactly), that Hunter Dougles, Levolor, and Bali may all be part of the same company these days.
avgcorrection 3y ago
I wonder how many upvotes are for the slightly ambiguous title.
voidee 3y ago
Excellent. I applaud anyone who helps people repair their own equipment vs trashing it. Some of the repairs I’ve made on appliances have taken days to complete, but it is extremely satisfying once done and they’ve lasted for years.
revskill 3y ago
You know what, to me, the hardest part is not about "just start", it's about "what to start". Finding a set of core principles to start will help you answer "why you do all of this in first place" is the whole reason you keep working on.
- krallja 3y ago
  You should start with the blinds that are the most obviously broken.
angry_moose 3y ago
We went with Roman Shades, and despite spending a significant amount of money on them the garbage plastic mechanisms completely disintegrated within about 2 years. While researching repairing them, we found this guide to build your own: https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/makersmill/how-to-make-a-roman-shade/ https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/makersmill/how-to-make-a-r... We were able to salvage the fabric from the old shades (which was still in good condition), remount it to about $20 of wood and assorted hardware per the guide, and they've been perfect for about 5 years now. It's one of a few times we've gotten something that's so bafflingly bad that the only explanation is planned obsolescence - for a rounding error in extra manufacturing costs they could have built something that would last decades. Always feels good to fix your way out of that.
japanman185 3y ago
I can’t see the website is it working for anyone else?
acyou 3y ago
Is this a paid advertisement? Hard to tell the difference. I'm surprised at the other comments. I didn't notice any video content on the site. I consider video to be king for repair and hands on work.
- jacobolus 3y ago
  There are 128 videos at https://www.youtube.com/@fixmyblinds/videos https://www.youtube.com/@fixmyblinds/videos
Cthulhu_ 3y ago
Nice. I've got some old cellular type blinds (TIL what they're called!) and some years ago ordered some parts online, it's a known brand; I had to get replacement end caps, a plastic wall mount, err. Probably some more bits. A few euro each plus shipping, a few minutes of work, and they were a lot better again. Cheaper than getting a new one, although the material is looking a bit tatty.
nolongerthere 3y ago
Wow, I was so excited, I need this exact site, just bought a place with transitional blinds[0], they're all beautifully well kept except in one room where one of the blinds is damaged and while most of it appears to work, the bottom assembly broke and needs to be replaced, unfortunately they do not appear to have any info on this type of blind. [0] https://www.lafvb.com/allure https://www.lafvb.com/allure
cryptonector 3y ago
I want a kind of blind called "persianas" ("Persian") in Argentina. Like this: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/317689/english-equivalent-of-argentine-persiana https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/317689/english-e... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgyXAYtcKqs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgyXAYtcKqs These blinds are truly blackout blinds, more than any other blackout blinds I've tried (and I've some fancy ones by a company called Comfort Track). Basically the persianas consist of connected slats that ride in tracks on the outside of the window, and each slat is connected to the other in such a way that when you roll the persianas all the way down then all the slats slot into each other allowing no light to get through, but when you pull the persianas up then the slats separate just enough to allow the whole thing to roll up. Because persianas ride on the outside of the window they also have some weather (temperature) and sound isolation properties. I've never seen persianas in the U.S., or anywhere outside Argentina. Retrofitting them into American houses would definitely not be trivial as either the persianas would have to roll up on the outside of the house or ride on rails on the inside of the house, or the window header would have to be moved up in order to fit the slats passing from the inside roll to the outside rails.
- wheels 3y ago
  They're also common in Germany, particularly on the ground floor of apartments.
- bckygldstn 3y ago
