Updated at: 27-09-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Linda is a well-known author and expert in the bedroom. She enjoys educating her audience on the latest trends in home design, as well as practical advice.

Five Creative Ways to Hang Curtains Without Rods

We’ll teach you how to discard the typical curtain rods and show off your diverse style! If you don’t want to use them, there’s no need to do so. It’s not uncommon for the most innovative interior designers to eschew conventional methods of installing window treatments in favor of experimenting with these more novel options.

How Hang Curtains Without a Rod

  1. Tacks for upholstery
  2. Tension the cables.
  3. Drapery pins and screws with hook-eyes
  4. Furring strips and staples
  5. A cabinet’s knob

The best part is that you can get most of these alternative curtain rod tools for less than $25 at your local home improvement store.

How to Hang Curtains Without a Rod - Dengarden

1. Upholstery Tacks

Curtains aren’t always functional, but they may still bring color and texture to a room. You can use upholstery tacks if you don’t need to open and shut the curtain panels, or you like the look of curtains drawn with a curtain tie-back. This is an almost unreasonably low-cost and simple solution.

Steps

  1. Get a pack of matching upholstery tacks.
  2. To ensure that the curtain panel is positioned correctly to cover the window, perform a dry run to establish the size and number of pleats you’ll need.
  3. Starting at the outer border of the window opening, place your first tack into your curtain corner.
  4. Take a piece of fabric, fold it in half, and tack it to the wall approximately three inches from the first pleat you nailed into place.
  5. Continually repeat this method across the display.

It’s just that simple!

2. A Tension Cable

Grommeted, rod-pocket or tab-top curtains can all be supported by a tension cable. If you want to use sheers or lightweight curtains to create a visual barrier or to cover large windows, this is the perfect choice for you.

You have the option of purchasing the parts individually or as part of a kit from a merchant like IKEA or a hardware or home improvement outlet. Only two turnbuckles, two wire clamps, two wall hooks, plastic-coated wire cable, screws and anchors to secure the hooks to the wall are all that’s required to make this project a reality.

Steps

  1. One on either side of the window opening, install the hooks into the wall.
  2. Use the wire clamps to secure 5- to 7-inch loops at the cable’s ends.
  3. You can use grommets, rod pockets or tabs on the curtain to secure the wire in place.
  4. Attach the turnbuckles to the tension cable and the hooks on both ends of each turnbuckle.
  5. Make sure you trim the surplus wire and tighten the turnbuckles to achieve the desired tension.
  6. Wire cables can be hung on the curtain using hook clips.

3. Hook Eye Screws and Drapery Pins

Hook eye screws can be used to hang pleated curtain panels without the need for a curtain rod.

Steps

  1. To hang the curtain, use drapery pins to secure the top of the panel in place.
  2. The distance between the curtain pins should be measured at the top edge of the curtain.
  3. A pencil can be used to mark the pin locations above the window.
  4. Eye hooks should be screwed in at each pencil mark, with the eye rotated horizontally to accommodate a drapery pin as a terminating point.

Creative Curtain Tiebacks Ideas

4. Staples and Furring Strips

Wooden furring strips can be stapled onto to hang non-functional (stationary) curtain panels. Plywood strips, sometimes known as “furring strips,” are long, thin pieces of plywood often used in construction.

Steps

  1. Furring should be purchased in the suitable length.
  2. It can be painted to fit your room’s decor.
  3. To ensure a secure installation, screw or nail the strips into the wall studs.
  4. Make pleats in the curtain panels as you staple them to the furring strip.

5. Cabinet Knobs

To replace a formal rod with something more casual, hang cabinet knobs from the eaves of a window. Curtains with tab or tie tops can be hung using this rod-free method.

Life Unexpected: How To Hang a Curtain Without A Rod | Curtains without rods, Curtains, Hanging curtains

Steps

  1. Noting the distance between each tab and knot is important.
  2. Mark the location of each knob with a level on the wall above your window.
  3. For walls without studs, drill pilot holes and install wall anchors.
  4. Using the anchors, attach the curtain rings to the cabinet knobs and screw the knobs into place.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this information is correct; however, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional counsel.

Start a Conversation!

On October 31, 2020, Linda Chechar (author) will be in Arizona.

Linda, Seeing a variety of hanging curtains is wonderful, and I’m delighted you recognized it. We agree that these concepts are both beautiful and original!

On October 30, 2020, Linda Crampton, a resident of British Columbia, Canada, wrote the following:

I appreciate your advice. I didn’t know there were so many options for hanging curtains!

