Occasionally, we encounter clients who prefer to raise and lower their wood or faux wood blinds.  In general, we recommend that if you have wood and faux wood blinds installed in your home, that you limit how often you raise and lower them.  This practice tends to make the wood or faux wood blind last longer.

Really, your wood and faux wood blind is designed to control the light by tilting it throughout the day.  The process of raising and lowering puts a lot more force on all of the components.  In fact for certain large faux wood blinds, most manufacturers will not provide a warranty on the blind - and recommend that the blind not be raised very often.

Also, wood and faux wood blinds when raised will stack at the top of the window.  The size of this stack is determined by the length of the window.  So, if you are planning on using a wood or faux wood blind in this way it might be a good idea to review the stack chart provided by the manufacturer.

Bottom line - you might want to consider a different type of window covering if raising and lowering your blind is part of how you plan on enjoying your window.  There are plenty of options.  If you simply love wood and faux wood blinds, and need to raise and lower then regularly, then work with your window covering professional to consider weight, stack, material and configuration.  All of these items, properly designed and considered, will help you make choices which cause your blind to last as long as possible.

Of course, we can help you with all of this and we would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project.  Also, for a rough idea of what your project might cost, check out our online wood and faux wood blind calculator.

These instructions are designed to help you accurately measure for wood blinds and faux wood blinds. Blinds can be installed one of two ways: inside the window frame, which is called inside mount and outside the window frame on the wall, which is termed outside mount.  For the purposes of this article we will focus on the more rare application which is the outside mount option.  If you are interested, we discussed measuring for the inside mount application in last week's article which you can read here.

Outside Mount Window Measuring

For your best look, the exact desired blind size measurements should be given for all blinds to be mounted outside the window casing.

First, measure the width (left to right) at the top.  This is the most important measure but it is wise to check several the middle and bottom width of the window to ensure that you find the widest point.

Second, measure the height (up to down) at the center.

Third, add to your width and height.  Most people will add 1" to both the left and right and will add 2" to the top and bottom, but you can decide for yourself what will look best in your space and provide the side-view privacy desired.  For example, if you window opening is 36" wide by 60" tall, then your outside mount blind should be ordered as 38" wide by 64" tall.  

With this type of mounting, your window frame will be covered. This is usually not preferred when the frame itself is an architectural feature.

Please remember, provide the actual blind size - NO deduction in the width and/or height will be taken at the factory. 

Some Things to Watch For

Wood and faux wood blinds can be heavy, so with outside mount blinds it is important to consider your mounting location based on where you can hit wood studs.  Mounting an outside mount wood or faux wood blind into drywall is possible, but it also might just pull right out of the wall taking a big chunk of drywall with it and potentially banging into you as it falls.

Additionally, it may be more difficult to layer soft window treatments over outside mount blinds due to the blind’s projection into the room. However, with rod extensions on the soft treatment, this is rarely a prohibitive factor.  Also, an outside mount blind is larger than an inside mount blind; in some cases this can make an outside mount blind slightly more expensive. 

Basic Measuring Guidelines

Please use a steel tape measure for accuracy. Preferably use a wide steel tape measure for greater precision.  For widths longer than an arm span, someone should assist in holding the tape measure.  Every measurement should be recorded as it is taken. Two measurements should never be taken and then written down because it is hard to remember which was which.

The width should always be recorded first, then the length. This is standard throughout the window covering industry. Measurements must be recorded in inches, never feet and recorded to the nearest 1/8".

We hope this helps you conceive of how to consider applying wood and faux wood blinds to your inside mount windows.

In Summary

The blind may be extended higher or wider than the window opening. All outside mount blinds are made to the exact size ordered. This is allows you to eliminate light being visible between the side of the blind and the window frame. There are fewer measuring and installation complications with an outside mount, and the problem of fitting the blind into an uneven or "out-of-square" window is eliminated.

Of course, we can help you with all of this and we would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project.  Also, for a rough idea of what your project might cost, check out our online wood and faux wood blind calculator.

These instructions are designed to help you accurately measure for wood blinds and faux wood blinds. Blinds can be installed one of two ways: inside the window frame, which is called inside mount and outside the window frame on the wall, which is termed outside mount.  For the purposes of this article we will focus on the most common application which is the inside mount option.

Inside Mount Window Measuring

For your best look, the exact window opening measurements should be given for all blinds to be mounted inside the window casing.

First, measure the width (left to right) at the top.  This is the most important measure but it is wise to check several the middle and bottom width of the window to ensure that you do not have more than 1/2" variation.  For instance, if the top width is 72" and the bottom width is 71 3/4", you are okay ordering at 72" IM.  The blind will actually be made to 71 1/2".  So as long as you don't have a size equal to or smaller than 71 1/2" you will have a good fit, and the blind should not get bound up when raising and lowering it.

Second, measure the height (up to down) at the center.

Third, measure the window depth (the distance from the front of the window casing to the front of the window glass or window frame).   With enough sill depth, your blind will not take up wall space and the blind does not significantly project into the room, making it easy to use fabric treatments on the top, if desired.  

With this type of mounting, your window frame will be exposed. This is usually preferred when the frame itself is an architectural feature.

No worries, provide the actual window opening size and a reduction in the width and/or height will be taken at the factory to allow for proper operating clearance for the blind. Know this, most windows are not perfectly square. This fact, together with the standard factory operating clearance deductions, will result in some light gaps between the sides of the blind and the window casing.

Basic Measuring Guidelines

Please use a steel tape measure for accuracy. Preferably use a wide steel tape measure for greater precision.  For widths longer than an arm span, someone should assist in holding the tape measure.  Every measurement should be recorded as it is taken. Two measurements should never be taken and then written down because it is hard to remember which was which.

The width should always be recorded first, then the length. This is standard throughout the window covering industry. Measurements must be recorded in inches, never feet and recorded to the nearest 1/8".

We hope this helps you conceive of how to consider applying wood and faux wood blinds to your inside mount windows.

Of course, we can help you with all of this and we would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project.  Also, for a rough idea of what your project might cost, check out our online wood and faux wood blind calculator.

Wood blinds bring a unique look to any room in the home. They can be a part of any décor from traditional to modern.  Crafted from 100% kiln dried premium Basswood and available in colors to coordinate with any interior our wood blinds are a classic and distinctive window treatment. All of our Wood Blinds have been engineered to provide light control, privacy and energy efficiency. Wood blinds provide an inexpensive alternate to shutters.

Basswood is the first choice for wood blinds. Basswood is a very fine grained, neutral colored hardwood that is
ideal for making wood blinds. It takes stain and paint very well and is very light weight. Basswood is sustainable,
renewable and widely farmed and is an ecologically sound choice as cutting old growth forests is not required. Wood is a natural product. While we strive to produce wood blinds that are as uniform as possible, it is impossible to ensure that every piece of wood will be identical. The grain and characteristics of wood varies from piece to piece and even from section to section within a single piece. Part of the beauty of using wood is the natural variation of the wood.

We would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project.  Also, for a rough idea of what your project might cost, check out our online wood and faux wood blind calculator.