How do you calculate the number of patio blinds needed?

RichardA36

I have three wide spaces to bridge with Marquee clear cafe blinds. I is approximately 5m, the other approximately 3.6 m.

The problem is to select the correct width of joiners and extenders and end pieces (the bits that slide into the wall holdings. I cannot find any guidance to work out just which bits to use to cover a certain distance. I want to use the widest blinds possible. For example the 3.6m gap could be bridged by 1 3m wide blind leaving ~ 300mm to bridge to the post on each side. So if you use 2 x 1.8m blinds it costs more and one you allow for the joiner in the middle - what is the actual space bridged?

I end up with questions like: Does the stated width of a blind include the zips? When you join two blinds together how do you calculate the final width - arithmetic or do you have to make allowance for the zips.

There has to be an equation for all of this but so far all I can find are instructions for hanging just one blind!

I would appreciate links or just guidance on how to make the measurements.

The mechanics of hanging are not an issue - have done that before.

Look forward to responses!

MitchellMc

Hi @RichardA36,

The first thing that affects your question is how you're mounting the blinds.

If you're trying to fit exactly between two posts, your measurements need to be much more precise. But if you're face-mounting (overlapping onto posts/walls), you’ve got some flexibility, and you don’t need to hit the exact width, just get close and allow for overlap.

Now, onto the key measurements:

• The stated width of Marquee café blinds includes the side aprons (about 50mm each side).
• So a 2100mm blind is actually ~2000mm between the zips.

How joins and widths work

• When you join two blinds, you remove the aprons on both sides (total of 100mm removed).
• The joining strip is ~100mm wide, so it replaces that space.
• Result: no net change in overall width when joining blinds.

Your 3.6m example

• A single 3000mm blind gives you:
  • ~2950mm usable width (once you account for one apron edge in a real install scenario)
  • Leaves ~650mm to fill → too large for standard extensions

So instead, a more practical setup would be:

• 2 × 1800mm blinds
• These combine cleanly to cover your span
• You can then use small extensions if needed, especially if face-mounting

If you were to use 2 x 1800mm, the actual space bridged would be 3600mm. (2 x 1800mm blinds) minus (2 x 50mm aprons) plus 100mm joiner = 3600mm

I hope that makes sense, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell