How to measure and fit your blinds
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There are so many benefits to having blinds at home. Not only do they look beautiful, but they can be so practical! Curtains can only really be open or closed, but blinds can be tilted to block out the sunshine while also letting in plenty of light. They can also offer further privacy that curtains just can’t (unless you want to sit in a dark room in the middle of the day).
When I was redecorating our living room and we were choosing some new items, like a small sofa and an overhanging lamp, I knew that eventually we would have blinds on the main window. Make My Blinds* kindly offered to send me a set of blinds for the window, and I was so excited to work with them! The blinds in the image below are the Editions Satin White blinds with Lilly tape*.
As some people may be put off blinds because they think the measuring and installation process is complicated, I wanted to create this handy guide that shows just how easy it is to fit them.
How to measure windows for blinds
Before you can install blinds, you need to order some and this involves measuring the window. This is the point at which many people get worried, in case they measure the window wrong. And it can also get confusing when you start to talk about recess vs. exact dimensions. But don’t worry. Below, I’ll run through everything you need to know about measuring for new blinds!
How to measure blinds
For this job, you’ll simply need a tape measure, and maybe an additional person if you have a large window to measure.
As I wanted my blinds to fit inside the window’s recess, I measured the recess, which is outlined by the blue and red lines in the image below.
What does ‘recess’ and ‘exact’ dimensions mean?
When measuring your window to see what size blinds you need, you take one of two measurements.
The recess measurement is the one you need when you want the blind to fit inside the window recess. The brackets for this kind of blind will be located on the up-side of the bit that juts out, shown with the blue line above. You will need to measure both the width (in blue) and the drop (in red) in centimetres. If your windows or walls are a little wonky, you should take three width measurements from the top, middle and bottom of the recess and take the smallest one.
The exact dimensions will be needed when you want the blind to cover the window completely and it will slightly overlap between the wall and the window, as shown in the image below.
I personally prefer blinds that are in the recess, as they look neater and allow more light in. The more your blinds overlap between the recess and the wall, the more light will be blocked. But this choice is completely down to you. I took my measurements for the recess in centimetres and inputted them into Make My Blinds’ website. They slightly reduce the size you’ve inputted to account for the brackets’ width.
Can you cut wooden blinds to fit?
So the big question is, what if you get the measurements wrong? With these blinds, I wouldn’t advise cutting them down. If you did, the mechanisms that control the blinds to tilt them and to pull them up or down would be cut off, and so they wouldn’t work. This is why it’s a good idea to check and then double check your measurements before ordering your new blinds. Ensure that you’ve ticked the right boxes (e.g. recess vs. exact), and you can’t go far wrong.
If your blinds arrive and they don’t fit, you should contact the manufacturer to see what can be done. It may be that the blinds can be altered.
How to fit blinds
Once you’ve measured your window and ordered your blinds, it’s time to install them once they’ve arrived! Don’t be daunted by this task – you’ve got this! Just follow my simple instructions below and your blinds will be fitted in no time.
These instructions are for blinds that are being fitted in a recess with the brackets top-fixed to the lintel.
You will need:
- A drill or impact driver* (we used the DeWalt one)
- A pencil
- Rawlplugs*
- 4mm diameter screws* (usually provided with the blinds)
- Brackets (provided with the blinds)
- A screwdriver or drill
How to install wooden blinds
Step 1: Clear the area
It’s so much easier to work in a clear space that’s free of clutter. We pushed our curtains to one side, and moved all of the furniture out of the way, including the rug which could have been a trip hazard. We even put a plastic cover over our radiator to stop too much brick dust from falling down.
Step 2: Mark out where the brackets will go
Your blinds will come with brackets that need to be drilled in. Ours had the option to be either side fixed (attached to the side of the wall) or top fixed (attached to the top of the wall). For our recess, we did the two brackets on the left and right in the side-fix position and the two centre brackets top fixed.
To figure out where the brackets need to be, measure and mark the distance between the wall and the back of the bracket. Once the bracket is held in place, use a pencil to mark the hole positions where the screws need to go. Do this for all of the brackets.
As our blind was quite wide, we had four brackets – two either side and two in the centre.
Step 3: Drill your holes
Once you’re confident that you’ve marked out the positions correctly, it’s time to drill all of the holes you’ve just marked out. Jay is demonstrating this nicely in the photo below!
As our lintel was pretty solid, we used an SDS drill to get those holes in place. We then inserted rawlplugs into the holes, before putting the bracket in place and drilling in the 4mm screws. Ensure that your brackets are straight or the blind might not fit into them.
You can see the brackets in place in the image below.
Step 4: Slot the blinds into place
Once you’ve got all your brackets in place and they’re secure, you can slot the blind’s headrail in. This should be fairly easy, depending on the types of brackets, but you may need two people in order to properly support the blinds and get them in place.
Our brackets had an arm that lifted up so you could slot the blinds into place before pulling the arm back down and clicking it shut. This locked the blinds in so they wouldn’t move.
When the blinds are in, there’s a nice fascia piece that clips on that hides the mechanisms and really finishes off the look.
And there you have it! How to install blinds in 4 easy steps.
Can you have curtains and blinds?
Curtains and blinds are pretty much a match made in heaven and so you can definitely have them both on one window. Blinds* are good because you can control the light much more effectively, tilt them up or down, have them open or closed. But I feel like curtains really finish off a room. They add softness, they can make your ceilings look higher and you can use them to add texture, colour and patterns.
As they both do different things and have different effects, I’d actually recommend having them both together!
Where it’s good to have blinds only in somewhere like a kitchen or bathroom, curtains can make a living room or bedroom look luxurious.
Measuring and installing blinds doesn’t have to be a daunting or difficult task, and you’ll love the end result! I hope this how-to has helped you, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment below and I’ll do my best to help!
*This article contains affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission when you purchase a product after clicking through the link.