Linda Chechar (author) from Arizona, on the 30th of October of the year 2020, writes:

Eman Abdullah, I’m delighted you enjoyed the post! Thanks to these great tips, making curtains couldn’t be easier.

On October 30, 2020, Eman Abdallah Kamel from Egypt is scheduled to appear.

They are all simple and uncomplicated ideas for hanging curtains. As a token of my appreciation, I’d want to thank you

All of these curtain-hanging options are basic and easy to implement. As a token of my appreciation, I’d want to thank you

Creating curtains without any rods or tracks, Pamela, is the most cost effective option. They’re a lot of fun to decorate with!

On October 29, 2020, Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida:

This wide range of curtain hanging options is highly appealing to me. If you’re redesigning, Linda, this is a great article to have on hand. You demonstrated a wide range of creative ways to hang drapes or curtains.

Liz Westwood from UK on October 29, 2020:

In 2020, Liz Westwood from the United Kingdom will be on October 29.

HOW TO HANG CURTAINS WITH OR WITHOUT A ROD

This is Liz Westwood from the United Kingdom, who will appear on October 29, 2020

However, if you don’t want to drill holes in the wall, you can hang curtains without a rod.

After showing you how to install a rod, we’ll go over a few different ways to hang curtains, both with and without it.

MEASURE FOR A CURTAIN ROD

If you’re going to hang your curtains from a curtain rod, you’ll need to figure out how long the rod should be before you buy it. Curtains should be hung from above and surrounding the window so that they don’t obscure the glazing while they’re open, making the window appear larger and making it appear more spacious. To do this, measure the width of the window and add approximately 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) to either side of the window, for a total of 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 cm)…

Remember that the width of the rod does not include the finials, so measure each one separately. If the rod and finials you want will take up too much room on the wall on either side of the window, you can shorten it by 4 or 5 inches (10 or 13 cm) instead of the greater measurement stated.

A rod 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) above the window is a good place to put it. It’s possible to set the rod between 12 and 24 inches (30 and 61 cm) above the window, or to fix it below the crown molding in a room with particularly high ceilings. There should be at least 2 inches (5cm) of rod above each window.

To properly measure for curtains, you’ll need to know how wide the rod is and how long it is from the top of the rod to the floor.

INSTALL THE CURTAIN ROD

To secure the rod, mark the location of its brackets at the correct height and at an equal distance from the window’s two sides, then screw the rod in. Verify that the marks are all on an even plane. If the brackets don’t align with the studs, use wall anchors after drilling, which can be detected using a stud finder. Fix the wall brackets.

Curtains with grommet or eyelet tops, for example, can be threaded straight onto the rod, which can then be placed in the brackets and finished off with finials. Make sure the curtain hooks are on each curtain before attaching the rings to the rod, so that the drapes may be hung properly.

WHERE SHOULD A CURTAIN RODS BE PLACED?

The optimal location for curtain rods is within 5 to 8 inches of the top of the window frame, but do allow for some visible breathing room. Curtain rods can be placed higher to make windows appear taller, but if the rod is too far away from the window frame, there will be a visual disconnect, so be sure to test it out first. If there is no space between the frame and the ceiling, curtain rods can be suspended from the ceiling.

HOW TO HANG CURTAINS WITHOUT A ROD

With or without a rod, how do you hang curtains? Consider the second option for a number of reasons. It’s possible that a curtain rod isn’t what you’re looking for, or that you prefer a different look, or that you don’t enjoy drilling into the wall at all.

Consider the spring mechanism of a tension rod if you don’t want to drill, but if you want, these are your other options:

Curtain wire can be fixed across the width of the window. This is easy to fix with eyes at either end of the wire attached to hooks fixed to the window and the curtain threaded on to the wire. This can work with sheers or lightweight curtains.

Using curtain wire, you may cover the entire width of the window opening. With eyes at either end of the wire linked to window hooks and the curtain threaded on the wire, this is a simple installation. Use sheers or thin curtains for this look.

Tie-top curtains can be hung with cabinet knobs. You’ll want to put them up on the wall at an equal distance away from the ties. Sheers that stay in one spot across the window are the greatest candidates for this strategy, as you can’t change the curtains.

How to Hang Curtains Without a Rod - Dengarden

WHAT IS THE RULE FOR HANGING CURTAIN RODS?

It is critical that the curtain rod be placed precisely. With the rod 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) above the window, or 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) above the window in a room with high ceilings, or just below the crown molding, we recommend following our suggestions. Position the rod at least 2 inches (5 cm) above the window if there isn’t much room.

Increase the width of the window by at least 4 or 5 inches (10 or 13 cm) on each side, but ideally 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) on each side.

The height of each curtain rod in a room should be the same.