How to Make Wooden Venetian Blinds

If you have some woodworking skills and woodworking tools, then you can save yourself some money and make basic wooden Venetian blinds yourself.

1. Decide if you want inside or outside mounted blinds. Measure the width and the height of the windows you'd like to cover with wooden Venetian blinds. Determine the type of wood you want to use. Your decision will be determined by your budget and the color you're looking for.

2. Purchase your desired wood. Get your home supply store to cut it, if necessary, to the desired thickness. You don't want the wood to be too thick, otherwise the blinds will be too heavy. Cut enough 1-inch or 2-inch wide slats to cover the length of your window. The width of the slats will be determined by the width measurements of your window.

3. Drill a hole about 1 inch from the end of each slat. You need to be exact with these measurements since this is where the string will go through that will allow you to lift and lower your blinds.

4. Thread rope or twine through the holes so that the slats are closed. This step may require some adjusting of the slats. Hang the blinds above the window. Pull the rope up and down to open and close the blinds.

5. Experiment with creating a double pulley system, if you're creative, you can so that you can leave the blinds down, but with the slats open. This system, however, makes the project much more difficult.

6. Make a basic wood valance to dress up the wooden blinds.