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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#2
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#3
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Curtain tracks
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#4
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#5
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#6
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Curtain tracks
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. |
#7
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#8
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Curtain tracks
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. |
#9
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#10
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#11
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Curtain tracks
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#13
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#14
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#15
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#16
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Curtain tracks
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? |
#17
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#18
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Curtain tracks
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 |
#19
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Curtain tracks
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 |
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