  They’re pretty commmin in at least France and Germany: I’ve seen manual “belt operated” ones exactly like your video, as well as fancier electric ones with metal slats and the slat storage box mounted outside. As well as giving true darkness, they also have much better sound and thermal insulation than curtains or blinds. I would love these on my apartment!
- irjustin 3y ago
  > I've never seen persianas in the U.S., or anywhere outside Argentina. Retrofitting them into American houses would definitely not be trivial as either the persianas would have to roll up on the outside of the house or ride on rails on the inside of the house, or the window header would have to be moved up in order to fit the slats passing from the inside roll to the outside rails. I've seen what you're looking for in higher end hotels. In America, for outside of the window it's "roller shutters" for inside the window it's "roller shades". Most budget roller shades, inside of window, aren't true blackout as they don't come with a track, but the higher end ones do.
danielecook 3y ago
I ordered parts from here after the plastic hunter douglas cradle pieces I had shattered into a million pieces. I didn’t even know what the parts were called but the site had really good technical drawings and pictures of each piece with their names. Anyways, I’m now considering DIYing some new blinds. My current blinds have 3 cords per window - I am hoping to switch to cordless with a tilt wand (child safety first). Has anyone gone about this before and have any tips?
- hammock 3y ago
  I thought HD blinds had a lifetime warranty. Did they not cover it?
  - danielecook 3y ago
    I wasn't aware of this. It's a pre-owned home. I plan to switch to cordless anyway.
harmath 3y ago
on the blind DIY topic, I've done 5 roller blind upgrades with a zigbee motorized blind [1] and a gateway from aliexpress. configured to go up and down at sunrise and sunset which is cool as we have many plants. This was after getting a super expensive quote from a local company to do the same with a built-in version. Not as fancy but functional and works after changing the chains (original stretched and broke - wasn't designed for the motor) [1] https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801512085543.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.10.ef401802rwgXys&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801512085543.html?spm=a2g...
MeImCounting 3y ago
I really thought this was about blind people repairing things at first. Still cool but not quite as cool as blind DIY repair projects
Waterluvian 3y ago
If I could visit one page that just had a directory of websites like this, I’d have the Web I always dreamed it would be.
passedandfuture 3y ago
I love these unsexy ideas that don't plan to save the world, but just tackle a niche in an obsessive way.
ripe 3y ago
I like the site, but it could use a few pictures. I am trying to figure out what my missing part is called, but the mini blinds section is just a series of paragraphs.
- blihp 3y ago
  I was in a similar situation not too long ago and found that describing the part to ChatGPT worked. I did have to course correct it a couple of times, but eventually it got me the answer I was looking for.
cm-t 3y ago
TIL blind repair is a scam! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppobi8VhWwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppobi8VhWwo
archon810 3y ago
I wish there was some information on repairing Rollease Acmeda powered shades because I already had 2 motors go out and they're crazy expensive to have an installer come out to replace.
rafalages 3y ago
Any of you have any tip for a noise reduction intern blind?
beshrkayali 3y ago
For what it’s worth, I like to think of myself as a fairly handy person and I like to do as much DIY as possible, but replacing the eroded thread in a mini blind I had on a double glazed window was insanely time consuming, aggravating, and ended up not working exactly as I had hoped, the blinds are slightly too difficult and obtuse to open/close or flip.
cudgy 3y ago
Tried to “troubleshoot” how to fix a single snapped edge of a mini blind … found nothing.
- wccrawford 3y ago
  Do you mean one of the slats? They recommend moving a "spare" slat from the bottom up to that spot. https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/mini-blind-troubleshooter#SlatProblems https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/mini-blind-troubleshooter#Slat...
TurkishPoptart 3y ago
Knowing all the things that can go wrong, which is the easiest/lowest maintenance type of blind to buy?

