Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

--
Rod

On Tuesday, 24 May 2016 22:59:11 UTC+1, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

Rigid track because coiled is poorer quality. One where the hooks run in a groove rather than surround the track, the latter looks bad and replacement bits cost more.


NT

On 24/05/2016 22:59, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?


Swish products are commonly available. However I don't see a
requirement to use the same type in every room. I would think it
unlikely that you would want to move curtains from one room to another.

You can sometimes buy standard length curtains at a lower price than
made to measure. The exact height of the rail then becomes more
important if the curtains are to reach to the floor.


--
Michael Chare

On 25/05/2016 02:30, Michael Chare wrote:
Swish products are commonly available. However I don't see a
requirement to use the same type in every room. I would think it
unlikely that you would want to move curtains from one room to another.

You can sometimes buy standard length curtains at a lower price than
made to measure. The exact height of the rail then becomes more
important if the curtains are to reach to the floor.

I know I don't have to use the same make - but given the choice, I would
prefer to have one packet of spare gliders and another of spare hooks,
rather than several. :-)

Also, if one make seems "best" overall, I can't see any point in
switching to the second-best...

Curtain length isn't much of an issue as partner is an excellent curtain
maker. Bought ones only exist here because sometimes they have been
cheaper than even the material. (There, that gets real DIY into this
thread.)

--
Rod

On 24/05/2016 23:25, wrote:
On Tuesday, 24 May 2016 22:59:11 UTC+1, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

Rigid track because coiled is poorer quality. One where the hooks run in a groove rather than surround the track, the latter looks bad and replacement bits cost more.


NT

Agreed on both counts.

--
Rod

polygonum Wrote in message:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?


Not so sure on make, but having replaced a few here with it, I
would go for aluminium track rather than plastic, more rigid,
smoother and stays smooth unlike plastic , most of which are
knackered to one extent or another here now.

I used a standard hooks clip over it type track,but Tim Watts
posted a link a while back for some grooved track that looked
good. Hopefully he will pop up on this thread.




--
--
Chris French

On Wednesday, 25 May 2016 08:01:35 UTC+1, Chris French wrote:
polygonum Wrote in message:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?


Not so sure on make, but having replaced a few here with it, I
would go for aluminium track rather than plastic, more rigid,
smoother and stays smooth unlike plastic , most of which are
knackered to one extent or another here now.

Plastic tracks do get filthy on the rear, making them stiff. A proper cleanout fixes that.

I used a standard hooks clip over it type track,but Tim Watts
posted a link a while back for some grooved track that looked
good. Hopefully he will pop up on this thread.

The best stuff I saw was many decades old metal track. Each hook had its own little rotating disc it ran on.


NT

On Wed, 25 May 2016 02:30:28 +0100, Michael Chare wrote:

Swish products are commonly available.

I'd certainly go for a brand like Swish rather than a "brand" from a
DIY shed, the latter have a habit of changing what their "heavy duty
curtain track" is. So what you buy today will have changed by the
next time you want some more, or even just hooks. BTDTGTTS...

However I don't see a requirement to use the same type in every room.

Spares. Only need to carry one set of hooks, brackets, cord sets, etc
Can shuffle parts about if required.

As for the track itself, I use the heavy duty plastic stuff
everywhere with the cam operated bracket to track clamps. Makes it so
much easier to fit/remove the track. The only "problem" I've had with
plastic is a build up of dust causing stiff/juddery action. Squirt of
silicone based furniture polish on a bit of kitchen roll wiped along
removes the cack and reduces friction almost to zero. Works on ali as
well. Hooks that fit around the track, things that run in a slot
aren't easy to clean.

I also put a batten (20 x 35 mm ish) on the wall and fix the wall
brackets to that rather than trying to drill quite a number of holes
in the wall at exactly the right places.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 24/05/2016 22:59, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

I was very impressed by this...

https://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/prod...ain-track-sil/

....much better than plastic and not expensive.

Cheers
--
Syd

On 25/05/2016 08:58, Dave Liquorice wrote:
Squirt of
silicone based furniture polish on a bit of kitchen roll wiped along
removes the cack and reduces friction almost to zero. Works on ali as
well. Hooks that fit around the track, things that run in a slot
aren't easy to clean.

We always have straight silicone spray around. Very effective. :-)

--
Rod

On 25/05/2016 09:29, Syd Rumpo wrote:
I was very impressed by this...

https://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/prod...ain-track-sil/


...much better than plastic and not expensive.

Cheers

That looks rather good, thanks. Did you get the plain aluminium finish
or, what I'd be thinking, the white? If white, is it a good dense white
or that rather thin, slightly grey white that you sometimes get?

--
Rod

On 25/05/2016 08:39, wrote:
On Wednesday, 25 May 2016 08:01:35 UTC+1, Chris French wrote:
polygonum Wrote in message:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?


