Heavy plastic blinds

Juli Albright
by Juli Albright
Is there anyway to transform these into something nicer? They're 1" vertical blinds, about 54" x 48" They are very heavy (we rarely raise them~just tilt them) and an ugly color. I don't want to buy new ones if I can make these into something better! THANKS!
  8 answers
  • ...If you dont want to replace them , I would paint them :) Yes, you can paint them. Krylon makes a paint that will paint anything. ..Clean really well with TSP or simple green, ( I always threw min in the tub with cleaner and let them soak, then cleaned them , and sprayed them with the shower hose/ sprayer. Alternately , you could do that outdoors. ) I would do a few good coats of whatever color they have in this paint that appeals to you. :).. You can also stencil a design on them, I have done this . ...takes a bit of time and patience, but worth the effort. :)
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    • @Kim .....you are very welcome , .Its ok, I believe we are / were ' novices' ...when we first do things that are in the creative/ artistic realm. ..AND ...its a process of still learning, and growing in skills and creativity ! I wish you the best , theres a lot of good people on here that are helpful, kind and will assist others. :)
  • Janie Janie on Mar 06, 2015
    There are great directions for Roman shades using old blinds. No sewing. My daughter made them and they're great.
  • Hope Williams Hope Williams on Mar 07, 2015
    Yes to roman shade. I have the same PVC blinds too. They are very heavy and are the 2" slats. Requires two hands to lift. One to pull string and one to push blind up from the bottom. When I made my shade, I cut the slats in half. So that it took more weight off.
  • Sandyc Sandyc on Mar 07, 2015
    Check out Wendy's post on Hometalk, How to Update Vertical Blinds with Stencils. Very clever
  • Carol Carol on Mar 07, 2015
    I had the wider vertical slats in a previous home. I simply laid them out on a table and painted them with the same Benjamin Moore wall paint that was on the walls. I used a foam roller, gentle pressure so as not to incorporate air bubbles. They blended in beautifully when they were closed and the paint lasted 15 years with no chipping despite the daily opening and closing!
  • Darla Darla on Mar 07, 2015
    You could dispense with the slats altogether and hang curtains from the thingies where the slats were attached. I'd like to add sheers to my cheap plastic vertical blinds.
  • Lori Lori on Mar 07, 2015
    I am going to assume they are exactly the right length because any extras weigh a ton. I still have one to do. The Roman sounds wonderful, I remember seeing that. There are the stencils yes, and there are a lot of beautiful tapes available now. It would be time consuming to cut designs and stick them on but could work. I spray painted mine once but I was never happy with the painted strings and you can't get around them if you hang to paint. Good luck.