614 points by nsajko 3y ago

A very nice for profit site. Their business model seems to be selling parts for repairing window blinds, but the site is a treasure trove of information on the topic of window blinds, and the design of the site, organization and presentation of information regarding this specialized topic are beautiful. Just wanted to share it, no affiliation. NB: despite the richness of information, the site fails to help me because it's missing info on the specific type of blinds I was interested in ;) EDIT: relevant Wikipedia pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_blind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_blind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter_hardware https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_shutter_hardware Window shutters are often used as/instead of window blinds in Europe. The linked site sadly doesn't seem to cover shutters yet, presumably because they're not popular in the USA currently. EDIT: possible explanation by another commenter - "They're hella illegal in America because of weird fire code rules": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38845794 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38845794

jsmith45 3y ago
Shutters are complicated, as they are really are several different things. For example, interior venetian shutters are closely related to blinds, but are not especially common in the US. Blinds with slats (venetian blinds) can perform a similar function, but can be raised to prevent any blocking of view, while interior venetian style shutters usually swing open and require additional wall-space. such shutters might win on maximum amount of light blocking (even vs wooden slat blinds) but that will vary by shutter design. Cost is certainly a major factor of them being uncommon (but far from unheard of, we even have multiple different names for them) in much of the US. Roller shutters could be considered an exterior equivalent to roller blinds (or roller shades), although roller shutters are often designed with proper blackout capability, which most blinds and shades lack. I presume cost is one of the major reasons these are rare in the US.
- gambiting 3y ago
  The main reason for using external blinds is heat - in Spain in the summer you want the sun to be hitting a blind outside of your window, not inside it. If you only have an inside blind then it still heats up and warms up the room.
anthomtb 3y ago
Are you talking about shutters on the exterior or the interior? I have plantation shutters in my house, as do several of my middle-America neighbors. Exterior shutters in these parts are almost always decorative. I like the look, ease of tilting the louvers up and down and, most importantly, they are dead simple to clean. But they were not cheap and not easy to install. I could have had high quality fabric shades for half the cost and spent one-third the time on installation. Edit: Maybe its particular to what I installed (Veneta) but good luck fix a single louver if one breaks. The frame which contains them is either glued or very tightly press-fit. I'm not saying it would be impossible but you'd need to be careful and probably need to build some sort of jig for re-assembly.
- sarchertech 3y ago
  Plantation shutters are very common on older houses in the South. They’re also pretty common on higher end newer houses. I love them and had them installed when we moved into our current house a couple years ago.
- gorkish 3y ago
  > good luck fix a single louver if one breaks. I am facing exactly this repair now. My method is to modify one side of the vane so that a pin can be press fit/glued into the vane from the side and covered with a glued plug. This can be done in-place when needed. It's not completely invisible but putty and a little brushwork make it almost so.

tomjakubowski 3y ago

This site really has it all. Somebody took a whole lot of know-how about window blinds, organized it, published it online, _and_ they found a way to make some money to sustain it, without being obnoxious or burying the information in toxic SEO sludge. It's like the sheldonbrown.com of window blinds. I wish I knew a site like this on every subject. This page is a work of art, god damn it https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/troubleshooter https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/troubleshooter

romseb 3y ago
I agree this is well-made. > This site really has it all. It doesn't have German Rolladen though.
- torcete 3y ago
  That system is very common in Spain. I didn't know it was German. I had to fix several of them, sometimes with more success than others. Yes, I would be nice to also have a guide por the Rolladen system.
  - munk-a 3y ago
    They're hella illegal in America because of weird fire code rules - so you rarely see any support for them on US oriented websites.
    - lostlogin 3y ago
      Assuming I’ve searched the right thing (are they external blinds?), what would make this particularly bad in a fire?
      - conductr 3y ago
        Perhaps difficulty escaping from interior.
        3y ago

antiquark 3y ago

Site seems to be missing the "Top-Down Bottom-Up" shades.

duskwuff 3y ago
You mean like this one? https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/top-down-bottom-up-cellular-shade-diagram https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/top-down-bottom-up-cellular-sh...
- antiquark 3y ago
  No, my version doesn't have strings to pull, you just grab the top or bottom of the blind itself and raise or lower it.
  - dendrite9 3y ago
    It says the shown model is just representative. I haven't seen them with strings like at the link but I believe they all use internal strings unless there is some other mechanism for adjusting the height.
    - antiquark 3y ago
      Here's a demo of the shades I'm referring to: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iUpVEZo1Xdo https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iUpVEZo1Xdo
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
  - tectec 3y ago
    Does it use two sets of lift tape? https://fixmyblinds.com/collections/cellular-honeycomb-pleated-shade-flat-lift-tape https://fixmyblinds.com/collections/cellular-honeycomb-pleat...

goda90 3y ago

They don't seem to sell mini-blind slats. I know most sets usually include replacements attached to the bottom, but our dog has damaged a lot of them.

el_benhameen 3y ago
I’ve had good luck with blind-slats.com. No relationship with them other than being a happy customer.

