You may have been wanting a simple upgrade for your home by way of having new drapes and curtains installed on your windows, but the potential cost and effort may be holding you back. Thankfully, embarking on a DIY (do-it-yourself) window treatment project is a great alternative, as it is really not as difficult as you might think.

You can go DIY all the way—beginning from selecting and sewing your own choice of fabric—or you can purchase either made-to-order or ready-made drapes and curtains. You will just then need to install and hang them. It is very easy and convenient to shop for curtains these days, especially online, where there is a wealth of excellent drapery options from many retailers.

“Here is a quick and easy,

step-by-step guide to

help you install your own

drapes and curtains at home.”

Plan

First and foremost, decide on the look and feel that you want for the particular living space you are working on, whether it be the living room, bedroom, or kitchen. Do you have an existing color scheme in your home that you would like to play up—or completely change? You might also be fantasizing about doing a strong thematic look, such as Victorian, vintage, modernist, and so on.

Settling on an idea will guide you in the choice of fabric and cut for the curtains or drapes that you will install. There is virtually an endless selection of colors, patterns, and designs available today, so it is important to make up your mind in terms of the interior design you are gunning for before you begin shopping for fabrics or ready-made curtains and drapes.

Measure

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Part of planning is also measuring the window or space where the curtains or drapes will go up. A clever trick that professional interior designers do is to hang the curtain rods 4 to 6 inches above the window frames, or to extend the fabric from ceiling to floor. This makes the surface or walls of the house look higher. Meanwhile, extending the curtain rod 3 to 6 inches on both sides of the window frame helps create a more luxurious and grand feeling.

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Make sure to buy or order curtains and drapes in the right measurement to avoid mistakes in cost and effort. If you are buying ready-made curtains or drapes, and your windows don’t seem to exactly fit in any of the available standard measurements, always err on the side of excess because you can always easily trim the fabric to fit your windows more perfectly. Image source:

Install

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If you don’t have existing curtain rods or hardware on your windows, you will have to install new ones, too. You can purchase these from hardware stores or online as well. Keep in mind the dimensions of the necessary curtain rods when you do your measurements.

Prepare the necessary tools and parts such as a ladder, hand drill, screws, and screw anchors. Use a leveler to make sure that the rod is perfectly horizontal and parallel to the floor. Using a pencil, mark the holes where the screws will go in. Bore them with the hand drill, and fasten the rod with the screws. Always check that the rod is strong and stable to hold the curtains or drapes.

Hang

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Once the drapery system or rod is in place, you can now proceed to hanging your curtains or drapes. Be sure to use a sturdy ladder for safety. Depending on the design of your curtains or drapes, you may need additional accessories such as hooks. Commonly, curtains and drapes already have ringlets or eyelets that enable you to just slide them easily onto the rod.

For added drama, you can allow the curtains or drapes to puddle on the floor. This creates a feeling of luxury and spaciousness. Otherwise, the standard length of curtains is just around an inch or so above the floor.

Finishing Touches

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Put finishing touches on your curtains or drapes by accessorizing with decorative rods, finials, holdbacks or curtain ties. These complete the final look of your window treatment. You can also buy these online where you purchase your actual curtains and drapes.

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Curtains and drapes truly make the atmosphere in any home more complete, pleasurable, and enjoyable. There is no need to spend a lot if you can earn how to install and hang your own curtains and drapes at home, or if you can find a reliable supplier who can provide you with top-quality window treatments that don’t cost an arm and a leg.