Trimming IKEA SKOGSKLOVER Roller Blind to Size to Fit Inside a Window Frame

How to cut an IKEA SKOGSKLOVER Roller Blind to size so it can fit in a window frame. Don't forget to read the instructions included so you can install it properly once cut. Apologies to all the Swedes for the mispronunciation and butchering your language. Sorry.

[@PedroTD]

Hi Cory. Very nice video, gives a lot of hints. But here are some more: - Pull on the store before disassembling it, so to lock the spring in place (then when pulling it apart, the spring won't unload) - If the spring unloads, always possible to reload it by inserting a flat head screwdriver, and turning clockwise (do not tighten it too much) - If you need to cut more than 1`` 1/2, the other cap will be too lose; put some electrical tape on the cap before inserting it to tighten it up The first one is the worst, so I used my shortest one for practice (cheaper to replace if I messed up). After 2 or 3, it will ake less than 10 mins / blind, installation included.

[@w.1929]

Excellent! Thank you for the guide. I did use a hacksaw for the upper tube instead of a pipe cutter, my cutter would not stay in the correct position. The right plug I taped up and than used a hammer to tap it into the tube because the engagement groove for the damping mechanism does not run along the entire length of the tube (shortened by 17 cm). For cutting the blind I made a number of pencil marks on the blind, used a sharp "break" knife and a long straigh wooden ruler as a guide. Perfectly straight cut, no fraying at all. I did this in the past on the now obsolete Enje blind as well which had the same fabric, did not experience any fraying in 5 years of use. Thanks for the effort, it really helped me out!

[@christopherzimmer]

Cory- phenomenal work- thank you thank you thank you! You might have the only video dealing with this specific blind model. 😊

[@VelvetCrone]

Hey Cory, thanks so very much! Your first class tutorial also works on the Ikea Bleking blinds, even though the blind mechanism is just slightly different ( the spring is on the left, just like yours, but it has a soft close mechanism on the right side, which feels like a spring at first, but it goes right back in no problem.) On the Blecking, the spring unit is completely encased so it come out and go back in easily as well. Also I found that with an extra set of hands we could gently separate the "fabric" from the top roller where it had been attached with sticky tape, take the roller out to the shop to use the sliding mitre saw to cut it, being careful to keep it sticky, then carefully reattach it without any issues, since the "fabric" is more like wood or bamboo. But make sure you replace the mechanisms in the roller ends back into the aluminium brackets with the blind in the EXACT state of rolled out or up-ness as when you removed them, so you don't have to reassemble it twice in order to reset it's position while open. easy enough to do if you miss it. Also I noticed a guy Guy Davis over at Github has a tutorial on how to hack these type of blinds to automate them. We might get around to that, but at the moment we have 6 more blinds to trim down, which is enough to keep us busy. Thanks again for a perfect tutorial!

[@VelvetCrone]

btw for the Bleking, I used a utility knife to cut the blind fabric since it was more structural. Worked really well against a straight edge. I often cut softer fabrics with a brand new razor blade if i need a particularly clean cut. I put a length of plywood on the table under it to avoid damage to table, and use a yardstick or drywall square, etc... Mark the cut first with a pencil in case the straight edge moves at little when you cut it, so you can re-position it..

[@Petermobile]

Great! Just missing how you cut the curtain. I drew a line..put some wood under it and cutted with cutter. And yess..damm..the spring..it jumped out..but is easy to reinstall. Grtz.

[@ЮлияД-д5ь]

Thank you so much for the video! Very useful =)

[@GooseGosselin]

Like #300 from me, thank you, just what I was looking for!

[@sudath57]

Your video is really helpful, thanks very much.

[@Traderhood]

Thanks a lot!

[@worksistemsergioesposito4400]

Hey Cory thanks for the tutorial. At 3:58 you say "Ok, now that I've cut that piece off" . You did not show how you actually cut it. Could you please suggest how to? If you just use scissors I doubt it would be an even cut ?

[@CorySakai]

The piece I cut off is just the fabric material, and I used a pair of long scissors. Any sharp long pair or fabric scissors should be good. Just draw the line first. I did try using a sharp xacto or razor type blade with a long metal ruler type thing, but I found the scissors worked the best. Right after that I show how to use a pipe cutter to cut the aluminum end off. You can't use scissors for that. HA!

[@minifigking]

Great video, just a heads up, don't cut more than 4 inches off, you'll end up hitting the spring tension system inside

[@Eikonic_]

This isn't necessarily true... or at least not what I found. I bought a 27" model (summer 2020), cut 5.5" off, and there were still a few inches to spare. When in doubt, pop the end off and measure with something long pushed down inside until it hits the spring.

