What is the purpose of a window?
Windows are excellent inventions – without them, life indoors would be a great deal more depressing. They allow you to see outside, and allow natural light to filter in; thereby raising your spirits and making you feel good about the world. Measuring windows for curtains, however, does not seem to raise spirits.
But of course, you might not always want your window to do this. There are some instances where you’d perhaps prefer a little privacy. At night, you might not want not want the outside world to be able to look at you. There are also economical disadvantages to windows. They’re much poorer insulators than solid brick walls, even if you decide to opt for double or even triple glazing.
What is the purpose of curtains? Are curtains necessary?
This is where curtains come in. Draw them over your window and you’ll get the privacy you need. You’ll also slow down the escape of heat, thereby saving on your energy bills. Why are energy bills going up so much? In short: supply and demand (and a sprinkling of greed). You can find out from your local council about any energy bill saving schemes. For now, we can try and reduce our usage as much as possible.
Enter: curtains…
Before you install your curtains, you’ll need to choose a pair that match your window. Let’s take a look at some options, and see how you can measure your windows for curtains at home.
How do I know what size curtain to buy?
Depending on your choice of style, you’ll need different lengths or widths of curtain. If you’re looking at pencil pleat, or net curtains, then double-fullness is called for. If you’re looking at other, thicker curtains, then one-and-and-half is sufficient. What this means is that, if you measure your curtain rail at three metres, you’ll need to buy two curtains of three metres each. This will provide double-fullness, and allow for an attractive concertina effect. Be sure to measure the rail itself and not the window.
Note that if you’re buying a pair of curtains, you’ll need to allow for an inch or so of overlap in the centre. This will allow your curtains to fully cover the window, and thereby prevent any irritating light leaks in the centre.
Eyelet curtain pole and pencil pleat tracks
Curtain rails, generally speaking, come in two different forms: poles and tracks. The former are long, usually wooden cylinders, around which run a series of round hoops, which in turn hold the curtain aloft. The latter, meanwhile, are long, angular things, from which the curtain is suspended via a series of clips, which slide along the length of the track freely. The advantage of the latter is that they can bend around corners, allowing for two separate lengths to overlap one another slightly in the centre. The clips are affixed to the rear of the curtain, meaning that the track is obscured when the curtain is drawn.
How do you measure for curtains width?
You’ll need to measure your window slightly differently depending on which sort of rail you have. A pair of tracks will overlap slightly in the centre, in order to allow the curtain to fully cover the window, and prevent light from entering the room. Measure the entire length of both rails, including the overlap in the centre. This will ensure that your curtain is large enough to cover the entire window.
In the case of a pole, you should measure between the two finials – the bulges at either end of the rail. When you come to actually install your curtains, then you might want to leave one hoop on the other side of the finials. This ensures that the curtain stretches over the entire window, rather than sliding loosely around.
Where is the drop of a curtain measured from?
You’ll also need to measure your heading differently. If you have a curtain pole, then you should measure from the bottom of the ring. If you have a track, then you should measure from the top of the track, which the curtain will rise slightly above, and thereby obscure.
When it comes to measuring the length and heading of your curtain, it’s best to proceed using a metal tape measure. Plastic ones tend to warp and stretch when you’re measuring – and they often won’t remain rigid enough to measure a window without asking a friend to hold the other end – which often means that stress will be placed on the line when it’s pulled taught.
If this seems like a lot to remember, then don’t worry – once you’ve got your new curtains in place, it will all be worth it. You’ll improve not only the look of your home, but lower the cost of running it, too.
