Please pardon mismatched pages as we do a little renovating of our own.

Take a few minutes to learn how to hang curtains to make them look their best

The first thing you need to know when learning how to hang curtains is the exact width and length of the draperies. An approximation will get you a rod hung that is… approximately right, maybe.

Make it easy on yourself and measure the drapery yourself, to get a perfect look and avoid the frustration of taking the rod down and doing it over. Labels can too often be not exactly accurate.

The second important thing in learning how to hang curtains is that a drapery panel should extend 4 inches or more over the top of the window and at least 4 inches beyond either side of the window.
This isn’t set in stone but since the pleats or heading of the drapery are usually 4 inches long, installing the drapery so it is 4 inches above the window will keep the back of the heading from showing on the outside.
As far as the sides of the window, you at least should be sure any window frame or trim is covered by the drapery both when opened and closed.
It makes a big difference in the finished look.

The following installation instructions assume you have made or purchased draperies to fit your window as I just described in the paragraph above.

Learn how to make drapery panels.

HOW TO HANG CURTAINS ON A TRAVERSE ROD

There are a variety of hardware choices for draperies. A traversing rod is the rod most commonly used when a drapery is opened and closed frequently.
A standard traverse rod has a 3” return (number of inches the rod projects into the room)and has a center overlap (1 side crosses over the other when closed) of 3”.
For this reason, when you determine the length of the traverse rod you need, make it 12” shorter than the width of the draperies.(6" per side)
For example, if your closable drapery panels have a combined width of 120”, subtract 12” for returns and overlaps to get a 108” rod width.

HOW HIGH SHOULD THE ROD BE?

The draperies on a traversing rod should be Ľ” to ľ” off of the floor. Set the drapery pins on the back of each pleat to have the hook be 1-3/4” down from the top of the pleats. This will keep the drapery just above the rod and keep both the center support and rod itself (when closed) from being seen.

So, add Ľ” to the length measurement you made of the drapery and this is the height where you will place the end brackets on the wall.
Mark that height on the wall and make a mark on the sides of the window the distance the drapery will extend. These marks will denote the top and outside of the brackets. If you are screwing into wood, use a ľ” #6 hex head screw to attach the brackets.

If you are screwing into drywall, and aren’t lucky enough to hit a stud, insert either a plastic wall anchor or your screw or use a molly bolt that will open up behind the wall to create support. The molly bolts are the more dependable of the two.

If your rod is 48” wide or less, you won’t need a center supporting bracket. If it is 49”-86”, use 1 placed in the center of the rod. If it is 87”-120”, use 2 center supports placed an equal distance from the end brackets.

Visit our insulated draperies page

HOW TO HANG CURTAINS ON A DECORATIVE ROD

A decorative rod is usually a wood or metal pole with rings hanging on it and smaller rings on the bottoms of those that the drapery hooks hang from. Since these rods are meant to be seen, the drapery should hang just below the pole.

So to know how to hang curtains on these rods, and where to mount them, add ˝” to the length of the drapery. Now, since each brand of decorative hardware has different brackets and the rods will come with instructions on how to mount their brackets.