Hanging curtains without drilling

How To Hang Curtains Without Drilling Holes In Your Wall

Do you live in a rental property where you can’t drill holes into the wall? If your landlord is a bit of a stickler you want to ensure that you don’t risk your deposit. An issue you will face if you can’t drill into the walls and there is no pre-existing curtain hanging implement is, as you guessed it, to hang curtains.

There are several different types of curtains to choose from, curtain rings, pencil pleat, eyelet, tap top, to name but a few, whatever type you choose however will need to be hung by either a rod or rail. The problem presented with this is that they have to be fitted by drilling holes, putting Wahl plugs in and screwing them in to secure it to the wall and support your curtains.

So, I got to thinking, is there a method of hanging curtains without having to drill holes in your wall and upset your landlord? After a bit of research, there most definitely is.

How To Hang Curtains Without Nails or Screws

There are two different methods that you can use for hanging your curtains, and here they are:

  • Use Command Hooks (Adhesive Hooks)
  • Hang Curtains With Tension Rods – Twist & Fit Curtain Rods

These methods are both different and provide a different finished look, below we’ll dive into how to fit the curtains with these solutions, what the pro’s & con’s are and some of the best products for you that will do the job, and anything else to think about.

Explaining The Methods

In this section we’ll look at the both methods which will hopefully help you decide which are best suited for the look of your room, or the curtains you may already have purchased.

Use Command Hooks (Adhesive Hooks)

Command hooks is the well known brand name, but self adhesive hooks is the product type they are. These are essentially hooks you can put on the wall by simply using the sticky pad on the back, they shouldn’t leave any marks on the wall when they are eventually removed.

If you pick the right adhesive hooks, you can use them to hold a light curtain rod or even hang curtains directly from them, although this would be for more decorative purposes as it would be irritating to have to move the curtain in between individual hooks to open and close them.

How to fit Adhesive Hooks
There fairly straight forward to fit, but in case you are stuck, here goes:

  1. Unpackage the product
  2. Remove the sticky strip on the back
  3. Line up where you want it to hold the rod or curtain – If you can make pencil markings on the wall the ensure that it is level and in the right place that will help you significantly
  4. Place it – Keep firm pressure for a few minutes to ensure it properly stuck on
  5. Repeat until you have enough command hooks to support a curtain – this is the tricky bit because it depends on the product you buy, they need to be able to hold the weight of the curtain and rod which can be tricky if they are particularly heavy curtains. You have to look at the product details to ensure how much they can hold, some will only hold 5lbs, some 10-15lbs

Pro’s & Con’s of Adhesive Command Hooks
If you’re wanting to try this method for your curtains then it’s worth being aware of a few of the pro’s & con’s:

Pro’s:

  • Very easy to install and minimal hassle
  • They don’t require any drilling, nails or screws
  • You get the choice of hanging a normal rod, or hanging decorative curtains
  • It’s a cheap solution

Con’s:

  • They can sometimes leave marks when you remove them – especially the cheaper ones
  • Some of the cheaper hooks won’t support enough weight (be sure to spend a little bit more to support a heavier weight

What To Look For
When buying command hooks to fit curtains there are a few things that you should look for in the product description, which include:

  • Can hold a heavier weight 10lbs+, usually the aluminum solutions are more durable
  • Make sure that the hooks themselves are large enough to fit the curtain rod on, some are a lot smaller than they appear in the product pictures!
  • Make sure it’s suitable for the surface, most of them can’t be used on uneven tiles, mosaic or any textured wallpaper

Our Top Adhesive Hook Picks For Curtain Rods
Based on the criteria we’ve mentioned above, we’ve picked out a few products for you that can hold the weight of most curtains, are large enough and have great reviews.

Here are our picks:

Hang Curtains With Tension Rods – Twist & Fit

Now onto your second option, which is essentially a curtain rod that is applied by tension, like one of those pull up bars if you’ve seen them. They are very easy to install, and can hold much more weight than command hooks, however they have a slightly different look as they go on the inside of the window frame rather than the outside.

How To Fit Tension Rods
Fitting tension based rods couldn’t be more simple. Here are the steps:

  1. Line the rod up with the inside of the window frame where you want the top of the curtains
  2. Fit the curtains on the rod before you start to extend it
  3. Extend the rod until it’s reaching either end of the window frame
  4. Twist the rod to tighten it in place – until it’s secure enough that you can pull down with a fair bit of weight

Pro’s & Con’s of Tension Rods
Just like the command hooks, tension rods have their pro’s and con’s as well. We’ve listed a few so you know before you buy one:

Pro’s:

  • If installed correctly they shouldn’t leave any marks
  • They may seem expensive, but you don’t have to actually buy the curtain rod itself – so it can actually work out cheaper
  • They hold a lot more weight than command hooks (adhesive hooks)

Con’s:

  • It doesn’t quite block out all the light, there are often gaps at either side as it’s not fit on the outside of the window frame like a normal curtain rod
  • They’ll only work with certain curtain types

What To Look For
When looking for a tension rod there are a few things you need to be aware of and look at before jumping in and buying the product:

  • The look – I personally would go for a stainless steel one for quality reasons as well as the aesthetic looking like a normal curtain pole
  • Make sure it will fit, measure the inside of the frame not the outside – these tension poles often aren’t designed for the purpose of hanging curtains, so might not be the right measurement
  • Weight shouldn’t be a problem, but read the reviews to ensure it will hold your curtains if they are on the heavier side

Our Top Tension Rods (Twist & Fit Curtain Pole) Picks
So without further ado, we’ve picked out a few tension rods for you to choose from which fit the bill. Although we mentioned stainless steel options, this obviously isn’t the preference for everyone so I’ve included a few that aren’t.

Here are our top picks:

A Better Alternative – Polyfilla
So I feel like I’ve lured you to this section of the page under false pretenses, this is a bit of a uturn, but bare with me. The best method unfortunately is to just go with a standard curtain rod, none of the methods above even come close in terms of durability and overall style.

There’s a way in which you can do this without annoying your landlord, the magic of polyfilla. Just fit the rail like you normally would, which is typically:

  1. Measure your windows width
  2. Find a curtain rod to match that size
  3. Drills the holes instructed in the manual
  4. Fit the correct size wahl plugs, these are often provided, just lightly tap them in with a hammer
  5. Fit the rod by screwing it in

Simple, but what about the holes when you come to take it down at the end of your tenancy? Again, simple. Polyfilla is amazing, you will only need a bit of it, Polycell Multi-Purpose Polyfilla Ready Mixed, 330 g will do the trick nicely.

This filler can be put into a small hole in the wall & repair the plastering work. It’s easy to use and a cheap solution.

If you’re worried about the paint matching, there are several paint matching services that you can use such as Dulux to match to your current wall paint.

About Mat

A complete novice trying to navigate in the world of DIY. I bought my first home about 2 years ago & ever since I've been trying to research & learn how best to tackle common household problems.

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