Hanging Very Heavy Curtains

Usagi_2

After years of not having decent curtains, have come across some second hand from a stately home that will fit our windows. Paid a bargain price for a whole set, very pleased.:j

The curtains are approx 2m wide by 4m high (one curtain per window). They are fully lined with a thick wool type batting and then an additional lining fabric on top of this. They are VERY heavy. It is a 2 person job just to lift each curtain to move around.

We now need to sort out the curtain rail... what sort of thing should we be looking for, as the usual B&Q type is just going to pull off the wall with the weight.

The top of the curtain is very high, what do we do about drawing them? A mechanism on the rail, or will the weight be too much for this?

Also need to sort out getting the curtains cleaned... can't imagine the dry cleaner at morrisons would be the type of place to go??

happy35

i would try and get some heavy duty curtain poles from a salvage yard, they should have some that have come from an old house but dont know about price

I think you will have to use a pole with a hook on to pull the rings across the pole

Bronnie

Usagi wrote: »

Also need to sort out getting the curtains cleaned... can't imagine the dry cleaner at morrisons would be the type of place to go??

do they really need to be cleaned? Can you not just put them over a very strong washing line and beat the hell out of them to shift the dust, leave them to blow in the fresh air on a dry and windy day, then give them a final vacumm with the brush attachment and a spray of febreze once they've been hung?

Are the linings and interlinings detachable or sewn in? Would they be removeable?

I don't know how old they are, but cleaning can cause some old fabrics to fall apart, especially if they've been in sunshine and faded in parts.

ukmaggie45

Dry cleaning curtains is expensive! We found some we liked at a jumble sale some years ago, paid 50p for them. Cost £40 to have them cleaned! :eek:

Usagi_2

Yes I think trying to avoid cleaning fully is on the cards but there is some dark marks on a couple. Hoping that we may be able to clean in those areas / sponge without doing the whole thing and then maybe shift some dust with the hoover. I guess we need to lay them all out and have a proper look.

The wool lining is sewn to the front fabric, but then the back lining is only attached at the top.

Salvage is a good idea for the rail, although 6 windows to do so we might need to be a bit lucky... although lucky to find the curtains in the first place I guess!

BatOutOfhell

It isn't the pole that's the hard part - more the fixings you use to fix the pole to the wall.
I have similar curtains (not 4m high though but still a 2 person job to lift them) and they are hung on steel poles from jim-lawrence.co.uk. We have also used thick wooden poles from B&Q and the poles are substantial enough to hold the curtains.
Just make sure that the fixings you use to hang the pole are heavy duty that they go far enough into the brick/block wall.

missprice

have to agree with bat
it aint the pole per se (although plastic one wont do with that weight
its the fixings in the wall that matter
also dry cleaning
ask the main company (its name escapes me)
ours were done early this year, lined velvet 10 feet by 10 feet each curtain and only £43

not quite as heavy as yours I imagine but not a bad price.
maybe you could lose a bit of weight by some of the lining being removed
my thinking being dry clean over a period of time
linings then curtains or vice versa
good luck finding enough poles try skips and the like

ukmaggie45

Usagi wrote: »

Yes I think trying to avoid cleaning fully is on the cards but there is some dark marks on a couple. Hoping that we may be able to clean in those areas / sponge without doing the whole thing and then maybe shift some dust with the hoover. I guess we need to lay them all out and have a proper look.

If you can identify what the dark marks are you may be able to spot clean. Might it just be dust that has blown through a draughty window? There are various solvents that might work, depending on what the marks/stains are. Most aren't very pleasant to use though, so you might be best waiting for summer so you can treat the curtains outside. Good luck!

Usagi_2

Thanks for the link re the poles, that looks like a possibility.

The windows are really drafty (Georgian single glazed) and the building is grade 1 listed so there is little that can be done other than improve the insulation. The thick curtains will be really fantastic so don't want to take the insulation out if we can manage the weight.

Yes, I think you are right it is the fixing to the wall that is going to be key.

I think the marks are maybe from when they have been dragged about in storage so hopefully just general dirt... but really need to lay them out in daylight and have a proper look. Might return with questions about solvents when I have more info...

Thanks for all the help all x