measuring sliding glass door

Let’s say you’re looking to improve the state of your windows by adding some new blinds or shades. Stylistic and functional choices are going to be important, but you also need to make sure that you are working with the correct dimensions. You don’t want to bring home your new blinds or shades, just to find out that they’re improperly sized. For that reason, you need to be familiar with how to measure windows accurately for the purpose of installing new window treatments. Here’s what you need to know.

Inside or Outside Mounting

First, determine whether you’ll want to mount your window treatment inside a window recess or outside (on a wall, molding, or other flat surface). If you’re mounting inside, make sure your window has enough room to mount the selected window treatment without obstruction.

How Do You Measure For Inside Mounting?

  1. Measure width inside the window.
  2. Measure height inside the window.
  3. Measure both diagonals. If they are significantly different, you may need to switch to an outside mount.

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How Do You Measure For Outside Mounting

  1. Measure the horizontal distance between the outermost points you’d like to cover. Blinds should overlap the sides of windows by at least 1.5 inches.
  2. Measure from where you’d like to put the top of the blind down to the windowsill. Again, the top should be at least 1.5 inches higher than the top of the window in order to minimize light leakage.

General Tips

Before you start measuring, remember a few more pointers.

  1. Home improvement experts recommend using a metal tape measure for the most accurate dimensions.
  2. When measuring, take three measurements (top/middle/bottom or left/center/right) of a window recess, then use the smallest measurement.
  3. Make sure you’re rounding your measurements appropriately, as well. Unless a measurement falls exactly on a ⅛-inch interval, you should be rounding down to the nearest eighth of an inch, since window products generally won’t list their products by sixteenths of an inch.
  4. Also, measure every window you’re outfitting, even if two or more appear to be identical.
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Now that you know how to measure windows for new treatments, give Shading Texas a call!

We proudly serve the greater Austin area, Houston, and San Antonio, providing retractable awnings, insect screens, security shutters, and more. Whether you’re looking for shading, security, or privacy, we can outfit your home’s windows with the treatments you want. Get in touch with us today and schedule your free on-site estimate!