[@minifigking]

@@Eikonic_ great news, they must have changed it to allow for even narrower margins. Yes I agree I should’ve checked as well 😅

[@RaoulUnger]

Thanks for the tutorial. However, as mentioned in one of the other comments, there is a serious issue with the grooves that hold the right-hand mechanism into place. These grooves do not run along the entire length of the tube. So if you shorten the tube, the grooves at the end are gone. The plug with the mechanism then sits loose in the tube and slips, rendering the blind usesless. I only discovered this after having cut of the tube, and had to glue the mechanism in the tube with two-component epoxy glue to rescue the blind. It made things much more complicated than suggested in this video. Maybe the production process of these blinds has changed regarding the grooves (i bought mine in The Netherlands in may 2019), but people should be very carefull when following this tutorial blindly, and check the length of the grooves first. To be honest, I think you probably should edit the video to include a warning.

[@CorySakai]

Good point. I'll check and see about adding a notation in the video if I can. ? How much did you cut off the end of the tube? I cut 15 of these roller blinds of different widths and I don't think I ever cut more than 10 cm = 3" off of any one.

[@RaoulUnger]

I cut of only about 8 cm. The grooves in my version weren't any longer than 5 cm. The rest of the tube was smooth, cause the inserted plug with the mechanism to loose grip. This is what avdiukhov is referring to as well. The production much have changed a little... I took pictures, but unfortunately there is no way of showing them here.

[@fingerbang247]

Thanks Cory for making such a great video. A few comments: 1. I have done this basic method for both the Skogsklover and the Tretur. It is easier on the Skogsklover and the result is better so if you are on the fence as to which one to buy you know my opinion. The limitation of course is Skogsklover does not come in blackout. 2. I ran into the same problem as Raoul when cutting 2.5" off the rod. The solution I found I think is a bit easier - there are 2 grooves in the plastic mechanism, and I trimmed round wooden toothpicks to fit into the gaps. When I put it in it was very snug and I didn't have to wait for glue to dry. I only did it today but so far so good. 3. I am consistently able to hacksaw the main pole no problem, even without cleaning it out much. I did buy a new high quality fine hacksaw blade to make the cuts. 4. The hardest part for me is cutting the fabric straight. I did buy long shears. One thing that seems to work ok on the white blinds is to use a construction chalk-line to mark the line. But even so my cut lines are just acceptable, far from perfect. 5. I think your video does this correctly, but just to emphasize, you want to pull the blind all the way down, and lock it to take the tension off, before you remove the end-cap. That way when you put it back on the spring will be in the right position.

[@muhajirbm]

Hi Corey, Thanks for the video. How do you trim the top (rectangular) part of this model of roller blinds & also the bottom rail?

[@CorySakai]

Hack saw for metal is quick, cheap and easy. It is aluminum so very easy to cut. I used a mitre saw with a carbide blade, but not the best for your saw blade.

[@lesleylim7804]

Hi have you ever shortened (cut) an Elvarli post? The height is 225 cm and my ceiling or closet height is 196 cm and I am wondering whether if you took out the spring part at the end of the rod (if that's what's inside), and cut the tube with a metal cutter - as you did with the Skogslover rod - then the spring cap could be just put back in. I have no idea if the above makes sense but would really appreciate it, if you had any advice re this. Thanks

[@mpixy]

Hi i was trying to fix skogsklover as it doesn't stop when rolled down, after unsrewing the left side which has the spring I heard the spring unwinding and now it doesnt roll up. what should I do?

[@CorySakai]

Hmmm. If it doesn't catch, meaning you have to tie it down or put a weight on the end, maybe you don't have it wound the correct way on the correct side? Does it go up at the same rate as your others? If you remove the spring. You can just play with that and you should see that it locks if you wind it correctly. Too bad, I motorized mine and just got rid of the extra internal springs and spindle caps. I'm sure IKEA would send you a spring if you asked though.

[@KaregaAnglin]

Hi Cory I am having issues with the spring not recoiling back properly after doing everything in the video (awesome video btw, my wife is happy ;)). How do I fix that?

[@CorySakai]

You probably either need to tension it even more, and/or make sure that it correctly locks into place. If it's not maybe you are spinning it in the wrong direction. I have mounted the blinds with the spring mechanism on the left or the right, it just changes your accessibility to the removal clips and whether the spring mechanism is on the left or the right. It's like setting a toilet paper roll so that the paper comes over the top to the front or to the back against the wall.

[@KaregaAnglin]

@@CorySakai Thanks, I figured it out. I had to use a screw driver to reset the spring, by winding it clockwise to coil it.

[@jessemeisterling5262]

It seems after I cut the right hand side, did not touch the LH side the "soft" feature quit (if it was there). The amount cut off was marked with a fixed combo square, all the gaps are the same. 3 out of 6 shades either never had the "soft" feature or they lost it after cutting the RH side. The LH module was never removed or tampered with. Any ideas?

