Choose your mounting position and measure the window before fixing brackets. For an inside mount, check for at least 2 inches of flat depth. If you cannot confirm the header or what is behind the drywall, leave the fixing to an installer. Have them choose the anchor for the actual mounting point rather than guessing from the window size.
Where should I mount the shade?
Decide between an inside mount and an outside mount before you measure. An inside mount sits within the window opening. Check the flat depth inside the frame with your tape measure. You need at least 2 inches for the cassette to sit in. If you have less, choose an outside mount.
An outside mount fixes to the wall above the opening and overlaps it. It hides an out-of-square frame and blocks more light. Allow at least 2 inches each side and 2 to 3 inches above. Keep those allowances with your measurements so the intended position is clear when the fixing points are checked.
Choosing an outside mount still leaves the wall fixing to be confirmed. If that position puts the brackets into drywall with nothing behind it, leave the anchor choice until someone has checked the wall.
What should I measure before fixing brackets?
Use a tape measure and record the width first, then the height, to the nearest 1/8 of an inch. For an inside mount, measure the opening at the top, middle and bottom. Write down the narrowest width. We use your exact opening measurement and make the deduction ourselves, so do not subtract anything.
Measure the height from the top of the opening to the sill at the left, middle and right. Use the longest height so the shade covers the full drop. Keep the width and height clearly identified when you enter them on the website.
If you are ordering for more than one window, measure them all in one pass with the same tape. Check each opening separately. Our made-to-measure sizes run from 9 to 109 inches wide and up to 130 inches high, to the eighth of an inch.
How do I find the header above my window?
Before making bracket holes, have the header position confirmed. If you cannot establish where it is, leave that part to an installer. Your tape measurements describe the opening and the shade you need. The fixing points still need to be checked at the intended bracket positions.
For an outside mount, your measuring allowance is at least 2 inches each side and 2 to 3 inches above the opening. Keep that intended position clear when you ask for help locating the header. Avoid changing the mounting position without checking what that change means for the measurements you plan to order.
We install within 75 km of Elgin Mills and Yonge in Richmond Hill. If you want us to handle the bracket fixing, include installation in your plans before confirming your custom order.
Which anchor should I use if there is no header?
Have an installer choose the anchor after checking the actual mounting point. We cannot name a particular drywall anchor from your window measurements alone. If all you have confirmed is drywall with nothing behind it, stop before fixing the brackets.
The measuring is a job you can do yourself with a tape measure. Leave the bracket fixing to someone else when the support or anchor choice is uncertain. For an inside mount, the required 2 inches of flat depth should also be checked before you commit to that mounting position.
Think about the chain position while planning the installation. You choose which side it hangs on when ordering, and our workshop sets its drop length. The continuous-loop chain is sold shrouded and anchored to the wall with a tension device.
What should I allow for the shade and installation?
As a chain-operated zebra shade, 24 by 48 inches is $150.20 before tax, with shipping in Canada included. As a roller blind, 24 by 48 inches is $103.80 before tax, with shipping in Canada included. These are example window sizes. Your shade is priced from the measurements of the opening it is for.
Installation costs $100 per window, with a minimum of three windows, within 75 km of Elgin Mills and Yonge in Richmond Hill. The mechanical parts of a shade our own team installs have lifetime cover. Fabric is excluded from that cover.
We make shades to order in Richmond Hill and dispatch within three working days of a confirmed order. Transit is on top. Custom shades are final sale once the order is confirmed, so settle the mounting position before ordering.
What to do next
Price your window on our website using its own width and height measurements. There is no minimum order, so one shade is fine. If you need help with the fixing, our installation service covers homes within 75 km of Elgin Mills and Yonge in Richmond Hill, with a minimum of three windows.
Made to measure in Richmond Hill and shipped free anywhere in Canada. Or ring us on (289) 210-3254.