Re-stringing day/night shade

[Bruce H]

Hi all,

2 weeks ago I broke one of the cords on my day/night shade. I bought the re-stringing kit. Upon reading the instructions to re-string a day/night 4 cord shade, I'm thinking do I really want to attempt this project or just go buy a new shade. Camping World had the best price for a 59"width day/night shade $174.00. After looking back at the instructions, I'm thinking how difficult can this be.Re-stringing a 4 cord systems doubles your chance of making a mistake. Pay close attention to the way the cords are layed out.If you screw up, you'll know it when you re-stall the shade. Make a long story short, all went well, re-installed the shade, worked perfectly and I still have the $174.00 in my pocket.

 

All's well

[Darryl&Rita]

Good work. Satisfaction is a side benefit.

[Pat & Pete]

See what ya get for being brave .

[nana25k]

The worst that can could have happened was that you did it wrong, hung it up, took it down and got so frustrated you tossed it in the trash.

 

But instead you tackled it

 

Great job

[theeyres]

I have one right now that I have been putting off restringing. Guess I'll have to get to it.

[coachmac9]

Same here...got one that broke and I actually "rigged" so that it would work, kind of, so I could put off re-stringing it!!! Figure I will do it when winter sets in and there is absolutely nothing else to do!!!

[Jimalberta]

I did one myself...the second one I took to an upholstery shop and they did it for $50. The second one was easier....lol

[Ray,IN]

My first one took about 30 minutes, second one 15. Think about it, the worst that can happen is it fails and you must go buy a new one, so whats to lose?

I bought the string locally from a blinds shop.

Of course it the plastic guides are worn, buying a complete kit is best.

[Mike and Claudia]

I went to Mr. Google and found that there is a video on line that shows you step by step how to do it.

 

EAZY PEAZY

 

The hardest part is getting them and the wooden surround off the window.

[gjhunter01]

The first time is always the hardest. We have replaced about half the strings in our camper and have the process down to about 15 minutes now. It seems like every 2 months we get to practice again. I bought a spool of thread on e-bay a couple of years ago that should last for many years.

Greg

[dblr]

Did a lot of mine in our old unit and it seemed harder to get the shade down and back up then the restringing did, counting the valence and the way the buider installed them. Now have roller shades in mew unit.

[NINK]

Hello. I'm thinking of tackling this project too, but I do have a few questions of those who have already been successful. The strings of our shades are not broken, it's just that when one of us in the RV pulls down the shades, they are, shall we say, "cattywampus." One of us, on the other hand, can make the shades "straight" with a little work, but I still think a couple of the shades would benefit from re-stringing. So, my questions are:

1. Will re-stringing help if the one who usually makes the shades cattywampus is not pushing them up/pulling them down from the bottom center of the track?

2. Where did you buy the re-stringing kit? We have four cords in ours.

3. Is this a job that can be tackled and completed by one person, or would two people be better?

Thanks.

[Dutch_12078]

Restringing will not help your "cattywampus" problem, but readjusting the string tension at the bottom spools might help some. Two string shades usually have the most tendency to go "cattywampus", but too loose a tension on a four string can do it too. Try just bringing the tension up a bit to see if that helps. Don't over do it though, that will just cause increased wear on the guides and make the shades harder to operate.

[NINK]

Great, thanks for the response.

[Bruce H]

I bought the re-stringing kit at the local rv store. I did the 4 cord shade. Make sure you follow the diagram that is layed out in the instructions. Just take your time and good luck.

[mptjelgin]

I got my materials from the "Dirty Blind Man": http://www.dirtyblindman.info/

 

He has lots of choices for re-stringing kits from just the string (in many colors), to replacement grommets, springs, etc. I got one of his "Parts Packs" which includes a large spool of string, 50 nylon grommets, and some of the retainers that screw to the wall. I've re-strung 4-5 of my blinds and needed to replace at least a couple of grommets on each one so the kit has been handy, and I've got material left for many more.

 

You can also purchase materials for just a single blind if you'd prefer. The kits come with good instructions and it is really pretty easy once you've done one. Even the large 4-string shades can be done in 30 minutes or so by one person.