Broken or Damaged? Don't Give Up on Your Blinds or Shades Yet

We've all seen it. Some people even avoid blinds because of it. The crooked slats, the frayed cords, mechanisms that don't run smoothly. It seems every house has at least one window covering that causes frustration, even embarrassment. Before you give up and throw away your money for another shade that will eventually have the same problem, you should look into having it repaired. You may be surprised how many common, seemingly unfixable blind and shade problems can be repaired by a knowledgeable technician. Most blinds and shades can be re-corded, restrung and maintained in ways that will significantly extend their life. And for a cost that is a mere fraction the cost of replacing them.

Restringing. Did you know that a qualified blind and shade specialist can completely replace all of the cords in your blind or shade? It is called restringing, or re-cording, and not every place that sells window coverings can do it. But it's like getting new tires on your car, everything runs smoothly afterward and you'll ask yourself why you ever considered throwing your blind away. And some places have same-day service.

Tilt-Gear or Cord-Lock Replacement. Another quick repair that can dramatically extend the life of your blind or shade is replacing the tilting or cord-pull mechanisms, called the tilt-gear and the cord-lock. The tilt-gear may no longer adjust the slats properly, which is one of the easiest things to fix, or the cord-lock may no longer run smoothly. The cord-lock does a lot of work, especially for larger and heavier blinds and shades. The first sign of this wearing out is when it locks or unlocks when you don't want it to as you're raising or lowering the blind or shade. We've all been there and made the decision to put up with it because you get it to work eventually. Don't wait! Get that mechanism repaired immediately, before it starts to fray your cords, causing a more expensive repair situation.

Like these ideas? If you're in the San Francisco East Bay Area, there's an independent one-stop blind-cleaning, repair and sales center that can help. Contact Pleasanton Shutters & Shades, a reputable, Hunter Douglas-certified business that has been doing all this and more since 1987. Same-day service available.