Why Can a Measuring Guarantee Be Useful?

Made-to-measure curtains are made specifically to the sizes you provide.

That’s very different from buying a pair of ready-made curtains where, if you’ve chosen the wrong size, you may simply be able to return them and buy another pair.

If you accidentally provide the wrong measurement for a made-to-measure order, you could potentially end up with curtains that don’t fit the window as intended.

And because the curtains have been made specifically for you, correcting that mistake can be expensive.

A measuring guarantee can therefore provide some useful reassurance when you’re about to place the order.

Think About the Cost of the Guarantee Against the Cost of the Curtains

I’d look at the price of the measuring guarantee in the context of the complete curtain order.

If you’re spending a substantial amount on a pair of made-to-measure curtains and the measuring protection costs relatively little, it may be a sensible bit of protection to add.

The important thing is to understand exactly what you’re buying.

Before adding it, check what happens if you do make a measuring mistake, whether there are any limits on the replacement or remake, and what conditions you need to follow for the guarantee to apply.

Check What the Measuring Guarantee Actually Covers

Don’t assume every measuring guarantee offered by every curtain company works in exactly the same way.

Before paying for one, take a few minutes to read the terms provided by the curtain maker.

In particular, I’d want to know:

• What happens if I’ve entered the wrong width or drop?
• Will the curtains be altered or completely remade?
• Is there an additional charge if a remake is needed?
• Does the guarantee cover all the curtain options I’ve selected?
• Is there a time limit for reporting a measuring problem?
• What information will I need to provide if I make a claim?

You may also see an acceptable manufacturing size tolerance mentioned in the curtain maker’s terms.

Made-to-measure doesn’t necessarily mean the finished curtain is guaranteed to measure to the exact millimetre. Curtain fabrics are woven materials and can have a small amount of natural movement, so manufacturers may specify an acceptable tolerance around the finished measurements.

That doesn’t necessarily indicate poor workmanship — it’s worth remembering that fabric isn’t a rigid material.

It’s also worth keeping this in perspective. Many modern curtain fabrics are relatively stable, particularly compared with some older fabrics made entirely from natural fibres.

If accurate finished sizing is particularly important for your window, or you’ve chosen a fabric with a high natural-fibre content, you could ask the curtain maker how that particular fabric tends to behave.

They work with these fabrics regularly, so they’re in the best position to advise you. If your chosen fabric is known to move more than you’d be comfortable with, asking before ordering also gives you the opportunity to choose a more stable fabric instead.

If you’re paying for a measuring guarantee, it’s worth understanding how any stated manufacturing tolerance works alongside that guarantee, particularly if the finished curtains arrive slightly different from the size you expected.

You may find the answers vary between suppliers, so judge the value of the guarantee by the protection actually being offered rather than simply by the price.

A Measuring Guarantee Doesn’t Mean You Can Be Less Careful

This is probably the most important point on the page.

Think of a measuring guarantee as protection against a genuine mistake, not permission to be less careful with your measurements.

Measure as accurately as you would if the guarantee didn’t exist. Follow the curtain maker’s measuring instructions, double-check the measurements you’ve taken and check the numbers you’ve entered on the order form before submitting it.

The ideal outcome is that you pay for the guarantee, your measurements are correct and you never need to use it.

That’s Exactly How We Look at Measuring Our Bay Tracks

We take the same approach with our own made-to-measure bay window tracks.

We want customers to measure their bay as accurately as they reasonably can, and we provide measuring guidance to help them do that.

But we also understand that there’s a difference between asking someone to measure carefully and expecting them to feel completely relaxed about ordering something made specifically to those measurements.

That’s why we provide our own fitting protection for made-to-measure bay tracks.

The protection is there to give you confidence if something genuinely goes wrong — not to replace careful measuring in the first place.

Fit Your Curtain Track Before Taking Your Final Curtain Measurements

If you’re ordering curtains for a curtain track, I’d also recommend having the track fitted before taking the final measurements for your curtains wherever possible.

This is particularly important with a bay window.

Once the track is fitted, you can measure the actual track rather than trying to estimate where it will eventually sit. You can also measure the finished curtain drop from the real hanging position.

Getting the starting measurements right is still your best protection against ordering curtains at the wrong size.

What Curtain Width Should I Enter When Ordering Made-to-Measure Curtains? →

What Curtain Drop Should I Enter When Ordering Made-to-Measure Curtains? →

So, Is a Measuring Guarantee Worth Paying For?

If the cost is relatively small compared with the value of your made-to-measure curtain order, and the protection offered is worthwhile, I’d seriously consider adding it.

You’re not buying it because you expect to measure incorrectly. You’re buying a little protection against the possibility that you might.

Read what’s covered, measure carefully, double-check your order and hopefully you’ll never need to use the guarantee you’ve paid for.

But if you do make a genuine mistake, you may be very glad you added it.