Measuring Your Windows For Shutters in Fort Lauderdale

Plantation shutters in Fort Lauderdale are usually sold on a square foot basis, so if you’re looking for a rough measurement for a price estimate, just measure your window height and width, to the nearest ⅛ of an inch.

For Fort Lauderdale residents who are a little more hands-on, we’ll teach you the best way to measure your windows for plantation shutters.

Measuring Rectangular and Square Windows for Shutters

Regular rectangular windows sound like they’d be the easiest type of window to measure – and they are, relative to other specialty windows. But you still have an entire process to go through to get measurements. Here’s the plan.

Tools Needed:

• Tape measure

• Pencil and paper

Starting off, measure the width (the horizontal distance). Get a measurement across in three separate places: close to the center, near the top, and close to the bottom of the frame. Write down all of them, to the closest ⅛ of an inch. Next, do the same for the height (the bottom-to-top) – take three measurements, one in the middle, and one near either edge of your window like seen in this illustration.

Why do you need to measure three times each? Simply because no window is a geometrically perfect square. And because you might need a specific mount for your window, you may either need to record the absolute smallest measurement (for an inside mount), or the absolute largest measurement (outside mount). Recording measurements in three places helps make sure you’re covered for every options.

How to Measure Specialty Shaped Windows for Shutters

Windows that aren’t rectangular are where measuring can become extremely tricky. Just like there’s no perfect square window, there’s no perfect arch or octagonal window – which means that taking the right measurements can be problematic. For the best results, get a professional measurement (which Sunburst Shutters Fort Lauderdale is happy to provide absolutely free). If you’d still like to do so yourself, these are the steps to measure the most common unique-shaped windows for shutters.

Measuring Arch and Semicircle Windows

Measure the width on the window’s flat side. Measuring only the window opening, mark down to the closest ⅛ of an inch the width of the arch. For the length, locate the halfway point of the window by dividing the width distance in half, then measure to the top of the window from the point you found. Again, write it down to the closest ⅛ of an inch.

Measuring Elongated Arch Windows

Elongated arch windows look like a combination of a rectangular window and a circular window, with a wide, flat bottom and vertical “legs,” but with rounded top edges and a taller arch. So think of it exactly as that: an arch and a rectangle put together. Measure the width as you would a normal arch, then take a measurement of the height of the legs (the straight vertical parts before the window curves into an arch). Last, find the max length of the window from the middle of the width, subtracting the leg height. Again, record all of these to the nearest ⅛ of an inch.

How to Measure Circular & Octagonal Windows

Circular and octagonal windows are some of the hardest to get accurate measurements, because there are a ton of tiny aspects that can alter the shutter dimensions your window may need. You might want to leave these more difficult ones to a professional.

For these windows and other windows you don’t feel comfortable measuring, or to save yourself a lot of stress, call Sunburst Shutters Fort Lauderdale. We’d be glad to come measure your windows at no cost to you during your no-strings-attached window treatment consultation. Simply call 561-440-8535 or fill out the contact form below to start.