sphars 3y ago

Ah I've been looking for this site again. I used it several years ago to replace the strings on some our blinds when we sold our home, but couldn't remember what the site was (we have blinds to fix in our current home). Great site, clean, has (nearly) any resource you need to fix blinds.

eysquared 3y ago

This is near and dear to my own lived experience, having dealt with what should have been a minor fix for Hunter Douglas blinds. The cord that was attached to the clutch broke and got caught in the mechanism itself. When I disassembled the clutch to retrieve the cord, an internal spring came dislodged and twisted causing the clutch to never function correctly again. Understanding exactly which part I needed replaced, I contacted Hunter Douglas, who told me to talk to a local rep. My local rep told me they couldn't repair this issue, and I would need to box up my entire window shade and sent it in. The cost was something around $200 for a repair. I spent a lot of time scouring the internet and came across this site where I purchased the entire clutch for around $30. 5 minutes of swapping a good part for bad and I was back in action.

thechao 3y ago
At least near me, HD repair is usually based on the area of the blinds; I have this unholy-huge 6.5' x 6' blind that the local HD shop wants $1000 to fix ... what I think is the clutch? (Just going off the troubleshooting section.) If I can fix it, myself, for $30, I'll be pretty stoked.

JadoJodo 3y ago

My Hoover carpet cleaner stopped working sometime in the past few months (between uses). The suction would start up, but the "motor" part of it would not turn on when I went to use it. I disassembled it (as much as it's designed to be disassembled – no unscrewing things) looking for jams or clogs. Nothing. I called Hoover, but gave up after ~45 minutes on hold waiting to talk to a real person. On a lark, I searched for my issue "Hoover Carpet Cleaner Won't Spin". I found this[0] video. Apparently, the spinning bit can get stuck if moisture get trapped somewhere inside (who would've thought with it being all about moisture?), which causes the main rotary portion to stop working. A simple hex-bit force-turn sorted it out in 20 seconds. I don't know what I would've done had I not stumbled on this issue, but the way things are today, I suspect most people would've thought "I guess it's broken", taken it to a landfill, and simply gone out to buy a new one. It's a real shame that there's so much focus on "every person who owns an ICE needs to immediately drop $30,000+ on an electric vehicle", when there's so much opportunity in the "let's try to fix our stuff instead of dumping it" category. #righttorepair [0] - https://youtu.be/q9UAEwPM91M https://youtu.be/q9UAEwPM91M

tanseydavid 3y ago
^^^ THIS ^^^ It is true, "Durable-Goods" are very difficult to come by.
epiccoleman 3y ago
There is almost nothing as satisfying to me as being able to fix appliances. I've fixed a few issues with my dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer with just a little gumption and willingness to fuck around. In 2 of the last 3 cases I can think of, I didn't even need a new part - just had to mess around a bit to discover the issue. I fixed a non-functional agitator on my washing machine by just finding a stuck actuator, fixed a broken pump on my dishwasher by disassembling it and removing a stuck bit of plastic. My last dryer repair needed parts, but those only cost $30, and a dryer is a very simple machine. If I'd had to call a repairman or buy a new unit every time one of these problems happened, I'd have spent thousands of dollars.
- bombcar 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

LASR 3y ago

I have a home with several roller blinds. There are several in various states of repair. This resource looks very handy. Related: recently, I put up WiFi blind motors on all of them. With HomeKit automations, these now go up at sunrise and go down at sunset. Has been an unexpected life-changer by bringing in natural light and boosting mood. I'd highly recommend it.

boredtofears 3y ago
What did you end up going with for motorized blinds? I just bought a new house with a ton of great natural lighting and want to do this without paying an arm and a leg to get it done.
- LASR 3y ago
  I ended up getting WiFi blind chain motors from Aliexpress. This allows me to integrate with the existing blinds that have chains. Also, if I ever need to remove them and go back to manual, it's easy. There are a ton of these on there. Here is the listing I ordered from: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005461906004.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005461906004.html I spent ~$40 per blind. They go on sale sometimes. (not affiliated in any way)
  - boredtofears 3y ago
    Thanks!
- lsaferite 3y ago
  Not the PP, but I used these in my house: https://myiblinds.com/ https://myiblinds.com/ I used to use the similar ones from Somfy, but they were just too much of a pain in the end. The only thing I don't like about the iBlinds model is that there's no hard-wire communication option (I have 4 conductor wires with power and RS-422 at every window). I'm surprised there aren't any commonly available blinds that include an internal tilt motor with external manual fallback. Bonus point would be if it also included a lift motor.

