Simple Slat Repair for Large Window Blinds

Family Handyman

Simple Slat Repair With a Hole Punch

Got a broken slat in your patio door vertical blinds? Here’s a quick and easy way to fix it. Cover the broken area with two layers of packing tape. Use a hole punch to make a new hole for the clip. Clip the slat into place and move on to your next chore! — Clint Howe

Make sure you know these 100 handy hints that can help you clean blinds.

Plus: Check out these 15 creative ways to repurpose old blinds:

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Make Labels

Whether you have vinyl, wood or metal blinds, think about how you can use them as labels. Try painting the slats to use as labels on bins and boxes. Photo: Courtesy of My Love 2 Create

Updated Roller Blinds

This DIYer took an old roller blind and gave it an updated look. It took some simple tools such as a hacksaw, a drill and a box cutter. For complete instructions, including a how-to video, visit The Carpenter's Daughter Photo: Courtesy of The Carpenter's Daughter

Bamboo Art

These bamboo shades are now a work of art. Try cutting them to the size you want, then add painters tape to create stripes or a fun pattern, then paint. Photo: Courtesy of Reality Daydream

Headboard Cover

Give your headboard an updated look with old linen blinds. Just weave old linen blind slats over a headboard and staple in place. Photo: Courtesy of Savings House

Basket

This blogger's two cats destroyed her mini blinds, so she took them down and repurposed them by making a basket for a quick storage solution. She used scissors, double-sided tape, a stapler and ribbon. Photo: Courtesy of Scraps of Life

Starburst Mirror

Mirrors can help add light to a dark room, so try turning that old mirror into a work of art. Take those old blind slats, trim the edges and hot-glue them to the back of a mirror. You also paint them to match your room's decor. Photo: Courtesy of A Girl and a Glue Gun

Courtesy of Blindster

Flag Art

These old bamboo blinds have a new life as an American flag. Just remove the headrail of the blinds by cutting the string that holds it together and tie it off to prevent unraveling. Then grab your patriotic paint and get started. Photo: Courtesy of Blindster

Roman Shades

If your bamboo blinds need an update, cover them with a fun fabric and transform them into Roman shades. Find complete instruction here. Photo: Courtesy of Tiny Kelsie

Photo: Courtesy of Adrian Lawson

Pendant Lamps

There's an artist takes old wooden blinds and turns them into pendant lamps. He got started reusing blinds and other items for projects when he was young. His repurposed blind pendants come in 12 different styles. Photo: Courtesy of inhabitat.com

Play Road Barriers

If you have young children, here's a fun project. Take some old wooden blinds and transform them into road barriers. Grab some bright orange tape to hold them in place and create barriers and other road signs for fun car and truck playtime. Photo: Courtesy of balhoff.smugmug.com

Quilt Design Wall

If you're a quilter, use old blinds to create a design wall. This DIYer cut an old bamboo blind to fit her space and then stapled quilt batting to the top rail. She hung the batting-covered blind on the wall and now uses it when designing quilts, choosing fabrics or for displaying parts of a quilt in progress. Check out these great tips for how to hang a quilt design wall and other unusual items. Photo: Courtesy of Craft-Crazy

Plant Marker

Use old mini blind slats to create garden markers. Use them to label bedding plants or rows of seeds. As an alternative, these DIY plant markers are made out of mortar mix and copper wire. Photo: Courtesy of Get Busy Gardening

Create Art

Want to get really creative? Try turning your old blinds into a work of art. This DIYer painted the blind slats, then added a peacock on top. Photo: Courtesy of A Girl and a Glue Gun

Bookmarks

Use old blind slats as bookmarks. Just cut to size, then decorate with markers or paint and add a string or ribbon. Perfect for inexpensive gifts! Photo: Courtesy of Tina Crosbie

Jostein Hauge/Shutterstock

Paint Barrier

If you have old mini blind slats, try using them to help you paint. If you don't have painters tape, you can lay a blind slat flat to act as a quick barrier when painting trim. Photo: Jostein Hauge/Shutterstock