How to Measure for DIY Window Blinds

When it comes to purchasing new window blinds, there is a wide range of options on the market. Finding the perfect window blinds for your home doesn’t have to be tricky and deciding whether to purchase custom-made or ready-made and DIY (measure and install yourself) or traditional (in-home measure and quote), there can be a lot to think about. So, let’s start by helping to narrow down which direction is best when it comes to purchasing new window blinds.

Window blinds can be both stylish and functional and are a great solution for any room in the home, whether that room is utilised mostly to live, work, play or a combination of all three. So, when it comes time to revamp your old window blinds or furnish your brand-new home, there is a window blind solution for everyone.

Ready Made Blinds

Ready made blinds are usually purchased off the shelf and come in only a few specific sizes, colours, materials and blind types. Usually, ready made blinds are made with cheaper materials and mass produced to keep costs low. However, this means a poorer quality product which is not likely to last the distance.

As ready made blinds are only made to a few specific sizes, this means that you may find your perfect size blinds but you also may not. It is likely that the blind will either be too small or too big for the space, compromising on the overall finished look of your windows and potentially also affecting the performance of the blind.

Custom Made Blinds

Custom made blinds are known for being high quality and lasting the distance. Made from high quality materials as well as detailed craftsmanship, custom made blinds are made to your exact specifications and customisations, to truly make them unique to your home.

Custom made also means not buying off the shelf and in most cases the window blinds will come with a warranty to protect you from the unexpected. Each blind type comes at a different price, however in most cases, custom made blinds are usually more expensive than ready made. This is due to the window blinds being made individually and not mass produced.

A question to ask yourself before deciding whether to choose ready made or custom made blinds is, how often do I want to be changing my window blinds? If the answer is, once or not very often, then custom made blinds are the way to go.

If you do decide to go with custom made blinds, you can also save some extra money buy DIYing. In just a few simple steps, you can measure up your windows, place your order online and install the blinds yourself. Below are the steps you need to take to measure for window blinds.

There are two ways to install window blinds, inside the window frame or outside the window frame. Once you have decided where you would like your window blinds to sit, simply grab a tape measure, piece of paper and a pencil.

Reveal Fit

Step 1: With your tape measure, from left to right, measure the width of inside the window frame at the top of the window, the middle and at the bottom. Write these measurements down and use the smallest measurement as your blind width.

Step 2: With your tape measure, from top to bottom, measure the height of inside the window frame on the left, in the middle and on the right-hand side. Take the smallest measurement of the three as your blind height.

Step 3: Check the depth of the window frame. With your tape measure, simply measure from the window or handle to the front of the window frame. This will help to determine how much room you have for the blind to be installed in the window frame (each blind has a different required depth, check here for your blinds depth).

Face Fit

Step 1: With your tape measure, take the width measurement from left to right at the top of your architrave or edge to edge of your window frame. Once you have this measurement, add 50mm to your width so the blind overlaps the entire window.  

Step 2: Again, with your tape measure, take the height measurement from top to bottom of the architrave or window frame. Take this measurement in the centre of your window frame. Once you have your height measurement, add 50mm to your measurement to ensure your blind will cover the entire window height.

That’s it! Once you have your width, height, and depth measurements you can simply jump online and place your order.

For inside mounted blinds, small deductions are taken to ensure the perfect fit of your custom made blind. For outside mount, the blinds are made to the exact sizes provided, except Roller Blinds.

Customising Your Blind

Now that you have your measurements, you can customise your blind. Each blind type has different customisation options, some of which are outlined below.

• Fabric Colour
• Chain/Cord Operation
• Bracket Colour
• Slat Size
• Cell Size
• Position of Cords

The options are endless when it comes to purchasing window blinds and custom made blinds are the perfect way to truly make window blinds your own. It can be easy to get overwhelmed by choice so to simplify your options start by deciding if custom made DIY measure and install window blinds is the option for you.