Curtain rail/pole thoughts – some day you may have to put them up! (Curtains)

Member Name: libertybell

Product:	Curtains
Date:	23/07/01 (12665 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Do your homework , Don't try anything complicated, Watch out for the RSJ

Disadvantages: There's more to life than curtains

As I stood on my chair in our living room, drilling holes into the wall to hang the curtain rail – it crossed my mind how many times I had been through the same process in the 15 or so years since I bought my first house. Why not write something about – I thought as its something most of us will have to go through in our DIY lives – and share a few experiences.

So here are a few jottings about poles and rails; followed by some pointers about putting them up.

Curtain poles
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I must admit I do like curtain poles. There is something classy to hanging your curtains on a nice bit of timber with those ornamental thingies on each end to stop the curtain hoops dropping off.

For about £20, you get the curtain pole, approximately 3 wall brackets and a set of curtain rings. You should also be supplied with a set of screws – and raw plugs if lucky.

After measuring up for the brackets, these are screwed into the wall, the curtain loops added and the pole pushed through all wall brackets. Screws are often provided to fasten the pole to each bracket. To cap it off, the ornamental thingies are added to each end.

Unlike curtain rails, curtain poles do not have so many wall brackets. Usually there is one at either end and possibly one in the middle. I would highly recommend the middle bracket to preventing bowing.

The only downside to curtain poles are they may not be that good for supporting heavy curtains. They also don’t come with the whizzier gadgets such drawstrings etc.

Curtain rails
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Although not as pretty as curtain pole, curtain rails are more versatile. They vary in simplicity from a basic rail, which is attached to a set of wall brackets, to the ‘deluxe’ version with a drawstring, which allows a set to be opened with the pull of the string.

I’ve used both types and would recommend the simplistic v
ersion for bedroom curtains. A basic pack will cost you about £10 from any decent DIY store. Those with drawstrings will set you back about £25 or so. My preference is Swish though there must be plenty of good alternatives.

Curtain rails are more versatile than poles in that they can be cut down to size with a hack saw. However, I certainly wouldn’t recommend this with those curtain rail containing drawstrings – despite what it says on the packet. Another tip I would pass on is not to attempt to switch the drawstring from one side to the other unless you have to. We did this with one Swish rail and struggled to put it back together.

Another tip is to make sure you buy a rail where the rail clicks to the brackets and doesn’t use those white ‘keys’ which have to be turned 90 degrees to the right. Finally, buy a curtain rail where extra curtain loops can be added without the need for taking the rail down each time.

Putting up curtain poles/rails
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Preparation is everything. If you rush into putting up your rail/pole, you may find that it doesn’t look straight, bows in the middle or (at worst) falls off the wall under the weight of the curtain.

Read the instructions, which come with the pole/rail. Especially those which give distances between end of curtain rails and the first set of wall brackets. If you get the distance wrong, you may find that your rail may not click onto the bracket!

If the wall where the curtain is going to hang contains a wooden plank – use it. We had these in our bedrooms in our previous house and this prompted us to buy and get into Swish curtain rails. You will probably find that the plank is only wide enough for a rail and not a pole.

Beware of the RSJ (roof support joint). These can be found above windows. They are embedded within the wool and made of steel. They are also pretty impervious to all bu
t the best drill bits. Use your knuckle to tap up the wall until the tone deepens. This is where the RSJ is. If you drill into the area where the RSJ is and your bit cannot get into it, your raw plugs may not fit and you may get very frustrated. I try and give the RSJ a wide berth following the experiences in our last house.

Mark out the line of the rail and check carefully with a spirit level. Measure out the centre of the rail/pole and each bracket and mark with a cross. If fitting a curtain rail with heavy curtain, fix more brackets to the wall to even out the weight.

Get the depth of holes for raw plugs just right. If too deep, the raw plug will disappear into the hole and you may never see it again. If too short, it will poke out the end. In this case, you may be forced to cut the raw plug down to size.

When screwing curtain rail brackets into the wall, check out the alignment with a spirit level before tightening the screw too much.

Attach the curtain hooks to the pole/rail before affixing to the wall.

Attach pole/rail to wall and check for firmness. Review the fixings after the curtains have been up for a number of weeks. Check for loose brackets or sagging poles/rails.

And there you have it……

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