Simply stated – don’t do it!During our initial contact I would ask prospective customers if their windows were ready to be measured? Are they being replaced? Have they been replaced and, if so, has the molding (trim) been installed? You see, you can’t get reliable measurements until the job is done. Often, contractors would tell me how much to add to an unfinished window and they might even be correct. But if not, if plans changed, could I rely on being notified before the wrong sizes were ordered? Trying to convince a customer who has a thousand details on their mind that ill-fitting blinds are someone else’s fault is a losing proposition. So in those cases I would only give an estimate based on approximate sizes and insist on a return visit for final measurement. I lost a few jobs for what was considered my obstinacy on that point.I understand that a family that has been living through a renovation for weeks (or months) is impatient to have all the workers out of their house and get their lives back. Having to reorder window treatments only adds to the inconvenience. Tape measure & laserGet it right the first time!
I wish I had invented or, rather, brought Paper Shades to market. Consider… You just bought or signed the lease on a
Window Treatment Descriptions
Horizontal Blinds – Window covering with louver/slats/vanes running left-to-right or parallel to the horizon. Also known as Venetian blinds. Sub-categories includes Wood, Faux Wood, Vinyl, Aluminum(mini, micro).
Vertical Blinds – Window covering with louver/slats/vanes running top-to-bottom or perpendicular to the horizon.
Shadings – These are hybrid roller shades with internal, tilting fabric louvers. Originally released as the Hunter Douglas Silhouette but now available from many brands.
Banded Shades – Also known as Zebra shades. They are rollers with alternating strips of varying opacity which can overlap for full privacy.
Vertical Sheers – A hybrid of a traditional vertical blind and sheer drapery.
Roller Shades – A traditional product familiar to many as a cheap vinyl covering from a home center or hardware store but custom rollers are available in a dizzying array of fabrics.
Solar Shades – A sub-category of roller shade featuring ‘screen’ like fabric of varying transparency expressed as a percentage ‘openness factor’.
Pleated Shades – A simple, traditional fabric shade formed by creasing fabric in increments from 3/4″ – 2″. The predecessor of the cellular shade.
Cellular (Cell) Shades – Also known as honeycomb and accordionshade. Based on pleated shades but have two or more layers creating a thermal barrier which is an effective insulator. Popular with a ‘top-down/bottom-up’ feature which provides direct light while maintaining partial privacy.
Vertical Cellular – A cell shade with cells (pleat lines) running top to bottom. Ideal alternative to vertical blinds for sliding patio doors.
Roman Shades – A decorative traditional fabric shade available in several styles.
Austrian Shades – A traditional fabric shade typically made with sheer fabrics. Privacy comes through the ‘gathering’ effect. They are not particularly practical but are valued for the decorative street view they provide.
Woven Wood – A rustic sub-category of Roman shade available in natural wood and grass woven materials.
Louver Drape – Another sliding door option, these are generally woven wood shades with a drape-like appearance drawing side-to-side.
Panel Track – Also known as a sliding panel. Typically used for sliding patio doors, these feature 2 or more fabric, solar or woven wood panels which stack in parallel, one over another. Great companion to matching roller, solar or woven shades. A clean, modern look but partially obstructs the view outside.
Phrase
Definition
Louvers
Also known as slats or vanes. These are the tiltable components in blinds.
