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Measuring for window treatments is very easy and often greatly exaggerated by blind companies who want your business.
For window treatments there are two types of mounts for a regular window. First is the inside mount which is the easiest. Secondly is the outside mount, which requires a little more work.
All an inside mount means is that the window treatments is going to fit inside a window opening and is recessed. To measure for an inside mount; get a standard metal tape measurer. Run the tape across the top of the window opening and mark the measurement on a piece of paper. Go down half way down the window and do the same thing and lastly do the same thing for the bottom. We measure to the nearest 1/8th of an inch for window treatments. You want to order the blind with the narrowest of the three measurements. Do the same for the height and go with the longest measurement. The beauty of an inside mount for window treatments is that the factory takes the necessary deductions in order to fit inside the window opening so you do not have to calculate it. The factory usually deducts around ½” total to the width to make room for the hardware.
Outside mounts for window treatments is slightly trickier because you have to allow for overlap of the opening. All an outside mount measurement means is that the factory will make the window treatment the exact size you request (they take no deductions). You measure the same way as above but add the amount you want to overlap the opening. The main thing to consider is making room for the brackets above that opening. In the window treatments industry, we typically add three to 7 inches in the width (1 ½” to 7”) overlap for the width and three to four inches to the height.
Lawren Gournay is the owner of <a href="http://www.shadesshuttersblinds.com">Shades, Shutters and Blinds</a>, a leading online seller of blinds and other window treatments.
