Order Blinds Online
View the contents of your secure shopping basket

Frequently Asked Questions About Window Blinds

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

Below you will find a list of our most frequently asked questions. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for here please feel free to Contact Us where one of our customer care team is on hand to offer honest & helpful advice.

How do I measure my window for blinds?

What is the difference between a 'Recess Size' and a 'Blind Size'?

If I provide a Recess Size, what reductions will you make from the measurements provided?

How do I measure my bay window for blinds?

I'm planning on fitting my blind outside of the recess. How much should I overlap the recess by?

I have a sloping window. How do I measure for sloping vertical blinds?

How do I measure for your Total Blackout Cassetted Blinds?

How do I fit my Total Blackout Cassetted Blinds?

How easy is it to fit my blinds?

Can I change the control side on my roller blind?

Are your blackout blinds really blackout?

Are your blinds child safe?

I can't find the size code for my skylight window?

Do you offer free samples?

My window is overlooked by passers by and I need privacy whilst still allowing the light in. What can you suggest?

My UPVC window has a depth of less than 18mm. Will the Perfect Fit system still fit my window?

My spring loaded roller blind won't roll back up by itself. What should I do?


How do I measure my window for blinds?



We recommend using a good quality steel measuring tape and taking a measurement for the width in 3 different places as well as the drop. Our full measuring guide which gives detailed step by step instructions as well as a useful video can be found here – Measuring Guide.




What is the difference between a 'Recess Size', a 'Blind Size' and a 'Fabric Size'?



When you place an order for the majority of blinds on our website, we will ask you whether the measurements you've provided are a 'Recess Size', 'Blind Size' or 'Fabric Size'. This information is crucial as it affects the finished size of your blind.

A Recess Size is the internal measurements of your window reveal as illustrated in the image below. For a Recess Size, please provide us with the exact wall to wall & ceiling to sill measurements with no reductions. We will then make the appropriate reduction to ensure the blind fits perfectly within the space. The reduction size varies depending on the type of blind.

A Blind Size is the exact size you would like the blind to be including brackets. In most instances this will apply if you are fitting your blind on the wall outside of your window recess. This is illustrated in the image below.

Recess or Blind Size

You can also choose to provide a Fabric Size which will be the exact measurements of the fabric panel required. This means the size of the brackets and mechanism will be added to your fabric size.
 

What reductions will you make from the measurements I provide?



This all depends on the type of measurement you provide.

If you provide a Blind Size measurement, we will take this as the full width of the blind including the brackets and mechanism - we will make no reductions at all to the size you give.

If you give a Fabric Size we will use this measurement for just the fabric part of the blind, so the size of the brackets and mechanism will be in addition to the fabric size you provide.

Blind Size and Fabric Size measurements are most often used for blinds that are being fit outside of the window recess.

For a Recess Size we make a reduction on the width measurement provided to ensure that you are left with adequate space either side of the blind's brackets for it to operate correctly and to give you a tiny bit of manoeuvring space when you fit it. The size of the reduction will vary depending on the type of blind you have ordered:

Roller Blinds 5mm
Wood Venetian Blinds 10mm
Vertical Blinds 5mm
Aluminium Venetian Blinds 10mm
Roman Blinds 10mm
Day & Night Blinds 5mm
Bottom Up Blinds 5mm



How do I measure my bay window for blinds?



Measuring for a bay window can be a little confusing as you need to ensure that adequate reductions are made to allow the blinds to fit correctly in the corners of the bay where two blinds meet. To make this easier for our customers, simply provide us with measurements of all of the available space as well as the angle of the bay & we will make the reductions on your behalf to ensure the blinds fit your bay window beautifully. Simple instructions on how to measure for a bay window can be found in the video below:




I'm planning on fitting my blind outside of the recess.How much should I overlap the recess by?



This is completely down to you depending on how big or how little you would like the overlap to be. As a rule of thumb we generally advise to overlap by 10cm.


I have a sloping window. How do I measure for sloping vertical blinds?



Measuring for sloping vertical blinds may seem a little daunting & complicated but it's actually really easy when you know where to measure. In our step by step video guide below we show you how sloping vertical blinds work, where you should measure, how you should measure & what you should use.




How do I measure for your Total Blackout Cassetted Blinds?



In order to order a blind from our range of Total Blackout Roller Blinds, we require customers to provide us with 7 precise measurements. This may seem excessive but it is necessary to ensure that this product is suitable for your window. Taking these 7 measurements however is a piece of cake. We simply need 3 width measurements, 3 height measurements & 1 depth measurement. Follow the step by step instructions in the video below & you can't go wrong!




