Ordering a Perfect Fitting Roller Shade

Roller shades can bring style to any room with these three to help you order the right size.

1. Roller Shades are Ordered “Tip-to-Tip”

When you order a roller shade, the width you are ordering is that of the roller tube itself, from one tip to the other- even on an outside mount shade. This also means all inside mount roller shades, like the ones above, will have light gaps on the sides. These light gaps are typically more noticeable on blackout fabrics.

2. Even Outside Mount Shades Have Fabric Deductions

Since roller shades are ordered tip-to-tip, the fabric will always be about 1.5″ narrower than the tube. When you order a roller shade to be mounted on the outside of the window opening, you will need to add 1.5″ to the width of the window opening- then add the amount of overlap you would like to have on the width and the height. For example, if the window you are covering is 30″ wide and 30″ high, and you want to have 2″ of overlap on each side, you should order the shade in the dimensions 35.5″ wide and 34″ high.

3. Always Measure the Width at the Top of the Window for Inside Mount

Because roller shades have minimal deductions taken to the width of the roller tube, and the fabric is narrower than the roller tube, you only need to worry about measuring one place in your window for the width of your shade: the top of the casing. Measure the top of the window opening and round down to the nearest 1/8″, and use that measurement as your width. Since the bottom of the window is sometimes a different width than the top, measuring the top will give you the best fit for your width.

So pick up your metal tape measure, pencil, and paper. By remembering these three things, you can order a perfect fitting roller shade in a snap.

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