Measuring Blinds

The first decision to make is - do you want your blind to fit inside or outside the recess?  If the recess is less than 5cm deep, or the window opens inwards, or there are other obstructions the blind must be fitted outside the recess.

Before you order a blind decide whether you are going to get a company to measure your window or you are going to do it yourself.

If you are going to measure your window yourself always check your measurements carefully as the supplier will not be held responsible for mistakes.  Make allowances for cupboards, telephone sockets, light switches, dado rails, window sill overhangs and skirting.

You’ll need a good quality steel tape measure and a pen and paper. Never use a cloth tape measure as they can stretch and give incorrect measurements.

Inside Window Recess - Measure the width of your recess in 3 places and use the smallest measurement. Do the same for the drop.
 
Outside Window Recess - Decide how much you wish to overlap the recess at each side (suggested overlap is 6cm each side) and at the top and bottom. Ideally, when raised, the blind should not obscure the window. Therefore blinds must be fixed high enough above the top of a window recess to allow for depth of a roller mechanism or head rail and bunched slats. Remember that the cloth width for roller blinds will be narrower than the overall size.

Multiple Blinds – when measuring blinds that will hang side by side allow a minimum gap of 1cm between each blind, to ensure they work independently of each other and still fit within the space you require.

Bay Windows and Conservatories – A little extra time should be spent on getting the measurements accurate or leave this type of window to the experts to measure.