How To...

Fix a broken slat

I have one broken slat in the plantation shutters that are on three bedroom windows of my house. The piece that holds the slat in place has come loose. I don't want to replace all of the shutters for one broken slat, but I cannot get anyone to fix it. The slat looks bad because it doesn't open and close with the others. Where can I get this repaired?

Audrey Rasmussen

Alexandria

Patrick Martin, owner of Shuttermedic, a company in Atlanta that sells repair parts over the Internet ( http://www.shuttermedic.com), couldn't determine from your description which of two possible problems you face. But either way, a repair should be easy and inexpensive. Shuttermedic's Web site, like those of some other parts companies, includes a diagram that labels components, so you can pinpoint what you need before you order.

The most likely problem, Martin says, is that a staple fell out on the tilt rod, the part that raises and lowers the louvers. At each louver, two staples should thread through each other, with one connected to the louver, the other to the rod. If this is the problem, you probably just need a new staple.

Or you could be referring to a missing pin at one end of the louver. There is a special replacement pin that you can push in without disassembling the shutter.

The pin is spring-loaded, so you make it short enough to push into place, and it pops open and stays where it needs to be.

Need help? Is there something in your house or apartment that's clogged, cracked, broken or bedeviling? We'd like to help. Send your questions to Jeanne Huber at home@washpost.com .