Use scissors to cut window blinds?

[euges720]

I won't get into the why, but I have those vertical blinds (where you pull one cord to twist and turn it open, and another to pull them to the side or centre) that are slightly too long. I don't want to spend $$$ at the store to get them cut. Can I use scissors to hand-cut them?

[dmyvr]

Probably if they are vinyl ones. Would be a neater cut if you can cut all of them at the same time with a mitre saw or something (tape them together as a bundle first, and cut through the tape to reduce splintering).

[GTT1]

We bought some that were wood stuff and made to be trimmed if needed. I just used a pair of poultry shears. Hard on the hands but worked. I just opened them up and ran some masking tape as a guide then cut on the edge of the tape.

[Keigotw]

I won't get into the why, but I have those vertical blinds (where you pull one cord to twist and turn it open, and another to pull them to the side or centre) that are slightly too long. I don't want to spend $$$ at the store to get them cut. Can I use scissors to hand-cut them?

did you just buy them??? most store trim for free
I bought mine from homedepot and gave them the measurament to cut
no extra charge

[dutchca]

I had to trim the ones we bought by hand with scisors - it takes awhile. Also, if each blind is not EXACTLY the same length if you are a perfectioinst, you will see the uneveness in your cuts so take your time.

Some tips:

Figure out how many of the slats you can take out before hand, that way you aren't cutting extra. Of course if you need them all to length, then don't worry about it.

Mark all the slats to length at one time and then cut them all at once. Measure, cut, measure, cut, takes a long time.

You need a GOOD pair of scissors. I broke a cheap pair and went a bought a heavy duty pair, which I returned after using (so sue me).

To do 4 windows with 15 slats each took me an entire afternoon including taking out a bunch of slats. THat's BEFORE hanging them.

My cuts weren't all perfect I see them, but no one else notices.

Next time I would take them to HD (not originally bought there) and have them cut no matter what the price.....it was a frustrating job.

[woof]

I bought a special pair of scissors for cutting aluminum blinds from IKEA many years ago. They worked well and I still have them around here somewhere. There's an adjustable extension arm attached which you could set to cut in the exact same spot on every slat. Also came with a mini hack saw. Not sure what it was for, maybe cutting the top and bottom brackets if necessary. The reason I bought these was so that I could order slightly oversized aluminum and then cut it down to the exact size myself. Never got a good fit with the ordered to size stuff.

[CaptSmethwick]

I bought a special pair of scissors for cutting aluminum blinds from IKEA many years ago. They worked well and I still have them around here somewhere. There's an adjustable extension arm attached which you could set to cut in the exact same spot on every slat. Also came with a mini hack saw. Not sure what it was for, maybe cutting the top and bottom brackets if necessary. The reason I bought these was so that I could order slightly oversized aluminum and then cut it down to the exact size myself. Never got a good fit with the ordered to size stuff.

I have the same tool - bought it at least 20 years ago. Works like a charm on vinyl or aluminum slats - gives those rounded corners that manufactured blinds have.

[irisray]

I bought a pair of special scissors (sort of look like gardening clippers). They cut through vinyl flooring, aluminum and other heavy materials. Work way better than scissors.

I used them to cut the vertical blinds that came with my place. As mentioned in this thread, it's easier to mark each piece first and then cut them all. It's easy work, just time consuming. I found that each stripe wasn't quite the same length as I had to make adjustments on a few pieces after I was done.

[GTT1]

I bought a pair of special scissors (sort of look like gardening clippers). They cut through vinyl flooring, aluminum and other heavy materials. Work way better than scissors.

I used them to cut the vertical blinds that came with my place. As mentioned in this thread, it's easier to mark each piece first and then cut them all. It's easy work, just time consuming. I found that each stripe wasn't quite the same length as I had to make adjustments on a few pieces after I was done.

Thats why you put masking tape down the edge then the vanes don't move out of place when you cut them.

[irisray]

Thats why you put masking tape down the edge then the vanes don't move out of place when you cut them.

They didn't move and didn't require masking tape. I took them down to wash when I moved in and they were lying on the ground. Very easy to cut. They may not have been cut to exactly the same size when new. Very minor adjustments were required on 3 or 4 pieces.