No, You Can’t Measure Your Existing Blinds
It would be a whole lot easier if you could just measure your existing blinds when ordering new ones, wouldn't it?
To order blinds from Blindster, we have you take measurements and give them to us. We realize this can be a little intimidating, so to protect you, we don't charge you to remake your blinds under our Fit or Free policy. You do have to pay for the price difference (if there is one) and shipping, though.
Now here comes the big "but" – if you are ordering replacement blinds, you cannot measure your existing blinds. You have to measure the window opening.
When your blinds are made in our factory, we modify your width measurement on inside mount blinds to fit your mounting type. The type of mounting hardware used varies by-product and so does the amount of width deduction that is taken by the factory when they make your blinds. So your existing blinds may not have the same mounting type as your new blinds.
And you may not realize it, but your current blinds may not properly fit your window as is.
Also, don't use the manufacturer specifications from packaging, invoices, or other shipping materials. Those numbers could be incorrect in the first place. They may not be right for the mounting type you order, either.
Always measure your window opening and never your blinds.
You don't have to be a professional contractor to take the measurements. This part you can do yourself. As you measure, always follow the rule of "measure twice, order once." Here's the basic process:
- Measure your window opening width at the top, middle, and bottom.
- Also measure the height at the left, right, and center
- Write the narrowest width and tallest height down, rounded to the nearest 1/8 inch. This is the height and width you will order!
- Write down your measurements as width X height
- When you tell us your window's measurements, give us the exact numbers you found (rounded to the nearest 1/8 inch). For inside mount, don't take any deductions! Deductions will be made in our factory.
- Make sure you have a depth of more than 1 1/2 inches – most window treatments need this depth to mount properly.
- If your depth is exactly 1 1/2 inches or less, then either:
- contact our customer service reps to make sure the window treatment you want can mount in that space, or
- check the product specifications on our website to see if you have enough depth to mount the window treatment inside the window.
One big mistake to avoid is to never assume all your windows in a given area are the same size. Measure them all, and consider writing down a code for each so you know where your blinds should go when you get them. Enter the codes in the "Room" section on each item to make it easier to identify each blind when you install them. The factory will put the codes in the "Room" section on a label on each blind.
Always use a metal tape measure. Cloth tape measures are very flexible, not as accurate, and are harder to use.
And if you have any questions about this process, you can always ask our customer service team at Blindster.com. Also, view our specifications (located on each individual product page) and/or our How to Measure section of our website for detailed installation documents on all the blinds and shades we offer.
