How to Repair a Broken Cord Loop on Shades and Blinds

Can't raise or lower shades due to a broken cord loop? Easy DIY replacement for under $10!
TriShades cellular shades from Select Blinds are shown for demonstration, but most types of shades and blinds using continuous cord loops will be similar. Many types of window coverings including cellular, pleated, honeycomb, Roman blinds, wood blinds, roller shades and shears use cord loops to operate.
Some of the brands that offer continuous cord lifts are: Hunter Douglas, Bali, Graber, Levolor, Kirsch, and Allen + Roth.
Replacement cord loop I used: amzn.to/3Jk6WER
See UnchartedDIY.com for more how-to information, videos, details and links to resources.
Intro music by monkeyman535, freesound.org/s/466981/
If you purchase from one of the provided product links, Uncharted DIY may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

[@alisonhackney2612]

Thank you, Steve! You saved me at least 100 $! I am so excited and proud that I replaced the continuous cord loop on my blinds which have a control on each end, especially since the Hunter Douglas customer service rep said that I wouldn't be able to and would have to send it back to them. Please pat the Great Pyrenees dogs for me.

[@UnchartedDIY]

Yay! I am so glad it helped! And you SHOULD be proud of yourself for fixing your blinds. I gave the dogs a hug and a treat and told them it was from you 😁

[@user-cj4ib7fr4z]

I am infinitely grateful for this tutorial - so quick and easy to follow, thank you so so much!!!!!

[@UnchartedDIY]

I am so happy it helped you out!

[@MirejeLenoir4670]

Thank you so much. Not that many people explain this stuff for this sort of blinds.

[@UnchartedDIY]

You are welcome. I couldn't find much either and figured that other people have broken cords on these shades, so I made this to help out. Thanks for watching!

[@MirejeLenoir4670]

@@UnchartedDIY Search engines always bring you to the small cords on the horizontal blinds.

[@felicepolson1313]

Thank you for your tutorial. It was the only one that explained exactly what I needed to do to change the loop.

[@UnchartedDIY]

I'm so glad it helped, and thanks for letting me know!

[@carolbadr2568]

This is a fantastic tutorial! It helped me and I got the job done for few dollars!

[@UnchartedDIY]

Nice work! That makes me happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know 👍

[@Julificent]

Thank you for this A+, 5-⭐️ tutorial. I am so grateful. I fixed my shade thanks entirely to you. I was able to sew my broken cord back into a loop instead of buying a new, prefinished cord.

[@UnchartedDIY]

I am so happy it helped you, Julificent! That's awesome that you were able to sew it. Nice work!

[@theojones2593]

What did you used to sew it together?

[@Julificent]

@@theojones2593 basic needle and thread.

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Great video. Thank you! We just bought out first house and the previous owners had blinds like these, and the one in the dining room had a frayed cord. We were able to replace it easily using your instructions. Also found another issue where one of the thread spoolers' clamps had come undone and the threads were winding around the metal rod that we managed to fix too.

[@UnchartedDIY]

I'm happy to hear it helped you out, and nice work on figuring out the other issue while you were at it 👍

[@kateandrews2149]

Thanks Steve 👍🏼👍🏼

[@UnchartedDIY]

You are welcome Kate, and thanks for watching!

[@samn9350]

Detailed. Love it.

[@UnchartedDIY]

Thank you, @samn9350. Glad you liked it!

[@GauravBpatel]

Thank you

[@UnchartedDIY]

You are most welcome!

[@tnawinning9154]

Brand new tri shades, roll up and down mechanism stops prematurely so shade will not lower to my window base.

[@UnchartedDIY]

I am no expert, but I think that is not something that can be fixed with a pull cord. The cords that run through the actual shade material are what determine the length of the shade adjustment. I suspect they may have been made to the wrong size. ☹ I think you'll have to contact them. If it does turn out to be something that can be adjusted, rather than a manufacturing error, I'd love to hear about it so it can help other people with a similar problem.

[@YewtBoot]

New cords are made cheaply. How can you repair at the broken joint? Glue it? Heat melt it?

[@UnchartedDIY]

Great question, YewtBoot. I tried heat melting and epoxy on mine and they both failed within a day or two. The glue also made enough of a blob that it didn't flow through the clutch mechanism very smoothly. The cord I bought has held up nicely for three months now, but who knows how long it will last! @Julificent commented that she was able to sew her cord together, so I think it would be worth a shot to try that. If you find something that works, I would love it if you would leave a comment here so it might help other viewers out. Thanks for watching Uncharted DIY!

[@YewtBoot]

@@UnchartedDIY I note that hotel blinds that get rough and inconsistent use have the continuous loop made of a type of metal chain. I'm wondering if I can upgrade to using that, appropriately sized, of course, for this application.

[@UnchartedDIY]

@@YewtBoot I like the idea a lot, but I'm pretty sure the wheels in the clutch mechanism on that type of blind have "dimples" that the ball-chain can engage with. I think that style of chain would have nothing to grip onto in a shade that wasn't made to use that type of chain.

[@LubaLuba1]

Why is the continues cord hard to pull on my cellular blinds

[@UnchartedDIY]

I'm not sure about that. I have only fixed my own blinds, but I can tell you where I would start to look. First, I'd look at the cord loop itself to check for fraying. I'd also look at the cords that run through the actual shade to see if those look normal. Next, the cord loop tensioner could possibly be overly tight. If those, things check out, I would take the blinds down and look inside the head rail to see if there might be any debris interfering with the mechanism. In our house, dog hair would be the likely culprit 😁

[@LubaLuba1]

@@UnchartedDIY Thanks but where can I get info on how to reduce the tensioner any videos or is it straight forward?

[@UnchartedDIY]

@@LubaLuba1 The tensioner I'm referring to is the one that holds the cord loop to the wall. You can see it a 01:33 in the video. I don't think it would likely be the cause, but it's worth checking to see if it holds the cord snug, but not too tight. It's adjustable be loosening the screw in the center.