Updated at: 10-03-2023 - By: Sienna Lewis
To begin, decide where on the wall you want to hang the drapery. How long you need your drapes to be depends on where you plan to install the rod. The bespoke curtains are mounted externally, over and around the windows. To achieve a chic look that exposes more of the window when the drapes are open and creates the illusion of a larger window when they are closed, try these suggestions. Hang the rod 8 inches above the window if there’s room.Hang the rod so that it extends 12 inches on each side of the window, for a total of 24 inches.Draperies can be inside-mounted or outside-mounted. Be sure the mounting hardware is as close to the inside of the window frame as possible if you’re doing an interior installation. Take into account the following:

Since the curtains won’t be able to expand past the window, it’s important to double-check that your measurements will allow them to fit inside the opening.

To get perfectly long drapes, measure from the top of the rod (where the fabric begins) and follow the rod’s specific guidelines.

Once you have determined where you want to install your drapery hardware, you will need to measure the distance from the floor to the bottom of your rods.

How to Choose your Curtains Measurements: Full Guide with Video – Deconovo US

Draw a circle around the window where you want to install the rod.

The floor or the bottom of the window, whichever is lower, is where you should take your measurements. The distance from the floor to the rods is represented by this number.

Rod to Floor Height measurements are required prior to placing an order for drapes; however, hardware installation should be delayed until drapes have arrived.

Choose a Curtain Type

Find the style of drapery you want for your windows before you learn how to measure their width. Panels can be hung on the side of a window for decoration. Alternatively, you could install curtains that, when drawn, would hide the window entirely. Determine how many curtain panels you’ll need based on your preferred design.

If you order custom drapes, the fabric you pick will already be the right fullness for your windows. You can easily get the right size drapes by specifying the width you need.

Measure the Width

The width of the curtain or drape panel must be determined. To ensure that your drapes fully cover the window when drawn:

  • Collect data on the size of your window.
  • Increase the width by 12 inches on each side, for a total of 24 inches.
  • The number of panels of drapery you’ll need to fill the window can be calculated by dividing the total by the number of panels (width plus the number you added to each side).
  • Make sure the total width of the area you want to cover (in inches) is divisible by the number of custom drapery panels you order. If you have two curtain panels and a 60-inch wide window, you would add 24 inches to the window width and divide by two to get the curtain panel width of 42 inches. The width of each of the two panels you ordered must be at least 42 inches.

Window treatments with side panels have a slightly different width measurement. These side panels are purely aesthetic and are not intended to be functional. They have the ability to expand the appearance of a window or simply frame it. Pick the side width you’d like the panel to extend to.

Measure the Length

The curtain or drapery length you choose should be deliberate, taking the desired effect into account.

  • Draperies with a valance are an excellent choice for exterior mounting because they visually extend the height of a window. Pick your preferred size between 10 and 30 inches.
  • Make sure the bottom of the curtain rod is 3/8 inch above the sill if you want a sill-style curtain. Sill-style drapes are ideal for exterior mounting or for windows with sills that extend beyond the window opening.
  • Cafe drapes, which can be hung either indoors or outdoors, are a popular choice for kitchens. Select a length that will hang 3/8 inches above the window sill, or 6 inches below the bottom of the window, for a cafe look. The drapery hardware for this design should be mounted somewhere in the middle of the window.
  • The apron of your valance or swag should hang down no more than six inches from the floor or the bottom of your window if you have it mounted outside.
  • Drapery should end no more than 3/8 inch above the floor if you want a floor-to-ceiling look. This style is commonly used with outside mount, and it is recommended for any drapery that may be operated frequently.
  • When an exact mounting is required, such as a ceiling mount that drapes to the floor, the sweep, brushing, or cuff length drapery style is a good option. Depending on your Rod to Floor distance, we advise getting a length that’s 1–3 inches longer.
  • Drapery with a pooling or puddling effect is commonly used in outdoor mounts to conceal an imperfect floor and enhance a room’s aesthetic. If you rarely open or close them, this is the best design for you. The first step is to determine the length you want by measuring from the Rod to the Floor and adding 6 to 12 inches.

Find the Perfect Curtain Rod

The final width of your curtains or drapes will be determined in part by the rod you choose. Keep in mind that the finials and brackets won’t be factored into the rod width. Here are some things to bear in mind.

  • Finials and brackets can add up to 6 inches to each end of your rod. Check out the various finials available to determine the precise size.
  • The width of the rod and finials you order will be reduced by the amount necessary to achieve this.
  • Your curtain rods will prevent the drapes from flaring out.

Curtains are the finishing touch to any room’s decor. When hung correctly, curtains can completely transform a space. Take precise measurements of your window’s length, width, and height. The curtain rod you select should complement or enhance the room’s existing design. Procure everything from window coverings to screws. Anytime, anywhere, online orders are delivered to your door from The Home Depot.

How to Measure Windows for Curtains | OFS Maker's Mill

Curtain or valance sizes:

Curtains with a rod pocket have a width specification that reflects the curtain’s flat out dimensions. Keep in mind that a curtain panel that is 60 inches wide will not look right when used to cover a window that is also 60 inches wide, since you would never use the curtain flat out. For a window of that size, it’s best to use multiple panels to give the illusion of depth. We will specify in the product description whether an item is intended for “flat out,” or very close to that level of usage.

