HOW TO MEASURE YOUR WINDOWS FOR BLINDS

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

Measuring your windows for Blinds, Shades or Interior Shutters is easy. Let’s start with a few general rules that apply to all of the window treatments we sell. Remember, it’s best to measure TWICE and order ONCE.

Rule 2. Measure down to the nearest eighth of an inch and do not round your measurements. Meaning don’t measure 35 3/8″ and call it 35″ or 36″.

Rule 3. When writing down your measurements be sure to indicate which measurement is the width and which is the height and ALWAYS note the width first, then the height. A common mistake customers make is transposing the numbers. Be sure not to get them backwards. Since these are custom made products it’s generally very hard to have a size modified and can get costly to have them remade.
Measuring Example: your window is 36 3/8″ wide by 60 1/4″ high (tall). Think of it in these terms, Width is horizontal (horizon) left to right and height is vertical top to bottom. Your written measurements would look something like this… 36 3/8″ x 60 1/4″

Rule 4. Inside Mount Only – Do NOT take any deductions . Our factory takes those allowances.

You need to provide us with your EXACT WINDOW SIZE OPENING, do not use the size of an existing
blind in that window. If you take your own deductions and then order as an inside mount you will get a
double deduction when the factory also takes an allowance meaning your window treatment will not fit
properly and you will have a larger gap between the treatment and the window opening.

Rule 5. Outside Mount Only – You need to provide the exact overall blind size needed (by adding the
necessary coverage to the width and height of opening). Our factory makes most outside mount
blinds the exact width and height you specify. NOTE: The height includes the OVERALL blind which
includes the headrail, etc. One of the few exceptions are roller shades which the width is generally
made as a tip-to-tip size. Meaning the fabric width is generally smaller than the width of the roller tube
and bracket tabs. Since there is generally no deductions made on outside mount blinds, do not order your blinds as an outside mount if you are installing them inside a window opening as they will not fit. The blind cannot be the same exact size as the window it will be installed in as there must be room for hardware and clearance. Outside mount applications are usually used for windows that do not have an inside area, like a patio sliding glass door for example.

Choose Inside or Outside Mount:

Before taking any measurements, step back from your window and
decide if you want to mount the window treatment inside the window
recess or outside on the wall or molding. For an inside mount, the
window opening must have enough unobstructed depth to allow
mounting. Be sure to look for obstructions like window locks, window
cranks, etc.

Tip: For a flush inside mount (the blind completely recessed so that no
part of the blind projects out of the opening) check that you have
enough depth and make sure that if a valance is included that we
make it slightly smaller than the window opening width since they are
normally made an inch or two wider.

Tip: We usually recommend an inside mount whenever possible because it provides a cleaner look. However, an outside mount can make a window appear larger or hide an unattractive window. When you specify inside mount, we will make a size deduction to allow for operating clearance. With most products we will deduct up to 1/4″ from each side. Roller shades also have a rather large fabric and roller tube deduction (see product specs tab on product pages). For vertical blinds there is also a height deduction of 1/4″. The deductions are made so that the blind will not rub or scratch your window frame. If you specify an outside mount, we will not take any size deductions. Your blind will be made at the exact size you specify. So you must ADD to the opening measurement to allow for overlap and mounting brackets. When measuring, don’t be surprised if your windows are not square. It’s not uncommon and probably won’t be noticeable.