Posted by
Jessica McLaughlin
Friday, September 19, 2008 4:00 PM EDT
Since the living room window showcases our nice view of the city and we're ten floors up, window coverings were never really a high priority. Earlier this year as the days were getting longer, the morning sun became an issue. The hot reflection off the shiny parquet at 8am is blinding!
But there are a few issues with our living room window: it's big, the window goes right to the ceiling with no places to secure a rod, and the ceiling is impossible to penetrate without destroying it (we rent, so we're trying to be careful about damage).
The search for a solution was mostly fruitless, but we found some inspiration in the DIGNITET curtain wire from IKEA. The DIGNITET was long enough and claimed to support about 11lbs, but we have heavy panels and weren't looking to buy new ones just yet, so we headed to Home Depot for homemade solution. And for about $20, we did!
Supplies Needed:
• 2 turnbuckles
• 2 wire clamps
• 2 hooks
• Screws to secure hooks into the wall
• Wire cable, cut to length (There are loads of different cable to choose from. We chose something heavy and plastic-coated to support our curtain. Give yourself about an extra foot or foot-and-a-half of wire than the length of your window)
After we had all our supplies it was relatively easy to put together:
• Screw the two hooks into either side of the window -- depending on the hooks you choose, you may need to make sure they're level, then measure from the ceiling and edge of the window to make sure they're lined up the same on both sides
• Loop both ends of the wire (a 6" loop should suffice) and secure with the two wire clamps -- it can be tough getting that wire into the clamps, or at least it was for me, so have patience and make sure you have the right size clamps
• Secure the turnbuckles to the wire and to the hooks. (If you have curtains with grommets or tabs that need to be threaded through the cable, do so now)
• Tighten the turnbuckles to the desired tension for the wire
Previously in DIY: Simple Sewing Projects