New window blinds will give your room a great new look to help block light and provide some added privacy. These days you can buy blinds in many different colors and styles. Every blind is different too so make sure to buy ones that fit your homes style and your personality. Blinds come in many different styles such as traditional horizontal blinds, vertical blinds, energy efficient blinds, black out shades, no pull cord blinds and remote controlled blinds. Measuring blinds is easy. For this project you will need a tape measure, a pencil and a ladder.

There are two ways to install blinds, inside mounted and outside mounted. Inside mounted sit inside the window and outside mounted are attached to the frame or the wall.

Measuring inside mounted blinds is simple. Figure out if the window being measured is deep enough for inside mounted blinds first. Measure horizontally at the inside top, middle and bottom. Choose the smallest measurement so the blind clears the frame. Next, measure vertically on the inside left, middle and right of the window. Take the largest measurement and round to the nearest 1/8”.

For outside mounted blinds measure the distance to the nearest 1/8″ between the outermost points where the blinds will be placed. Next measure the desired height. Add an extra 1 1/2” above and below for optimum light control. If you are using a wall mount hang about 2″ from the top sill of the window.

Vertical blinds may also be an option for you. These are great for sliding doors or wide doorways. Measure the width of the door or window and add 4″ to each side. Measure the height where the head rail will be placed, typically 3″ above the sill. Measure from the rail to the bottom floor sill.