How to fit a curtain pole

Fitting a curtain is an extremely easy job but one that is often made more difficult through a lack of planning or accurate measurements, following this simple guide will see to it that you only need to put yours up once!

Curtain poles obviously come in various lengths, but as they’re usually supplied in increments of half a metre, they will probably need to be cut to size.

Before you start, decide what you want your curtains to cover. Its safe bet the window is one thing but your may also wish to conceal a light switch or electrical sockets for example. If you are hanging curtains over some patio doors, will need to make sure that the pole provides ample length for them to be swept back out of the way.

With those considerations taken care of, it is crucial that – if you need to cut a curtain pole which is in two parts and screw together – you cut an equal amount from both ends; otherwise you will end up with the middle joint exposed and off centre. When cut correctly, this middle joint will be neatly concealed by the supporting bracket.

Before cutting the pole, wrap the area with some thick masking tape to avoid splintering the decorative surface. And remember – measure, and then measure again!

With the pole cut to size it is time to fit the supporting brackets from which it will hang. To do this first measure and mark the exact centre of the window or patio door frame and also make a pencil mark at the required distance down from the ceiling.

The usual position is exactly halfway between the ceiling and the top of the window frame- this is where to fix the centre bracket.

As you’ll probably be making the fixings into plasterboard, be sure to use good-quality plugs to ensure a really secure fixing.

Next, having marked the centre of the pole, measure the distance out to each end, and subtract 10cm. The reason for doing this is to leave a 10cm gap between the end brackets and the finials or end caps. This gap will accommodate a single curtain ring, and prevents the whole curtain sliding when drawing the curtains. Genius!

You can now mark the position for each end bracket, remembering to also measure the same distance down from the ceiling as the centre bracket.

The next step is to sit the pole into place on the support brackets, and secure it using the screws located on the underside of the brackets- but before doing so, remember to slide on the curtain rings to avoid that fantastically annoying moment when you realise that you have to unscrew it and start all over again!

The final stage is to add one curtain ring outside each end bracket, and then screw on the end caps to complete the job.

Note. This method works perfectly for curtains poles on a flat wall. Specialist Bay window curtain poles will have slightly different methods, each being particular to the manufacture so be sure to read the included instructions. Then read them again!