Installing the Screw Hooks
Choose a location for your curtains. The beauty of hanging curtains with wire as opposed to a fixed rod is that you can put them anywhere. They can surround a window or door like normal, or you might string them between two walls to serve as an attractive partition. You could even stick them in the middle of a wall to highlight or cover a piece of prized artwork. You’re only limited by your imagination! Make sure your designated hanging site is big enough to extend your curtain or curtains to their full length. If your curtains are for ornamental purposes only (to frame a recessed window or set of French doors, for example), you may be able to get by with only 1–3 feet (0.30–0.91 m) of wall space.
Make two level marks on the wall for your mounting hooks. This will be a piece of cake if you’re hanging your curtains over a window or doorway—just draw a small dot or ‘X’ on either end of the opening, using a tape measure and carpenter’s level to align the distant marks. If you plan on putting them somewhere out of the ordinary, you’ll first need to measure them from end to end to determine how much room they’ll take up width-wise. You’ll also find the exact dimensions of your curtains listed on their original packaging, if you happened to save it.
Drill pilot holes for the screw hooks. Fit a power drill with a bit that matches the diameter of the threaded body of the hooks (this number should be specified on the product package). Hold the tip of the drill bit against the wall at a perpendicular angle, then squeeze the trigger, push the bit into the wall about ⁄2–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) deep, and pull it straight out again. Assuming you don’t have a drill handy, you can also open up a small pilot hole using a good old hammer and nail. If your curtains are on the heavy side, it’s a good idea to confirm that each of your screw hooks is going into a wall stud, which will provide a much stronger anchor than thin, brittle drywall.
Work the screw hooks into the wall by turning them clockwise. The easiest way to do this is to screw them in by hand. If you’re having trouble getting them to go in, grab a screwdriver or a pair of pliers to give yourself some extra leverage. Keep twisting the hooks until their threads are no longer visible, and make sure that the curved ends are pointed upwards. You can also use a drill to drive your wall screws for effortless installation. Just fit your drill with a round hook or eye bit. Do your best to screw the hooks straight into the wall. If you move them around too much, you’ll end up with a larger hole than you need, which could cause the hooks to come loose more easily.Tip: Insert a pair of plastic wall anchors into your pilot holes before securing your screw hooks for additional support in drywall surfaces.
Rigging the Wire
Extend a spool of flexible metal wire to the desired length. Unravel the loose end of the spool until it’s as long as the distance between your screw hooks, then feed out an additional 8–10 inches (20–25 cm). This will leave you enough excess to loop the ends and suspend the wire between the hooks. Any type of lightweight, durable wire or cable will work just fine for this project, but galvanized steel aircraft cable is your best bet if you want your rig-up to withstand weight, friction, and time. You can buy a small bundle of aircraft cable at your local hardware store or home improvement center for around $30-40. Don’t forget to subtract the length of your turnbuckle (the tightening device you’ll be using to add tension to the wire). Standard turnbuckles are usually somewhere between 4–6 in (10–15 cm) in their normal state and 6–8 in (15–20 cm) when expanded.
Cut the wire with a pair of wire rope cutters. Clamp the jaws of your cutters onto the appropriate spot along the wire. Squeeze the handles together forcefully to snip the section free. You may need to use both hands here. A pair of high-tensile wire cutters will easily slice through cables that are especially strong or thick. You can also use bolt cutters, a hacksaw, or a rotary tool equipped with a steel cutting wheel if you don't own a pair of specialized wire rope cutters.
Double the ends of the wire over on themselves to form small loops. Try to make each loop as small as possible, but not so small that it won’t fit over the curved ends of your screw hooks. When you’re satisfied with the size of your first loop, use one hand to keep it pinched together tightly. For the sake of precision, it can be helpful to use strips of tape to mark the points where the wire will connect to the screw hooks. This will tell you exactly how much spare length you have to work with at a glance. You’ll be slipping these loops over your screw hooks when it comes time to actually hang your curtains.Tip: Placing a U-shaped metal thimble on the inside of each loop will help to minimize wear and tear to the wire where it rubs against the screw hooks.
Secure the loops with wire rope clips. Clamp the two pieces of your first clip over the open end of one loop, making sure that the U-shaped top half is positioned over the “dead” (cut) end of the wire and that the lower half (also known as the "saddle") is sitting on the “live” end. Using a socket wrench of a suitable size, turn the two nuts on the saddle clockwise to tighten the clip. Repeat the process with the opposite loop. The wire rope clips will ensure that the two sections of wire forming the loop stay cinched together. You should only need a single clip for the kind of small gauge wire this project calls for. If you decide to make use of more than one, be sure to separate them by at least a full saddle’s length.
Attaching and Adjusting the Curtains
Pass the wire through the holes in your curtain or curtains. Snake the wire in an alternating fashion through the front side of one hole and the back of the next. That way, the curtain will bunch properly when it’s drawn open completely. If your curtains have rings attached to the top for ease of installation, simply pull the wire straight through. It may help to lay the curtains out on the floor while you do this rather than trying to hold them upright. Once you’ve threaded the curtains successfully, gather them near the middle section of the wire so they won’t get in your way while you finish hanging them.
Loop a turnbuckle over one of the screw hooks on your wall. A turnbuckle is a small device used to manually add tension to ropes and wires. Turn the shaft connecting the eye and hook ends counterclockwise to expand the turnbuckle to its full length. Doing so will allow you to gradually stretch the wire once it’s in place and guarantee that it won’t sag or droop under the weight of your curtains. Most turnbuckles are designed to expand 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) beyond their starting length, so you’ll have quite a bit of wiggle room. You can pick up a turnbuckle at the hardware store or home improvement center when you go to purchase the rest of your supplies.
Drape the looped ends of the wire over the screw hooks. Place one loop over the hooked end of the turnbuckle. Then, pull the slack out of the wire and slip the other loop over the opposing screw hook. Your curtains are now officially hung. Just one last step to take care of! If necessary, have an assistant hold the curtains from below while you concentrate on attaching the ends of the wire or vice versa.
Twist the shaft of the turnbuckle clockwise to tighten it until the wire is taut. As you rotate the shaft, it will shift further down the threads on the eye end, creating more tension on the wire. A few quick turns should be all it takes to get your curtains hanging nice and straight. If you discover that your curtains are still sagging after you’ve tightened the turnbuckle all the way, you may have no choice but to unclamp one end of the wire and move the loop closer to the middle to shorten it.Tip: Use an adjustable wrench or screwdriver to generate more torque on the turnbuckle shaft and avoid scraping up your hands.
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