French & Standard Doors
Blinds & shades mounted on doors are outside mount, that is they mount outside the window opening and directly to the door. For products mounted on doors follow the outside mount measuring instructions. In addition when measuring the width remember not to order so wide that the blinds interfere with the doorknob or deadbolt lock. If your door has a lever handle the blinds can slip behind the lever, however products like 2" blinds will not be fully operational unless you have at least 2 1/2" between the lever and the door. Consider products like 1/2" or 1" blinds, cellular or pleated shades for doors with lever handles. Also make sure you request hold-down brackets. The hold-down brackets secure the bottomrail to the door. If your window has raised trim around the glass make sure you request spacers. Spacers are used with the mounting brackets to provide additional room between the mounting surface and the blind. This will bring the blind out away from the door to avoid hitting the raised trim. All products will mount on both wood and metal doors.

Sliding Glass Doors
The most popular treatment for sliding glass doors is vertical blinds. Blinds or shades mounted on sliding glass doors can be either inside or outside mount. When determining the mount type consider whether the handle is an obstruction, if it is then an inside mount probably is not possible. For an outside mount it is normally advisable to add about 4 inches to the width on both sides of the door opening. The wider you specify the better your privacy, insulation, and light control. For the height add about 3 to 6 inches above the top of the door opening, You must add at least enough space to mount the brackets above the window. A very common vertical height is 84".

Corner Windows Corner windows are where two windows come together at a 90 degree angle in a corner. When outside mount products meet in a corner, or when inside mount products meet in a corner where there is only glass (no sheetrock), there can be a privacy issue due to the gap where the products meet. In order to minimize the problem, consider making one product bypass the other, then specify the other product to butt into the first. (See illustration below.)

Windows with Cranks
Windows with cranks (casement windows) are usually covered with outside mounted treatments. You may consider a crank replacement device. These are available online and some look like wing-nuts while others are simply a crank that folds flat. In addition many cranks can usually be removed or re-positioned to point upwards, which minimizes its projection and obstruction. If you have a non-removable crank that protrudes outside the window opening you will hang the blinds in front of the crank. Consider adding an inch or so to your height to help mitigate the bulge the product will make as it hangs in front of the crank. Spacers can also be used to bring the product a little further away from the wall opening.

Multiple Blinds on One Headrail
Depending on the product, on very large windows (typically over 72" to 84" wide) we may recommend using two or three blinds on a single headrail versus a single blind. There are a number of advantages to this method. You can raise and lower each blind separately and you avoid the wear and tear that a single, much heavier blind would put on the hardware mechanisms. Some sizes require two or three blinds on 1 headrail to be warranted and guaranteed. To determine the width measure the entire window opening from the far left side to the far right side. When you place your order you will order the overall width measurement and select either the "split into 2 blinds on 1 headrail" or "split into 3 blinds on 1 headrail" option. The factory will automatically divide the overall width ordered into 2 or 3 equal size blinds on 1 continuous headrail. If you have 3 windows that are not all the same size (i.e the center window is wider than the left and right windows), you must measure the width of each portion of the window. When doing this measure to a mullion or middle point exactly between each window section. The 3 widths together must total the overall width. When you place your order you will order the overall width measurement, select the " split into 3 blinds on 1 headrail" option, then specify the widths for each in the notes section of your order (example: left=24"; center=48" right=24"). Again the 3 widths together must total the overall width ordered (do not make any deductions). You can also specify the controls for each blind in the notes section.

Multiple Blinds with a Common Valance
Covering multiple horizontal blinds with a single, continuous valance. An alternative to multiple blinds on 1 headrail, sometimes this may be the only option for covering very large windows. Advantages of this method versus a large, single blind are the same as multiple blinds on 1 headrail. You can raise and lower each blind separately and you avoid the wear and tear on the hardware mechanisms that a single, much heavier blind would cause. The operation and appearance of the blinds are similar to multiple blinds on 1 headrail. To determine the width for each blind measure the width of each portion of the window. When doing this measure to a mullion or middle point exactly between each window section. Next measure the entire window opening from the far left side to the far right side. The 3 widths together should total the common valance width ordered. When you place your order you will specify the width of the common valance in the notes section of each blind to be covered by the valance and request that the slats be aligned (i.e common valance for lines 1, 2 & 3 @ 84 inches wide/align slats). Note common valances over 72" wide may be spliced. Spliced valances are two pieces that are both cut at a 45 degree angle on one end so they can be joined together upon installation.