What you should know about curtain rods
Curtains hanging on copper rods. Copper rods are, however, weak and don’t last long. Photos by Alex Esagala
What you need to know:
Home beauty. There is a lot of guesswork from creating space for curtains to buying curtain rods and fixing them in a home. However, after speaking to a number of interior experts and sales persons, we discover that it’s not that complicated after all.
Any curtain can go on the rods but not on just any rod, Pagril Marino points out. The creative designer at Design Clinik in Ntinda believes there are specific rods for specific curtains.
Curtain rods are the most ignored accessory yet their choice matters a lot. They are functional pieces that support curtains to cover windows and doors.
“Good rods are on average 1.2mm thick and can hold curtains of 32mm diametre and nets between 20 and 25mm. Rods can be wooden or metallic, with different colour paint or lining,” he explains.
However, steel (metallic) rods are more durable than copper and wooden rods.
“Depending on the width of your window, wider windows require stronger rods so that they do not sag,” says Patrick Lulangwa, salesman, M classic designs.
He adds that incase the curtains are heavy, it is advisable to put them on metallic rods as well because they are able to hold the weight compared to wooden ones.
Marino highlights that rods are usually five to six metres long.
But, they can be cut depending on the size of your window.
Strength
Locally-made rods by fabricators are usually stronger and better than those that are imported.
The average cost of rods is between Shs80,000 and Shs160,000. In most shops, metallic rods are more costly than wooden ones since they are heavier and more durable.
Curtain rods come with a set of other useful accessories such as. During construction, it is important to give room for curtain rods at the time you will need to fit them so that after your wall is painted you do not hustle getting them fitted.
In the end, “the drilling and fitting should be done spontaneously. Curtain rods should be fitted depending on your already laid or planned out window or door space,” says Abel Wanyota, designer at C&S executive designers.
