Things You'll Need
Duette cord repair kit
or
Blind lift cord
Scissors
The Hunter Douglas Duette is a specific honeycomb window shading. Lift cords, running vertically through the horizontally stacked honeycombs, raise and lower the blind. If one of the cords breaks or becomes lost inside the blind, it may not raise and lower correctly. Repositioning a loose lift cord is something a homeowner can accomplish herself.
Step 1
Open the blind and lock it into the up position. Remove it from the brackets and lay it flat on the work surface.
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Step 2
Remove the hardware from the blind. Remove the end caps from the top and bottom rails. They snap into place; a light tug on the edges of the cap will release them. Gently slide the cord lock system away from the blind. Be sure to leave the existing cords in place because they are the guide to restringing the cord lock. Note the orientation of the cord lock as it is removed from the head rail; it must be replaced in the same position. It is useful to take a picture of the cord lock, with the cords in place, as it slides out of the blind for later reference. The cord lock must be threaded correctly for the blind to function. Remove the head rails from the top and bottom of the blind by sliding them to the left or right.
Step 3
Cut the cords free, just above the tassel.
Step 4
Rotate the blind so you can see the grommets tied to the lift cords on the bottom of the blind. Pull on the grommet attached to the loose cord. Pull it, and the attached cord, all the way out of the blind.
Step 5
Retie the cord to the grommet to ensure there are at least 2 inches of cord loose past the grommet. This extra may be necessary for later lift adjustments.
Step 6
Thread the other end of the lift cord into the eye of a long needle and insert the needle into the cord channel of the blind, at the bottom, and up through to the top of the blind. Pull the cord until the grommet contacts the bottom of the blind.
Step 7
Remove the needle and lay the cord across the top of the blind, following the path of the existing cords.
Step 8
Thread the cord through the cord lock, using the existing cords as the guide.
Step 9
Replace the hardware on the blind. Replace the head and bottom rails by sliding them back into position on the top and bottom of the blind. Replace the end caps over the ends of the rails and snap them into position. Slide the cord lock into place between the top rail and the blind. Snap it into position.
Step 10
Hang the blind on the brackets and lower it to the maximum length.
Step 11
Measure the length of the replaced lift cord against the existing cords, cut them to the same length, and reattach the tassel.
Tip
If the blind does not raise and lower evenly, the new cord may be too tight or too loose. Remove the bottom end caps and slide the bottom rail free, pull the offending cord free of the blind and either tie it tighter or loosen it.
Hunter Douglas will supply a cord repair kit, available through the company website (hunterdouglas.com).
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