Conversely, the volume of pinch-pleated drapes is built into the design. This means that a pair of 48″ wide drapes can cover a 48″ wide window. In reality, a 48″ pinch pleat pair only covers about 36″ of space after accounting for the overlaps, which we usually consider to be 12″ (the center area where the left and right panel should overlap each other when closed) and returns (the “wrap around” part which returns from the face of the rod to the wall).

Measuring Your Window

When installed and hung on a rod, curtains and other window coverings typically require two to three times as much fabric as the window width in order to achieve the desired fullness.

Determine the rod’s cross-sectional area by measuring its lateral dimensions. The finished width of your curtains should be at least twice the width of your window (or more, in the case of sheers), if you want them to look appropriately full.

Using a 36-inch wide window as an example, you’d need curtains with a minimum width of 72 inches (2 panels). In this case, two panels will provide a width of between 100 and 120, which is ideal for a full appearance. In cases where a fraction remains, use the full number instead.

Multipliers commonly used to determine fullness (use with your measured width):

Multiply the standard fullness by 2

Multiply the sum of the fullness indicators for the deluxe version by 2.5

Three times the ultra-fullness

LENGTH

Take a horizontal measurement from the top to the bottom of the desired covering’s placement. The precise length of your curtains, from the window sill to the apron or the floor, is a matter of taste. You can change the angle of your curtains by raising or lowering the rod in front of your window.

Assuming you want a standard sill height, that would be right around where the bottom of the sill usually is.
The curtains “puddle” on the floor in other hanging styles.

Steps To Measure Curtains

After all, nobody likes it when curtains are either too close or too far apart.

Measuring is an absolute must when organizing anything, including your curtains.

The quality of the curtain you purchase may assure you, but if it doesn’t fit your window, you’ve just wasted a lot of money.

Here, we’ll examine some basic guidelines that will keep us from wasting money while ensuring that our windows get the best curtains possible.

Here are the necessary procedures for determining curtain dimensions:

Step #1. Choose your preferred mounting

Your curtain’s final dimensions will depend heavily on the hardware you use to hang them.

We’ll go over two distinct methods for installing your curtain here.

External to the frame mounting

This is the standard curtain mounting method, and we use it in our own home as well as in most others we visit.

This type of installation is affixed to the outside of the window frame, as the name implies.

Therefore, it is assumed that the rod is mounted to the wall.

This method is functional because it can hide the entire window, block out the sun, and give the home a more refined appearance.

This optical trick can also give the impression of a higher ceiling.

Also, because the rod is not installed within the window frame, the frame is spared the potential damage caused by the installation screws.

Internal to the frame mounting

Despite its rarity, this mounting style has a one-of-a-kind impact in specific settings. Achieving such mounting creates the impression that your windows are much larger than they actually are.

This mounting method will let some light in, as opposed to the previous one. In contrast, this approach is ideal for the discrete types among us.

Since the curtains won’t last long anyway, it’s also helpful for renters to just tack them across the frame.

Step #2. Measure the rod size

Curtains can be hung in a variety of ways; however, the most common and straightforward method is to use a rod.

One thing to think about is how long the rod is.

The width of the window plus four or six inches on either side is a good starting point for determining how big it needs to be.

This length is just the right length; neither too short nor too long.

All you need to completely cover your window.

Keep in mind that the weight of the curtains will cause the rod to bend in the middle, so pick one that is sufficiently thick to avoid this.

Installing the rod below the trim mount is recommended if you want the rod’s appearance to complement the design of your window frame.

Step #3. Curtain length preference

In terms of interior design, we each have our own ideas and preferences.

What we decide to do about the length of the curtains will have a major impact on the overall aesthetic of our home.

Use a meter stick or measuring tape to determine how long you need the curtains to be. Take a measurement from the rod’s end to wherever you’d like it to end up.

Curtains may be hung up to the length of the window casing.

Get a curtain that stops about a centimeter short of the sill to accomplish this.

Curtains can be hung so that they extend 20 cm below the windowsill if that is what you prefer.

Now, keep in mind that picking a curtain that’s too long to allow it to touch the floor is not a good idea if that’s your goal.

Instead, get one that extends just a centimeter higher than your floor from the rod.

Step #4. Determine the curtain width

Again, using a meter stick or measuring tape, determine how wide your window is.

Then increase by a factor of 1.5 from this figure. Use a width of 1 to 3 to find the ideal curtain width.

You can rest assured that all these spectra will fill the entirety of your observational horizon.

Obviously, the width will establish the appearance of the curtain pleats, so this choice is entirely up to personal preference.

So, there you have it, folks. That is the proper method for determining the size of your curtain rods.

If you want to know how to measure your window for a curtain, this is the article for you.

Yes, that’s all there is to it.

How to Measure for Curtains

Final Words

My goal in writing this article was to teach you how to accurately measure windows for curtains.

May the aforementioned texts serve as reliable navigational aids for you.

We appreciate your attention to detail up to this point. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.