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Measuring Window Blinds Does Not Need to Create Stress!
Be Careful, but Don't get Paranoid when Measuring your Blinds!
Ok, you worked hard and your room redecorating is almost done,
but you want to top it off by putting up great looking window blinds or
curtains! Saving a few bucks is also a motivator for many of us to, "do it
ourselves". You might wonder," What if I measure incorrectly and waste my hard earned money on
blinds that don't fit?" Well the key to this not happening is to learn how
to measure correctly and ask questions if you don't know or aren't sure!
No guessing when measuring! There are great on-line blind suppliers that would
love to help; like
American Blinds,
Click here,
 Select
Blinds, Inc who offers
20 off all Blinds and Shades plus free shipping and
Blinds.com, who offers
Products Made In One Day!
They are all more than happy to answer your measuring questions to
make sure that you get a perfect fit every time, but you still must do the measuring.
There are just a few basics to cover before tackling your
blinds measuring job. First of all (1.) use a metal tape measure to insure
that there is no unwanted slack in your measurements. (2.) Always measure to
the nearest 1/8 inch and don't round up or down! (3.) Be careful when you write down
the width and height measurements because it is easy to mix them up! Always
indicate the WIDTH (W) measurement first and then the HEIGHT (H), WxH. (4.)
Measure each window individually even if they all look exactly the same.
In most cases they won't be! You will also want to take multiple
measurements of both the width and height, but we will cover that later. (5.)
Next, step back and decide if you want to install your blinds inside the window
opening, not covering up the molding/trim (Inside Mount) or outside of the
window opening, covering the molding/trim (Outside Mount).
If you have read this far then you are just about an expert and
we are almost done! Something to consider when you are trying to decide on
Inside or Outside mounting for your blinds is the depth of the window opening.
Most people opt for an Inside Mount because it gives you a neater look.
For Inside Mount your window frame should measure at least 2 inches. If
you have a very shallow window depth then you will need to use the Outside Mount
and the Outside Mount can be used to cover up things and it does make the window
look larger from the inside.
When measuring for Inside Mount you need to first make sure that
there are not any obstacles, like handles or cranks, that would get in the way of
your hanging blinds. If there are then you would be wise to opt for
Outside Mount. Next, measure the width in 3 places (Top, Middle, Bottom).
Always use the NARROWEST measurement. Your last step is to measure the height.
Again, measure the height in 3 places and this time use the TALLEST measurement.
It also would be wise to double check with your chosen blind supplier to make
sure that these measuring techniques should be used for the exact type of
blind that you want to install.
When measuring for Outside Mount you need to have at least two
inches of flat space above the window frame to accommodate for the blind
mounting brackets. When you measure you will be measuring from the wall on
one side of your window frame to the wall on the other side of the window frame.
The distance from the wall to the frame is called the overlap. For most
applications you will want to just use a width overlap of 1 1/2 to 3 inches on
each side depending on the type of blind that you have chosen. For the
height you will want to use a 2 to 3 inch overlap at the top (For the Mounting
Brackets) and 1 1/2 inches at the bottom.
If you understood what you just read then you have enough
knowledge to successfully measure your windows for your new blinds! Once
you have decided on which blind supplier you are going to use it would be best
to take the information that you just learned and coordinate it with that
suppliers measuring techniques for a specific type of blind to insure a perfect
fit.
Three of the best on-line suppliers, who offer detailed measuring
techniques and phone help if needed are
American Blinds, Wallpaper & More,
 Select
Blinds, Inc. who offers
20% off all Blinds and Shades plus free shipping and
you will get
$20 Off Your Purchase at Blinds.com . |
