How to Get the Perfect Fit on Your Window Shades

Before you even measure, you have some decisions to make:

1) What type of shades are you using? Floor-length bamboo? Narrow Roll-Up Shades?

2) Where are these shades going to go? Shades can hang outside the window frame for a look that is more like curtains, or inside the frame for a clean, modern appearance.

3) How much coverage do you want? If you’re hanging the shade inside the frame, your coverage will be inside the frame, if you decide to hang the shades outside the frame, you’ve got more leeway. Consider how light is going to hit the window.

Now that you have made these decisions you are ready to measure, keep these tips in mind:

1) Use a steel tape to measure your window, fabric or plastic tapes won’t give you the best measurement!

2) For an inset shade, measure from top to bottom and left to right, and note the depth of the window frame (to make sure it will accommodate the shades you purchase).

3) For an outset shade, measure from the point you’ll hang the shade to the point you want it to drop to, and from side to side, taking into account how far beyond the window frame you want it to extend and remembering that you’ll need at least two inches above the window for mounting brackets

4) Make sure that you measure the inside width in three different places and use the narrowest of the three. Not all windows are perfectly square

Note: These Lewis Hyman Shades and Blinds are designed to fit inside the window frame and as a result measure ½” less in width.