How do I fit my Total Blackout Cassetted Blinds?



Fitting one of our Total Blackout Blinds is a doddle as it doesn't require drilling & can be installed simply with a hammer & screwdriver! The video below shows you step by step how to fit your new blind.




How easy is it to fit my blinds?



Generally speaking fitting window blinds is very easy. Depending on the type and size of the product you will have a number of brackets which are simply screwed into your recess or wall which the blind fits into. For product specific instructions and step by step guides please visit our fitting pages here – Fitting Guide


Can I change the control side on my roller blind?



Sure, no problem at all. Simply remove the blind from its brackets (if it is already installed), pull the entire control mechanism out of one side of the roller blind tube, pull the entire pin out out of the opposite end & then reinsert them in the opposite ends. Your brackets may only marry to one of the ends, so if you've already fitted your blind you may need to swap the brackets to the opposite ends too.




Are your blackout blinds really blackout?



Completely. We offer proper 3 pass blackout fabrics which offer complete light reduction. Being a roller blind you will have a small amount of light coming in around the sides unless you opt for a Total Blackout Cassette Roller Blind.


Are your blinds child safe?



Yes, all of our blinds are child safe. We are proud members of the Make It Safe campaign launched by the British Blind & Shutter Association (BBSA) in 2009 to campaign for safer blinds. As a result of legislation introduced in early 2014, the blind industry has altered its products to ensure that any blind featuring a hazardous looped cord is supplied with a child safety device. This device keeps any looped cord tensioned at all times preventing strangulation. There are also restrictions on the length of the cord too. Depending on which type of blind you purchase, your blind will come with one of the following child safety devices:


Child safety devices for blinds



Each member of our Customer Care team is happy to answer any questions you may have regarding child safety, so if you would like to know more please Contact Us or visit the Make It Safe & BBSA websites.


I can't find the size code for my skylight window?



No problem, we have written a guide explaining how to work out what size roof blind you need and thus which size to order. Please refer to it here – Identify My Skylight Window.


Do you offer free samples?



Yes absolutely - this simple guide will show you how and we will post them out ASAP using Royal Mail First Class post.


My window is overlooked by passers by and I need privacy whilst still allowing the light in. What can you suggest?



We have two ingenious solutions for this problem - Bottom Up Blinds & Day & Night Roller blinds.


My UPVC window has a depth of less than 18mm. Will the Perfect Fit system still fit my window?



If you have a shallow frame depth then the Perfect Fit system will still fit your window. The smallest bracket available on this system is 18mm deep. If your depth is smaller than this, your Perfect Fit frame will protrude further into your room than your window frame leaving a small gap between the two ie. if your frame depth is 15mm, you will have a gap of 3mm between the Perfect Fit frame & your window frame (18mm - 15mm = 3mm). To prevent light leaking through this gap, fit draught excluder tape at the edges of the underside of the Perfect Fit frame to fill the gap. The area that will be affected is highlighted in the image below:


Perfect Fit Blinds with depth less than 18mm



Draught excluder tape is available in various depths from most high street hardware & homeware stores.


My spring loaded roller blind won't roll back up by itself. What should I do?



In most instances this will be caused by there being no tension within the spring. This can occasionally happen in transit & is easily resolved by applying tension to the spring. You can do this yourself in a matter of minutes. Instructions can be found here. Please refer to the section titled "Lost Tension on the Spring". If adding tension to the spring does not resolve this issue then please contact our Customer Care to troubleshoot further.


I can’t find what I need. Can you help?



We are always happy to help. Our customer care team will always offer honest, helpful advice & where possible provide suitable solutions to your problem. Just get in touch via our contact form, on the phone or drop us an email. All of our contact info can be found on our Contact Us page.


Over 250,000 Blinds Shipped

You Can Trust In Us For A Hassle-Free Experience With Quick And Easy Ordering, Fast Delivery And Professional Customer Care.

Follow our instagram @orderblinds

Beautiful made to measure window blinds

Sign up to our newsletter

and receive up to £50 off your order!

Join us and never miss out!

Receive limited time offers, VIP updates & new product sneak peaks straight to your inbox

  • Company No: 07106076
  • VAT No: 142616921

© 2024 Order Blinds

Ecommerce solution by Etail Systems

Secured by SagePay
VISA Accepted
Mastercard Accepted
Pay by PayPal