Are you ready? Did you decide to buy wood blinds and now you need to figure out how to use them? Have you ever sat in a restaurant or other public place and pondered why there are so many ?things? hanging down from the blinds? What do all those great cords and wands do? This is not magic, it is merely the attempt to control your horizontal blinds. We have wondered if blinds installers, who are usually too busy to install the blinds properly, ever go through the process of explaining how to control the blinds. If you are a newcomer to wood blinds, then this article will help you to know how to use them, and will help you enjoy your new window treatments. If not, and you are already familiar with how to control wood blinds, then humor us, and allow your fellow students to learn something.



Wood blinds are a basic horizontal blind. The typical horizontal blind will all an operator to tilt as well as lift the slats. This is a function of the control systems in wood blinds. Most common wood blinds have two different operating systems inside them, and that is why there are so many cords or parts dangling from the headrails.

The control system to tilt uses a rotation system inside the headrail. This rotation is monodirectional. By this, we mean that pulling a cord, or moving a wand in one direction will only cause the blind to move in that particular direction. Thus, in order to move a wood blind to tilt the slats downwards into the room, pull the one cord that will make this action occur. If you have a wand control, turn that wand in the appropriate direction. If, on the other hand, you wish to move your slats on your wood blinds to face downwards to the outside, pull the other cord or turn the wand the other way.

Take great care to not over twist the wands or pull too hard on the cords. While wood blinds have safety systems, you do not want to over power them. These safety systems, by the way, are that the cords cannot be pulled hard enough to break, as the cords pass to the bottom rail inside the blind. Wand controls have a gear break inside the control system to cause them to click over when they are tightened too much, thus guarding from overpowering.

The lifting system is always done with wood blinds cords, which pass through the blind and exit through a mechanical lock system called a cord lock. The exception is when wood blinds are manufactured with motors or a premium continuous cord control system. The lifting cords should not arrive at your installation with the cords tied in a knot. If they do, then you should immediately untie them so they comply with safety guidelines. The basic function on a cord lock is to pull the cords down and to the opening of the cord lock in order to lower the wood blinds slats. If the goal is to raise the wood blinds, simply pull down on the cords together. Sometimes, with heavier blinds, the lifting can be very difficult. Please ensure that the blinds are properly installed and that the brackets are well attached to the walls.

Initial shipping on wood blinds will often have the blinds so tightly lifted that they will not drop. After installation, pull the cords very hard towards the opening in the cord lock. Pull to the side of the wood blinds, not downwards. If you are fortunate to have a continuous control system, simply pulling down on one side of the cord or chain will cause the wood blind to go up, do down, or to tilt. The opposite side will have the opposite result. While this can be more convenient for some small adjustments, and can make lifting a larger blind much easier, the ability to lift quickly with the pull cords will surely be missed.

Now, the basic primer course in how to control wood blinds is complete. On your next visit to a hotel, restaurant or the home of a friend, we expect you to approach the wood blinds that are hanging there, and spend a few minutes adjusting them. If you get any strange looks, you can either tell the truth, which is that you are taking a final exam, or you can make up a story that you are trying to see more of the view, or block the sun with the wood blinds. That is what most people do.