Saving Relationships: Tip #1 for Installing Drapery Hardware

Besides hanging up wall-paper or putting up a Christmas tree, what are some other home projects that put a strain on a relationship? Cleaning ceiling fans and windows ranks at the top too. But what about installing drapery hardware?  Yes indeed, that is a biggie! Avoidance is often activated after the words, "honey, can you help me hang the curtains?" rings through the house.  It is amazing the sudden list of to-do's that suddenly appear... anything is better than hanging curtain rods, right?

I have some tips though that can take the stress out of the project; heck, these tips are so good, they could possibly be responsible for "saving relationships".

"This seems like it should be something anyone can do!

I'm irrationally angry! So much that I'm over-punctuating!!"  

This is probably one of the funniest frustration-based comments I've ever heard.  It came from an installation gone wrong, but at the same time, can we not relate to Thin Lizzy?  Installation does seem like it should be easy but guess what? .... Easy is most often not the case.
 
Here's a quick tip though that is bound to make the job easier and gosh, who knows, maybe even a little-bit enjoyable?
 
Tip #1:  Make a TEMPLATE to mark holes!
 
Especially when there are many windows, making a template can save you a ton of time and spare you a lot of stress. Instead of measuring down and marking at every window, try this:
 
We have measured down from the crown molding to our desired height and marked the holes for our first bracket. Note, we have PRE-DRILLED the holes (yes, that will be a future tip with its own post).

Because we are securing our brackets into horsehair walls and we are not hitting studs, we are going to use anchors. (Ahh, another future post given away...)

Tap these lightly into the wall. If you are having difficulty then the hole you drilled may be too small.  You should not have to tap too hard to get this into place.

Once you have the anchors in place.... well, here it is.. the tip you've all been waiting for .......

Make a template!!

Either out of paper or poster board or even plastic; it just has to be something that will remain straight & stable but you can also feel through.  Put that in place so that it goes from the top of the ceiling line - or in this case, the bottom edge of the crown molding - and atleast all the way down to the window frame.
Feel through the paper/poster board and mark the center of each anchor.  Poke through those marks.

Use this template to mark the placement of anchors on all the other windows.  Hold the template up to the bottom of the crown molding and then, using a pen, mark through the holes to the wall.  You now have "pre-measured" markings where you will pre-drill and place anchors for your brackets.

Well, that is my fabulous tip for this week!  I know its seems overly simple but it is amazing how few think about it.  It's a lot easier to measure once, mark the holes, then pop the template into place, pen-dot, pen-dot and then pre-drill all at once, rather than measuring and marking every time. 

Hope this helps you get through the next job with less of a struggle!

I'd love to know what installation issues have you stumped?  Let me know and I'll be sure to include in my tips or installation tutorials.