Curtain rail

Plastic curtain rails are cheap & easy to fit round curves, but tend to deteriorate over decades, with fixings breaking. This article describes their fitting and repair, and how to hang curtains neatly.

Parts

 _______________________________
|____________--__--_____________|  rail
 '  '  '  '         '  '  '  ' ||
    hook     closers           ||  pullcords
   hangers                     ||
                               ||
                               ||
                               ||
                               oo  handles

          Front view

   __           __          __
 _|__|_________|__|________|__|_  wall fixing blocks
|_______________________________| pulleys at each end for pullcords
 
        Bird's eye view

Rear rail view above shows

the 2 closers, one hooked on each cord run
curtain header tape has 3 rows of loops, giving 3 possible curtain positions

Curtain hook, 2 sizes of rail sliders, & a wall fixing

Fitting

Make sure you use enough wall fixings to ensure the track lays flat and is well supported. Ensure you have a wall fixing right at the end if you're using a pullcord.

Take care to cut rail ends accurately straight, it really makes a difference to final appearance.

Doors

Sometimes a fixed rail is fitted above the door - this works, but is inconvenient, as the curtain interferes with door opening. A rail fixed to the door doesn't work well either, it fails to cover the door top, and the curtain can get damaged at the bottom. The solution is a curtain rod that lifts up as the door opens. These are called portiere rods.

Hanging Curtains

This is often done badly, creating a poor appearance. The main thing is to space the hooks out evenly along the length of the curtain. To do this, count the number of hanging loops on the curtain and divide by the number of hooks you have minus 1. This makes the curtain hang evenly. Have a plastic hook at least every 4 loops for good result.

The opening ends of curtains are a weak point with both curtains and hooks. Avoid damage by fitting 2 hooks next to each other at the centre end of each curtain (in neighbouring loops in the curtain header tape).

Curtains have 3 rows of hanging loops so you can set them at 3 different heights. Pick the one that gives the best appearance at both top and bottom.

Thick curtains can hide the rail completely if hung on the highest setting
Thin curtain flop over at the top if hung high
Pick the setting that causes the curtains to just clear the windowsill or floor if possible

When pullcords are used, fit the centre ends of the curtains so the curtains overlap enough when closed. Its common to see curtains hung on the wrong holes on the sliding closers so that the closers show when the curtain is closed, or worse so the curtain isn't fully closed. It often works better to hang the curtain from the 2nd fixing loop rather than the end one, to hide the closers.

Troubleshooting & Repair

Some repairs to these rail systems are simple, and quicker and easier than fitting a new rail.

Rail fixings

These can break or get lost in storage. Replacements can be got from another curtain rail kit of the same type, or ad hoc fixings can be used.

Any ad hoc replacement fixing must not obstruct the sliding channel used by the hook hangers and closers. This is typically the lower of the 2 channels in plastic rail systems.

1" metal corner braces work. Drill a pilot hole into the top of the rail, and screw in there using a cranked screwdriver. These can be used as temporary repairs, or permanent where no-one looks too closely.

Broken closers

Plastic closers sometimes break. Often these can be repaired using 2mm iron wire attached to whatever remains, to take up the function of the lost part. Make sure the position of the wire holds firm and doesn't flop, and that nothing fouls. Sometimes ensuring these can be fiddly.

Closer string tabs broken

The pullcord typically goes over 2 tabs on the closers, and these can snap off. Just tie the string to somewhere on the closer with a bit of 1.6mm iron wire. Wrapping the pullcord round the iron wire makes for a firmer hold. If there's really nothing to tie to, drill another hole in the closer and use that.

Hooks break

Caused by any of:

not enough hooks being used
not using 2 hooks at the opening end of each curtain for greater strength
stiff rail mechanism needing excessive force - take it down & clean out the rail channels & hook hangers
sometimes weak deteriorating hooks. Replace any weak ones that see force, ie the end ones.

Sticking

Clean out the sliding channel on the rear of the rail. Any surface dirt makes them behave badly, clean it thoroughly but don't use anything abrasive. an old toothbrush is helpful.

Restringing

Pullcord rails have a single cord that goes over a little pulley at the left end (in the above pic). The 2 cord ends then each go over a pulley at the right end. This means there are 2 cord runs traversing the rail; one sliding closer hooks onto one of these cord runs, and the other sliding closer hooks onto the other. Now pulling one cord at the right end closes the curtains, and pulling the other opens them. The cord is very cheap (around 20p a metre), and available from haberdashers (sewing shops).

Arrangement at the centre of the rail, with one sliding closer on each cord

Curtain rail pull assembled like so, the bottom cover snaps on.

When restringing, check the following points:

the cords don't cross over or wrap round each other
cords and other parts dont foul
the free cord ends are both a suitable length, both when open and when closed

Pullhandles knock things over

Supplied pullhandles can be replaced with something much lighter and smaller. You can use pretty much anything, hollow thermoplastic is ideal because it hides the cord knot, is light and unbreakable, and doesn't mark the wall. Above the original pulls were replaced with bottletops.

Reusing rails

Old removed rails typically need a clean and have some broken hook hangers. They can be cleaned, cut & reused as smaller rails, or the parts from 2 such rails used on one rail. Clean the rail completely rather than just the visible face, dirty channels run too stiffly.

Alternatives

Aluminium rail
Curtain rod, wood or steel, & rings
Curtain wire & cafe rod to hang nets, but not curtains