quercusa 3y ago

Ordered lifting string from them to fix some cellular shades. However, it's hard to push string (through the cells) as you'll need to do if it broke . I borrowed a bodkin from my wife and it was the perfect tool.

panzagl 3y ago
I used an unfolded Christmas tree ornament hook to do the same.

prpl 3y ago

Having recently moved, I have to give honorable mention to the cheap ikea blackout shades (the folding type, not roller type). We use them in conjunction with curtains, and despite having to adjust them manually, they really last a long time and work great for the price.

davidy123 3y ago

Thanks, I might use this site. I want some motorized bottom-up shades, but they are crazily expensive. Motorized kits are available for DIY motorized blinds, but they aren't bottom-up. I have some ideas on how to use them for bottom-up blinds, but haven't got around to putting it all together, partially due to lack of info.

tempestn 3y ago

Saw the title and thought it was a site with DIY guides for blind people. Which would be pretty cool.

wintogreen74 3y ago
that's a different website: "Do It Yourself, Blind; Repair!"
- philwelch 3y ago
  Reminds me of the old joke, “how do you make a Venetian blind?”. Which I’m sure was a popular question in 1204.

inimino 3y ago

I used to be neighbors with the owner of this business. Good people. Never in a thousand years would have expected to see this on HN though!

marknutter 3y ago

I just so happen to have a honeycomb blind in need of repair. Pleasantly surprised to see this at the top of HN today.

mkoryak 3y ago

I know they are trying to make money, but it would be nice if they could link some 3d printer models for things like handles.

QuarterReptile 3y ago
Perhaps send him links/files and some info to see if he'll include the information that you think he's missing. contact info is on the site.

4b11b4 3y ago

I once re-strung a set of blinds. It was not fun (really, really frustrating), but I'm one for pain in order to not make more garbage.

werdnapk 3y ago

I just fixed my roller blinds last week which wouldn't hold and would roll down by themselves. The plastic clips that hold the clutch in place cracked on one side so the inner plastic tube had no friction to hold the inner springs in place. Broke a toothpick up into some small pieces and inserted them into the gap of the clip to keep it pried open and my problem was solved. I thought these would be the type of things this site would go over instead of buying replacement parts (based on the site name), but this site will actually help me identify the correct size of a new clutch if my toothpicks ever fail.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

moyix 3y ago

Unfortunately the site doesn't seem to cover cordless blinds? In New York they're voluntarily phasing out corded blinds because of safety issues with small children, but the cordless blinds we have are terrible and unreliable.

maxerickson 3y ago
I expect they aren't as repairable. I have one that I'd like to fix, but I think the end of the cord that came unattached was fixed in place by gluing in the piece it attaches to.
SamuelAdams 3y ago
Same issue here. I specifically have this blind: https://www.lowes.com/pd/LEVOLOR-Trim-Go-2-in-Cordless-White-Faux-Wood-Room-Darkening-Blinds-Common-35-in-Actual-34-5-in-x-64-in/1000576741 https://www.lowes.com/pd/LEVOLOR-Trim-Go-2-in-Cordless-White... However they are around 8 years old. When opening the blind, it does not push up as smoothly - it takes a few small pushes versus one smooth, long push. Not a dealbreaker but it would be nice to know how to fix that. Edit: Looks like there is a section on some components of cordless blinds. https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/how-to-replace-a-wand-tilt-mechanism-on-a-cordless-levolor https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/how-to-replace-a-wand-tilt-mec...
evan_ 3y ago
Same, we replaced ours with cordless blinds a few years ago and they were all broken in less than a year.

chrsw 3y ago

This is amazing. I have some broken blinds I've been putting off fixing because I was afraid of what a time sink it would be.

trevor-e 3y ago

This is amazing, wish I found it several months ago before I bought replacements. Two of my Levolor blinds broke in the same exact way, the cord wore down the small piece of plastic that handles the locking mechanism. Clearly not designed to last and an obvious scam.

