Measuring for the perfect fit

Ready to invest in new blinds for your home? The very best part we think you will agree is shopping for the perfect fabric, exploring different designs, colours and textures.

Getting this decision right is essential in creating the right look and feel for a room. But taking accurate measurements is equally important to ensuring the perfect finish.

That’s why at Dean & Co we take measuring seriously, offering a free, no obligation measuring service to all our customers. Our expert Chris has more than 25 years’ experience in measuring and fitting blinds and curtains and is happy to offer advice and guidance to help you achieve the look you love.

Can I take my own measurements?

Lots of our customers do like to take their own initial measurements which can help us to provide a rough estimate on cost. But, as getting the measurements spot on is so vital to both the look and performance of your blinds, we will always follow up with a full measure before providing a final quote.

Measuring the recess

Perhaps the golden rule when measuring for blinds is that no matter how good your window looks, it’s unlikely to be perfectly rectangular, and assuming it is, could lead to a costly mistake.

We use the recess size to fit blinds inside windows as this is generally where most blinds tend to sit, whether they are venetian, roller, pleated or vertical blinds. They are usually fitted to a part of the recess, whether that’s at the front or right against the window, although this is unusual as the window fixings stand out from the window.

Generally, if fitting outside of a recess you have a lot more choice (depending on what’s around the window) and we tend to leave a 10cm gap around the edges because it allows the blind to frame the window nicely.

To find the size of the recess the height of the window from top to bottom will be measured both at the left and right hand side of the window. This can be particularly significant if you’ve got tiles inside the recess as it will affect the size of the blind. It’s important to always take two measurements and use the smallest size.

Two measurements will also be taken across the width at the top and bottom of the window again taking the smallest measurement. Together these provide the recess size.

Factors to consider

When measuring, Chris will be looking at many factors to work out where to position the blind such as whether there are handles in the way, if it’s easier to get to one side to open it and whether the window needs to open inwards.

Usually, you will have the choice of which side to have the controllers on and it’s worth giving this some thought. With a venetian blind it can be split so controls are less confusing with tilt on one side and up and down on the other. 

What will your blind be fixed to?

After deciding where the blind will sit, it’s vital to consider what it will be fixed in to – the last thing you want to do is drill through a pipe! Our fitter Chris will talk through where you want it fitted then look at the sort of things we’ll be fixing into like tiles or the PVC frame of the window. At Dean & Co we have specialist equipment that allows us to detect wires and pipes as well as special tools for drilling into different materials like lintels, brick and PVC.

Conservatories

With conservatory blinds, measurements need to be taken on all four sides of each panel because the shaped blinds are all different and will come specifically made for each individual window. As part of this we will take note of the angles of each corner.