How to Measure for New Blinds

When purchasing new blinds for your windows it is essential that you measure correctly to get the right size. You will measure differently depending on whether they are inside-mount blinds or outside-mount blinds. Blinds mounted on the inside hang inside the window casing, while blinds mounted on the outside cover the window molding.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Metal tape measure

Inside-Mount Blinds

1. Begin with the width or horizontal measurement. Hold the very edge of the measuring tape to the upper left corner inside the molding. Measure straight across.

2. Move down to the middle of the window and measure in the same way, inside the window casing from left to right straight across.

3. Measure the width a third time, at the very bottom of the window, inside the window casing from left to right.

4. Round the measurements up to the nearest eighth of an inch. Write down the smallest of the three measurements.

5. Get the height measurement next. Start in the upper left hand corner, placing the edge of the tape measure flush against the inside of the window casing. Measure straight down.

6. Take the height measurement in the middle from top to bottom, and a third time on the right hand side. Write down the largest measurement of the three.

Outside-Mount Blinds

7. Begin with the width measurement. Start in the upper left corner and hold the end of the tape measure at the very outer edge of the window casing. Measure straight across to the right outer edge of the window casing.

8. Measure the height by measuring top to bottom in a straight line. Once again, measure from the outer edges of the window casing.

9. Add 3 to 4 inches to the height measurement. This will ensure the most light is blocked when the blinds are closed.