Here’s a way that allows you to transform your present blinds into blackout blinds that look great. Of course, this is not the simplest way to get the needful done but it surely is quite creative.

Blackout Blinds Benefits

At the outset you would be keen to know what are blackout blinds and why does one require them, aren’t they almost the same? Why would one prefer to include blackout blinds than the normal variety?

As far as construction goes, the only difference between the blackout blinds and the normal ones is that the former have bigger slats and they have no holes through which the operating strings pass, or the holes in their case are covered with cloth tape. Because the slats are bigger and the holes are covered or there are no holes, the blackout shades are able to considerably reduce the amount of light that enters through the window as compared to the normal blinds. Blackout blinds are of great help in places like bedrooms, family or games room, nurseries and offices too.

Don’t feel dejected if the windows in your room are already covered with blinds, for I’m here to help you convert these blinds to the blackout variety in an affordable manner. And, in case it doesn’t work out to your expectations, you have the option of buying a set of new blackout blinds, which you can order online at reasonable prices. It sounds surprising!

How to Make Bamboo Blinds into Blackout Blinds

In case you have bamboo blinds, follow the following steps to transform these to blackout blinds:
Non-blackout bamboo blinds: It’s nice to have bamboo blinds at home but their design doesn’t completely stop the sun from entering the room. Though such blinds allow you to have some privacy, they fail to provide the level of darkness that blackout blinds can offer. However, if you like to have blackout blinds here’s the solution for you.

By taking these simple and quick steps you can convert your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds.
1. Decide before hand the level of darkness you would like to attain using blackout blinds. The blinds should preferably be mounted on the outside of the window, but in case they have been mounted from inside the casing of the window, make sure they cover the window from end to end, so that there is no possibility of light entering from the sides.
2. Figure out your blinds: Bamboo blinds are either Roman shade or the roll up kind. You need to ensure that while adding the fabric to change your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds, the operation of the blinds is not affected.
3. Measure your present shutters for the blackout fabric: When taking measurements of your blinds stretch them out completely and then measure the height at the left, right and centre, while width is measured at the top, bottom and centre. You should consider the largest measurement for width and height.
4. Now, you need to buy the fabric from a craft store that you would like to put at the back of your present blinds. Choosing fabric for turning your bamboo blinds to blackout blinds is one the most important steps of the entire exercise. It has to be thick to stop light from entering the place but at the same time it should be neutral lest it should look odd with the present arrangement you may be having. You have to be careful that it’s not too thick to affect the operation of your blinds. It’s quite practical to go for a thin felt as it won’t need hemming at the edges nor wouldn’t it be too heavy. You should also buy craft glue for sticking the felt at the flipside of your present blinds.
5. Having thus finished your shopping, remove your blinds and apply adhesive at the backside of your blinds, taking care that the blinds are fully stretched out. Allow the adhesive to get dry before installing the new bamboo blackout blinds.

The new blackout blinds wouldn’t be able to totally blackout the incoming light, but they will significantly reduce the same. In case these new blackout blinds are not long enough to cover up the whole of your window casing, you could extend the felt at the back to go beyond the blind. You may cover it up with a band of wide ribbon placed above the ends of the bamboo blinds and turn that around to fix at the rear of the felt (that is nearest to the window). This way you give a custom look to your new bamboo blackout blinds.

How To Make Your Blinds into Blackout Blinds Part I

If you already bought window blinds and on second thoughts realize that blackout blinds would have been a better choice, you need not fret, as by following a few steps you can transform your present blinds into blackout blinds. As the blinds are already there, you can’t have route-less blackout blinds, and would have to incorporate cloth tapes to the present available blinds.

1. First, you have to decide the color of cloth tape you may like to have. Look for a shade that blends well with the shade of your blinds. You may choose a contrasting color for additional impact. You should be aware that neutral colors are the most appropriate as they get along well with most other shades or you may opt for a color that complements the existing décor of your room.

2. Now you need to calculate the length of cloth tapes. You have to ensure that your blinds get closed when the slats are pointed UP. If they are closed in that manner, there is no light entering from the top of the slats. You must add a minimum of eight inches to the measured length. You need to do it for all the sets of strings with holes that the blinds have.

3. Now, you visit a craft store, and decide before hand the material of the cloth tapes that you would like to use. Ribbons in width of two inches or more best solve the purpose. Assess the length of the ribbon and be sure it’s long enough. You may have to purchase a fresh roll for every set of strings on the blinds. You’ll also need to buy a matching thread or craft glue.

Next, you have to decide whether you would like to have the ribbons glued or sewn on the strings. I would recommend sewing, as it’s going to be a very simple tack, needing just two stitches for each slat. Finish your purchases at the craft store and you are ready for the second part of changing your blinds to blackout blinds.

How To Make Your Blinds into Blackout Blinds Part II

Having already gone through the first phase of transforming your present blinds to blackout blind you come to the next phase, the toughest one that involves attaching the “cloth tapes” that you bought and thus finish your blackout blinds.

1. Before you begin with the process of attaching the cloth tapes, you need to remove valance from your blinds. Generally, these are attached using plastic clips. So, you may pull it off the clip or as you loosen the base of the clip, it comes out easily. For the first set of strings, feed the border of the ribbon on top of the blinds and fix it under the head rail. This can easily be achieved by pushing the blinds to the top and applying a small volume of craft glue on the ribbon after it has been fed through. You could also craft a loop keeping the ribbon around the head rail and sew it jointly.

2. Should you decide to glue the ribbon on the present operating strings, you should ensure that the blinds are in closed mode and the slats are pointing vertically, then just put a dot of glue on the string carefully and put the ribbon over that. Though it’s easier, you may mess it up if not being very careful to avoid putting glue onto the slats.

3. I recommend sewing the ribbon to the strings. This may look to be a bit more difficult than just gluing, the arrangement is expected to last longer and you won’t create any mess. All that you are required to do is to attach the ribbon through a tack onto the string in the center of all slats. While sewing, you may opt to skip every alternate or every two slats.

Well, the conversion of your existing blinds to blackout blinds is not the simplest thing to do, but it is certainly not impossible. I expect the total expense for conversion to be around $50, depending on the choice of ribbon you opt to go for.