[@CorySakai]

If by soft you mean the slow close feature, it probably means the red and white plug is slipping inside. There were small ridges in the aluminum that should have kept the end plug in place. Maybe try putting a layer of taping on the end cap before inserting it back in, so that the fit is tighter when you put it back in?

[@VelvetCrone]

@@CorySakai Ikea made the newer version with a soft close feature on the right on several models of blinds depending on when they were purchased. So some might have had them and others not.

[@arncj18]

is the spring going to hold up at least 5 years? and also are those "bends" on the material coming out?

[@CorySakai]

No problems with the blinds so far, but the 3 main ones are now motorized so don't use springs. No bends or wrinkles in the material.

[@thetrickisirarelyrespond5945]

Hi, I was wondering if there had been any subsequent fraying of the edge you trimmed on the blind? When I proposed doing this the guy in IKEA shook his head disapplovingly lol. Thanks

[@CorySakai]

NONE! Not a single bit anywhere, and these are used daily. They also do not rub anywhere on the sides of the window frame, which would likely cause fraying.

[@VelvetCrone]

if you are worried about this you can hit the edge with a little Fray Check, available at fabric stores. I'd test it on a trimmed piece first, dried with a hair dryer, to make sure it won't discolor with heat .

[@stefanobism]

Can it also be cut in height? Thank you

[@CorySakai]

Yes. That's fairly easy to do. Not sure why you would really need to do that though. Just pop the caps off of the bottom silver rod, slide the rod off, cut to length, re-staple the retaining strip back on and replace the rod.

[@infoprn4086]

Why won't my shade roll back up after I made the adjustments?

[@theandroids]

you didn't fit the mechanism back correctly.

[@CorySakai]

You can actually put it half way back in and then start tensioning it, lock it (or have it lock itself), and then place the piece back in. You can actually partially wind it by hand completely out of the rod too, but I find it easier with one end already in the rod.

[@VelvetCrone]

or you can put it back together all the way, and have a friend hold it high (stand on a chair) open it all the way, and allow it to close. Then remove an end, roll the rest of the shade back to the proper spot by hand, and replace the end.

[@avdiukhov]

Hi Cory, Thank you for your DIY, it helped me. However I've got several problems, solution on which you did not mention in that video and here it is. First, when I done all the cutting and was assembling I turned the side with a spring one more time around with a rail in and it pushed out from my hands and fall apart. The spring came detensioned (start making noise inside the tube like an old sofa). If somebody stucked just with the spring problem - check this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoiYZKSHmcSsnLs . Its not Ikea but your spring have to look like this (be tensioned = pre rolled) before you put it back inside the tube (fabric also has to be rolled). But when I done tensioning thing and assembled I stucked with a second problem - came out of soft lift. It's began to "shoot" up very quickly. The reason to this that I done cutting of the frames wrong. Tube has to have a "gap" exactly the same like on factory between the sides and tube it self . Please check the gap before you deassemble this roller.

[@CorySakai]

When you say fell apart, do you mean it unwound the spring tension. If so, I had that happen to me too, but it was easy to spin and wind back into position. You just have to guess a little at the pretension for your window. You can tell if you have the tension correct by how fast it goes up compared with the rest of your window blinds.

[@saridout3440]

The method I used was to take the spring end apart too and use the end bracket as a tool to wind the spring before putting it back together. Also, when I cut off the plug end, I had to cut too much off the tube and ended up removing the entirety of the grooves in the tube. I solved this by putting two crimps in the end of the tube with a pair of pliers.

[@theprofit2929]

Worst description ever. Don’t listen you’ll end up ruining your blinds.

[@CorySakai]

HAHAHAH! Sorry, shouldn't laugh at you. Ya, you do have to be somewhat DIY skilled. I wouldn't say this is "easy".

[@paulshewan6770]

I figured it out, it took about 25 revolutions of winding the spring until it had enough tension to pull itself shut. Don't use my numbers though, if you stand the blind on its end on the floor, with the opposite end cap removed, you can place the 'spring side' end cap over the spring mechanism slot, wind it up, pull out the blind a bit and check to see if it's retracting. If it isnt, wind it up a bit more and test again, repeat until it's right.

[@fksemail]

Hey Cory This video was of immense help! I almost gave up on the curtain before I cam across your video I have cut the rod and the curtain as you have instructed, but I am unable to have the mechanism working right. Could you please explain how you put everything back together? Especially how you rolled the curtain back to have the mechanism working smooth. super thanks in advance!

[@CorySakai]

You should be able to wind the enitre roll back by holding on to the roll with one hand and winding the end (not the red and white end without the spring) with your other hand. It should be locking into place as you do it, just like it does when you pull the blind down and it stops at certain spots after it is installed. Try using a screwdriver on the end to wind it if needed.

[@fksemail]

Cory Sakai amazing! It works! Thank you so much!!