tadfisher 3y ago
I purchased a home with those blinds. Every single one of them has worn a groove into the cord lock, rendering them unusable. Absolutely ridiculous, and fixmyblinds wants $11 for each replacement. Problem is, even after replacing the cord lock, 6 months later they're broken again. I went with cordless shades from blindster.com, and they're performing great (knock on wood).

raimondious 3y ago

Really appreciate all the info about making blinds safer for kids organized into one place. Good link for sending to parents.

anthomtb 3y ago

I purchased replacement mounts for a couple shades from this site less than a month ago. The blind was "MyBlinds by Hunter Douglas" from Home Depot, purchased in 2019, but that branding seemed long gone. Luckily I was able to dig up the installation instructions, figure out the shape, then FixMyBlinds had enough info for me to get my shades up. Interestingly, FixMyBlinds had Bali, not Hunter Douglas as the manufacturer of the shade. I think (can't recall exactly), that Hunter Dougles, Levolor, and Bali may all be part of the same company these days.

avgcorrection 3y ago

I wonder how many upvotes are for the slightly ambiguous title.

voidee 3y ago

Excellent. I applaud anyone who helps people repair their own equipment vs trashing it. Some of the repairs I’ve made on appliances have taken days to complete, but it is extremely satisfying once done and they’ve lasted for years.

revskill 3y ago

You know what, to me, the hardest part is not about "just start", it's about "what to start". Finding a set of core principles to start will help you answer "why you do all of this in first place" is the whole reason you keep working on.

krallja 3y ago
You should start with the blinds that are the most obviously broken.

angry_moose 3y ago

We went with Roman Shades, and despite spending a significant amount of money on them the garbage plastic mechanisms completely disintegrated within about 2 years. While researching repairing them, we found this guide to build your own: https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/makersmill/how-to-make-a-roman-shade/ https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/makersmill/how-to-make-a-r... We were able to salvage the fabric from the old shades (which was still in good condition), remount it to about $20 of wood and assorted hardware per the guide, and they've been perfect for about 5 years now. It's one of a few times we've gotten something that's so bafflingly bad that the only explanation is planned obsolescence - for a rounding error in extra manufacturing costs they could have built something that would last decades. Always feels good to fix your way out of that.

japanman185 3y ago

I can’t see the website is it working for anyone else?

acyou 3y ago

Is this a paid advertisement? Hard to tell the difference. I'm surprised at the other comments. I didn't notice any video content on the site. I consider video to be king for repair and hands on work.

jacobolus 3y ago
There are 128 videos at https://www.youtube.com/@fixmyblinds/videos https://www.youtube.com/@fixmyblinds/videos

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

Nice. I've got some old cellular type blinds (TIL what they're called!) and some years ago ordered some parts online, it's a known brand; I had to get replacement end caps, a plastic wall mount, err. Probably some more bits. A few euro each plus shipping, a few minutes of work, and they were a lot better again. Cheaper than getting a new one, although the material is looking a bit tatty.

nolongerthere 3y ago

Wow, I was so excited, I need this exact site, just bought a place with transitional blinds[0], they're all beautifully well kept except in one room where one of the blinds is damaged and while most of it appears to work, the bottom assembly broke and needs to be replaced, unfortunately they do not appear to have any info on this type of blind. [0] https://www.lafvb.com/allure https://www.lafvb.com/allure

cryptonector 3y ago

I want a kind of blind called "persianas" ("Persian") in Argentina. Like this: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/317689/english-equivalent-of-argentine-persiana https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/317689/english-e... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgyXAYtcKqs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgyXAYtcKqs These blinds are truly blackout blinds, more than any other blackout blinds I've tried (and I've some fancy ones by a company called Comfort Track). Basically the persianas consist of connected slats that ride in tracks on the outside of the window, and each slat is connected to the other in such a way that when you roll the persianas all the way down then all the slats slot into each other allowing no light to get through, but when you pull the persianas up then the slats separate just enough to allow the whole thing to roll up. Because persianas ride on the outside of the window they also have some weather (temperature) and sound isolation properties. I've never seen persianas in the U.S., or anywhere outside Argentina. Retrofitting them into American houses would definitely not be trivial as either the persianas would have to roll up on the outside of the house or ride on rails on the inside of the house, or the window header would have to be moved up in order to fit the slats passing from the inside roll to the outside rails.

