Install Curtains and Draperies

Use the right hardware and techniques to hang window treatments that give rooms the look you want.

Know before you go:

For tips on measuring for different types of window coverings, see: Measure for Window Coverings
If your drapery rod mounting brackets are more than 4' apart, add the center support that’s included with most long rods.
You have lots of freedom when it comes to positioning drapery rod mounting brackets on the window frame or wall, so use it to create special effects. Skinny windows? Hang the brackets about 10" from the window frame edges and use the draperies to make the windows look wider.
As soon as you get home with your new draperies, remove them from the package and lay them across a bed to allow creases to relax. If necessary, press them smooth with a warm iron (depending on the fabric) before hanging.
Need help? Lowe’s offers window treatment installation services. For more information.

Install draperies or curtains

Step 1. Decide how you want the draperies or curtains to hang. Options include hanging them so that the ends stop just above the floor, slightly touch the floor, or “pool” with several inches of fabric on the floor. If the drapery panels are wide enough, you can also position them to the sides of the window for an unobstructed view outside after you open the draperies. For a room with windows of different sizes, unify them using the same fabrics hung from the same height.

Avoid covering more than windows and walls

Consider the area around a window before choosing where to install drapery-rod brackets. You don’t want to cover up a heating vent on the floor or light switches and outlets on the wall.

Step 2. Measure equal offsets from the upper corners of the window and mark the curtain-rod hardware locations. Holding the bracket in position, mark the screw-hole locations.

Hanging hardware makes a difference

When you’re trying to hang draperies only an inch or so off the floor, the length of the material tells only part of the story. Move the rod up to allow for curtain tabs that loop around a rod, or move the rod down to allow for hooks that hang curtains with their tops above the top of the rod.

Step 3. Use an electronic stud finder to determine whether the bracket locations are aligned with wall studs or spaces between the studs. If you can’t sink screws directly into wood, you’ll need to drill pilot holes and insert wall anchors.

Mounting screws need to get a grip

You may think bracket-mounting screws are perfectly solid in plain drywall, but it’s an illusion that won’t last. As brackets move when you open and close the draperies, the screw threads will lose their grip on the powdered gypsum and pull free.

Step 4. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to drill pilot holes for the wall anchors; then drive the anchors in place. If you’re mounting brackets over studs, drive screws through the drywall and directly into the wood underneath. Now mount the rod hardware.

Is your drapery rod on the level?

Double-check your bracket placement by temporarily hanging the rod on the brackets and checking the rod with a level. The bubble may be slightly off because of a crooked window, but the bubble should still be mostly between the two center marks.

Step 5. Attach hanging hardware to the material or thread the draperies directly onto the rod. Gather the pleats evenly across the top and hang the rod from the brackets. Use the set screws on most brackets to keep the rod from sliding back and forth.

Curtain_Rod Step 6. Add any finials supplied for the ends of the rod. Then check that the draperies slide smoothly and clear the window frame when they’re pulled together.

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