Not so sure on make, but having replaced a few here with it, I
would go for aluminium track rather than plastic, more rigid,
smoother and stays smooth unlike plastic , most of which are
knackered to one extent or another here now.

Plastic tracks do get filthy on the rear, making them stiff. A proper cleanout fixes that.

I used a standard hooks clip over it type track,but Tim Watts
posted a link a while back for some grooved track that looked
good. Hopefully he will pop up on this thread.

The best stuff I saw was many decades old metal track. Each hook had its own little rotating disc it ran on.


NT

In the 1960s we had brass rail with little runners with two discs. When
brand new, clean, and straight, they were OK. (Even then they were
relatively noisy when being drawn.)

After the toll of years, the kinks in the tracks, the pulls which
distorted the runners, etc., they were pretty crap. And still noisy.

--
Rod

Dave Liquorice wrote:

As for the track itself, I use the heavy duty plastic stuff
everywhere with the cam operated bracket to track clamps. Makes it so
much easier to fit/remove the track.

After only 25 years all the plastic cams go brittle (UV getting at
them?) and they snap off ... is nothing made to last these days :-P

Talking of brittle plastic, I noticed the B&Q extending plastic feet on
my kitchen cabinets have started going brittle/crumbly after about 9
years, nothing more volatile than Jif used on the floors. Annoying to
have to drag the cupboards out and replace them all, but surprisingly
buying a bulk pack of 40 Hafele legs from Screwfix works out cheaper
than buying el-cheapo ones from Toolstation.

On Wed, 25 May 2016 20:34:57 +0100, polygonum wrote:

On 25/05/2016 08:39, wrote:
On Wednesday, 25 May 2016 08:01:35 UTC+1, Chris French wrote:
polygonum Wrote in message:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither
of us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark.
Seems to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and
use it throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a
heavier duty track in the living room with full length curtains.
Ideally the same gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other
awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?


Not so sure on make, but having replaced a few here with it, I
would go for aluminium track rather than plastic, more rigid,
smoother and stays smooth unlike plastic , most of which are
knackered to one extent or another here now.

Plastic tracks do get filthy on the rear, making them stiff. A proper
cleanout fixes that.

I used a standard hooks clip over it type track,but Tim Watts
posted a link a while back for some grooved track that looked good.
Hopefully he will pop up on this thread.

The best stuff I saw was many decades old metal track. Each hook had
its own little rotating disc it ran on.


NT

In the 1960s we had brass rail with little runners with two discs. When
brand new, clean, and straight, they were OK. (Even then they were
relatively noisy when being drawn.)

After the toll of years, the kinks in the tracks, the pulls which
distorted the runners, etc., they were pretty crap. And still noisy.

Wooden poles and wooden rings here.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 25/05/2016 19:12, polygonum wrote:
On 25/05/2016 09:29, Syd Rumpo wrote:
I was very impressed by this...

https://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/prod...ain-track-sil/



...much better than plastic and not expensive.

Cheers

That looks rather good, thanks. Did you get the plain aluminium finish
or, what I'd be thinking, the white? If white, is it a good dense white
or that rather thin, slightly grey white that you sometimes get?

I had the 'Antique Brass' finish which seemed very good, but I can't
comment on the quality of the white.

Cheers
--
Syd

On Tuesday, 24 May 2016 22:59:11 UTC+1, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

--
Rod

Have you considered vertical blinds?

On 26/05/2016 06:57, harry wrote:
Have you considered vertical blinds?

Yes. And dismissed them. They are horrible. (Though I see they have uses
in utilitarian buildings like offices.)

They do not work well on curtain tracks.

--
Rod

In message , polygonum
writes

What make track would you choose, and why?

I agree with others. Choose a well known maker, with parts available
almost anywhere. Swish or, second choice, Harrison. Living in a house
with mixed curtain rails is as bad as mixed plastic plumbing or gutters.

Not that it stops me from having a large, old toolbox stuffed to the
gunnels with countless curtain hooks and accessories, all safely kept
'just in case' :-)
--
Graeme

On 26/05/2016 08:04, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 25 May 2016 22:57:35 -0700 (PDT), harry
wrote:

On Tuesday, 24 May 2016 22:59:11 UTC+1, polygonum wrote:
Will likely be moving to a new house in the near future.

One of the earliest jobs will be putting up curtain tracks as neither of
us can cope with sleeping in rooms that are not sufficiently dark. Seems
to me that we should select one make of track and fittings and use it
throughout. (We might need to consider cording, and maybe a heavier duty
track in the living room with full length curtains. Ideally the same
gliders everywhere.) No bays or any other awkwardness to cope with.

What make track would you choose, and why?

--
Rod

Have you considered vertical blinds?

We have one, across a patio door and adjacent full-length window. I
hadn't realised just how much width they took up even when drawn back.
Maybe OK if not mounted within the reveal, but I wouldn't get one
again.


whatever you choose, one spray of Mr.Sheen keeps them running smoothly
for years