wheels 3y ago
They're also common in Germany, particularly on the ground floor of apartments.
bckygldstn 3y ago
They’re pretty commmin in at least France and Germany: I’ve seen manual “belt operated” ones exactly like your video, as well as fancier electric ones with metal slats and the slat storage box mounted outside. As well as giving true darkness, they also have much better sound and thermal insulation than curtains or blinds. I would love these on my apartment!
irjustin 3y ago
> I've never seen persianas in the U.S., or anywhere outside Argentina. Retrofitting them into American houses would definitely not be trivial as either the persianas would have to roll up on the outside of the house or ride on rails on the inside of the house, or the window header would have to be moved up in order to fit the slats passing from the inside roll to the outside rails. I've seen what you're looking for in higher end hotels. In America, for outside of the window it's "roller shutters" for inside the window it's "roller shades". Most budget roller shades, inside of window, aren't true blackout as they don't come with a track, but the higher end ones do.

danielecook 3y ago

I ordered parts from here after the plastic hunter douglas cradle pieces I had shattered into a million pieces. I didn’t even know what the parts were called but the site had really good technical drawings and pictures of each piece with their names. Anyways, I’m now considering DIYing some new blinds. My current blinds have 3 cords per window - I am hoping to switch to cordless with a tilt wand (child safety first). Has anyone gone about this before and have any tips?

hammock 3y ago
I thought HD blinds had a lifetime warranty. Did they not cover it?
- danielecook 3y ago
  I wasn't aware of this. It's a pre-owned home. I plan to switch to cordless anyway.

harmath 3y ago

on the blind DIY topic, I've done 5 roller blind upgrades with a zigbee motorized blind [1] and a gateway from aliexpress. configured to go up and down at sunrise and sunset which is cool as we have many plants. This was after getting a super expensive quote from a local company to do the same with a built-in version. Not as fancy but functional and works after changing the chains (original stretched and broke - wasn't designed for the motor) [1] https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801512085543.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.10.ef401802rwgXys&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801512085543.html?spm=a2g...

MeImCounting 3y ago

I really thought this was about blind people repairing things at first. Still cool but not quite as cool as blind DIY repair projects

Waterluvian 3y ago

If I could visit one page that just had a directory of websites like this, I’d have the Web I always dreamed it would be.

passedandfuture 3y ago

I love these unsexy ideas that don't plan to save the world, but just tackle a niche in an obsessive way.

ripe 3y ago

I like the site, but it could use a few pictures. I am trying to figure out what my missing part is called, but the mini blinds section is just a series of paragraphs.

blihp 3y ago
I was in a similar situation not too long ago and found that describing the part to ChatGPT worked. I did have to course correct it a couple of times, but eventually it got me the answer I was looking for.

cm-t 3y ago

TIL blind repair is a scam! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppobi8VhWwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppobi8VhWwo

archon810 3y ago

I wish there was some information on repairing Rollease Acmeda powered shades because I already had 2 motors go out and they're crazy expensive to have an installer come out to replace.

rafalages 3y ago

Any of you have any tip for a noise reduction intern blind?

beshrkayali 3y ago

For what it’s worth, I like to think of myself as a fairly handy person and I like to do as much DIY as possible, but replacing the eroded thread in a mini blind I had on a double glazed window was insanely time consuming, aggravating, and ended up not working exactly as I had hoped, the blinds are slightly too difficult and obtuse to open/close or flip.

cudgy 3y ago

Tried to “troubleshoot” how to fix a single snapped edge of a mini blind … found nothing.

wccrawford 3y ago
Do you mean one of the slats? They recommend moving a "spare" slat from the bottom up to that spot. https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/mini-blind-troubleshooter#SlatProblems https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/mini-blind-troubleshooter#Slat...

TurkishPoptart 3y ago

Knowing all the things that can go wrong, which is the easiest/lowest maintenance type of blind to buy?