A remake can start with a small measuring mistake. Rounding up can leave a shade too wide. Measuring one spot can miss a tight frame or a longer drop. Measuring the old blind can carry an old fit into a new order. A forgotten handle can get in the way. Giving height before width can swap the dimensions. Use a tape measure and record each window separately.
Should I round up when I measure for a shade?
Choose your mount before you put the tape against the window. An inside mount sits within the opening. An outside mount fixes to the wall above it and overlaps the opening. It can hide an out-of-square frame and block more light. For an outside mount, add at least 2 inches each side and 2 to 3 inches above.
Read your tape measure to the nearest 1/8 of an inch. Rounding up to a whole inch can make an inside-mounted shade too wide for the opening. For an inside mount, give us the exact opening measurement. We make the deduction at the workshop. Subtracting your own allowance can leave the shade too narrow after we make ours.
Write the width on paper before you measure the height. Keep the tape straight as you read it. If you cannot see the marks clearly or hold the tape securely, get someone to help before you record the measurement.
Why do I need to measure more than one spot?
Windows are rarely square. A width taken only across the top can miss a tighter opening farther down. The shade may clear the place you measured and catch against another part of the frame. Use your tape measure across the opening at the top, the middle and the bottom. Record the narrowest of the three widths. That is the width we build to for an inside mount.
Then measure from the top of the opening to the sill at the left, the middle and the right. Record the longest of the three heights. A shorter reading can leave a gap at the bottom when the shade is lowered.
Measure every window in the same pass, using the same tape. Similar-looking windows can have different openings. Keep each window’s width and height together on your paper so you can match them to the right order.
Can I measure the blind that is already there?
Measure the window opening with your tape measure, even if the old blind seems to fit. An old blind’s finished width can already include a deduction. Giving us that width for an inside mount means we would be working from something smaller than the opening. The replacement can end up too narrow.
The old blind can also conceal where an outside mount overlaps the frame. Decide how you want the new shade mounted before measuring. For an inside mount, take the opening measurements to the nearest 1/8 of an inch and leave the deduction to us. For an outside mount, measure for the overlap you need.
If the old blind prevents you from reaching the opening safely, leave that part to someone who can access it safely. Do not guess from the fabric width or copy a size from an old order.
What if the window handle sticks out?
Look for the handle before you settle on an inside mount. Use the tape measure to check the flat depth inside the frame. We require at least 2 inches of flat depth for the cassette to sit in. With less depth, choose an outside mount so the cassette does not stick out.
Check where the handle sits in relation to the planned shade. Forgetting it can leave you with a shade that interferes with the handle or cannot move freely. The opening’s width and height alone will not tell you about that obstruction. If you cannot tell whether there is room, ask us before confirming the order.
You choose which side the continuous-loop chain hangs on. We set its drop to suit the measured window. The chain is sold shrouded and anchored to the wall with a tension device. Any shade can be motorized for $115.00 more. A motorized shade has no chain, but you still need to check the handle.
Does width or drop go first on the order?
Give us width first, then height. Label both on your paper before entering them on the website. Drop means the height measurement. Reversing them can give the workshop a wide, short shade to make for a narrow, tall opening. We cut from the measurements you submit.
For a common small bedroom window, a chain-operated zebra shade at 24 by 48 inches is $150.20 before tax, with shipping in Canada included. Those dimensions mean width by height. They are an example, so measure your own opening before pricing it.
Read each entry back against your paper before confirming. Custom shades are final sale once the order is confirmed. That does not apply to a shade that arrives faulty, damaged or different from what was ordered. Our remake guarantee is limited to one blind per customer and applies to website orders of three shades or more. It does not apply to trade accounts.
What to do next
Use your recorded width and height to price each window on our website. A chain-operated roller blind at 24 by 48 inches is $103.80 before tax, with shipping in Canada included; your own shade is priced from your window’s measurements. If a handle, the mounting depth or access leaves you unsure, ask us before confirming the order.
Made to measure in Richmond Hill and shipped free anywhere in Canada. Or ring us on (289) 210-3254.