Curtains can liven up a room and give you shade and privacy. But hanging them can sometimes be a challenge. Here are five quick tips for hanging curtains to make doing so easier.
- Ready-made tab top curtains can't pass over pole brackets. If you want to be able to draw your curtains to either side, you'll only be able to use the two end brackets plus a single central bracket. Since poles that are over 2 metres (6.5 feet) need more than three brackets, you won't be able to use tab top curtains.
- If there's a concrete lintel above the window you want to hang curtains over, putting up a curtain track can be complicated. One solution is to mount a wooden batten onto the lintel, and attach the track to that. Drill holes in the lintel, insert wall plugs then screw your batten into place. The just attach the brackets for the curtain track to the batten.
- Before starting to use an old and already installed curtain track again, check the condition of the old wall fixings. If you find frayed or split wall plugs, remove them. To do this, insert a screw just far enough to engage in the plug, then tug at the screw head with pliers: the screw should come away with the plug attached. Then replace the wall plugs you've pulled with new ones and start using your old curtain track.
- New curtain poles usually come with screws to match the colour of the brackets. If the product you're installing doesn't come with matching screws, or if you're reusing old, mismatched components, there are a few tricks you can use to achieve that seamless look. On white brackets, dab silver screw heads with white-out. On black brackets, use a black permanent marker to cover the screw heads.
- The brackets supporting a curtain pole that's above a window can be a decorative feature, but if the pole is fitted inside the window, the supporting brackets will go unseen. To save money, you can make your own end brackets with nothing more than a few pieces of wood, a coping saw and some screws. Make two simple cut-outs (shaped to receive the end of your poles) using your coping saw, then screw the brackets into place and slot the pole through them. A small removable metal plate screwed in place across the top of one bracket will prevent the rod from being accidentally dislodged.
Keep these five quick tips for hanging curtains in mind and using an old track, sprucing up old rods, or just putting up new curtains will be easier.
