Curtains And Curtain Tracking – Choosing And Installing

Curtains

Regardless if you are cordoning off areas of a tattoo parlor, healthcare facility, photography studio, laboratory, classroom or even a home, curtain tracking has grown to be an readily available tool. Selection and setting up curtains and curtain tracking is not rocket science, but below are a few tips that could smooth the procedure.

Blinds

The first task is choosing a curtain. You have to think about what you need your curtain to do. If it is needed it to close light, then the blackout fabric ought to be chosen. If it must meet state and federal commercial fire codes, then mesh top curtains are required to allow sprinkler systems to adequately protect their environment. Quality cubicle and hospital curtains are made with inherently fire retardant materials which might be durable, safe, and last through the entire duration of the cubicle curtain. There are numerous styles and colors of materials to pick from; including solid colors, striped, textured, patterned plus much more.

Once a style is established, calculate the height and whole curtain necessary to cover the intended space. The length should generally be 15% wider than the length to become covered. To get a more ruffled look, add 30% towards the length. For instance: you might need 220″ of length to pay your space. You would then multiply 220″ x .15 and come with 33″; add the 33″ for the original 220″ and you will must order a length of 253″.

To establish the peak from the curtain you’ll find three measurements must be determined. Start with measuring the peak in the floor for the ceiling. For this example let’s begin having a 10 foot ceiling that is 120 inches high. Next measure the height of the carrier and curtain tracking; normally, this is 3″-4″ combined. The next measurement to determine will be the open space wanted underneath the bottom in the curtain; 12″-18″ frequently occurs. Take the ceiling height of 120″ and subtract 12″ for bottom clearance and 4″ for tracking and carriers and this leaves one last curtain height of 104″. Typical curtain sizes range from 72″ to 234″ wide and 84″ to 108″ long. Cubicle curtains can be produced to order and customized in many instances. Healthcare facilities often have building and fire codes which should be met; consult the website owner before proceeding.

Quality curtain tracking consists of 16 gauge extruded aluminum and it is typically sold in eight foot lengths. If shorter lengths are essential, tracking could be decrease with a hacksaw. Curves pre-bent to 45 deg. and 90 deg. are for sale for applications requiring the curtain to bend around a room; curves are 2 feet by 2 feet and bent at the 12 inch radius.

Curtain tracking might be attached with solid or false/drop down ceilings using screws or clips. Attaching the tracking to a solid ceiling necessitates use of screws; screw directly into ceiling studs anytime you can. Holes should be drilled in the tracking at each attaching point. It’s not at all always easy to screw in a stud. At this point, the usage of an anchor is essential. An anchor is pressed right into a pre-drilled hole. Like a screw is inserted into the anchor; the anchor expands and grabs firmly on the ceiling. Drop down/false ceilings require clips that happen to be coupled to the ceiling grid. You will find there’s hole used each clip that accepts a screw from your curtain tracking. These clips should be placed every 30″.

Suspension tubing may be used with good ceilings or if existing obstructions avoid the curtain tracking from being mounted directly to the ceiling. Suspension tubing comes in 8 foot lengths and made with 7/8″ O.D. hollow aluminum tubing. Suspension tubing might be attached straight away to solid ceilings having a ceiling flange or via ceiling clips to some drop down/false ceiling. A screw insert will be placed in the base of the suspension tubing allowing the curtain tracking to be attached. Suspension tubing ought to be placed every six feet along with the tracking ends may be attached with a wall with a nylon wall bracket.

Anodized aluminum splicing clamps join multiple bits of tracking to be sure proper alignment in the channels. This will allow the carriers/rollers to advance freely from part of tracking to the next. Neat and smooth the ends of every part of track before assembly; burrs might cause the carriers/rollers to hang up.

An end-stop must be placed at both ends from the curtain tracking setup. Curtain tracking end-stops are widely-used to prevent curtain carriers from slipping out. One end should include a snap out fitting to allow for easy installation and replacement of curtain carriers. Snap out fittings sit in a end-stop and they are easily removed. Removal is necessary to set up or replace your curtain carriers without treatment of curtain tracking from the ceiling.

Various specialty brackets allow for multiple ceiling track configurations. T-brackets connect a perpendicular section of tracking part way along a pre-existing part of tracking. Cross brackets subdivide a space into 4 or even more separate sections with regards to the sized your living area and the height and width of your tracking layout.

As soon as the tracking layout is finalized, then determine the amount of carriers or rollers needed. Carriers are only that, they carry the curtain down the tracking. The common style includes a nylon block and wheels having a swiveling chain and hook attached. A breakaway version is accessible which acts despite its name; the carrier does not break, it flexes. This enables the curtain to detach through the carrier as an alternative to damage the curtain or carrier. Curtain carriers needs to be spaced every 6″ around the curtain. In case your curtain is 242″ long, you’ll want to have 41 carriers.

Drop chains and PVC drop strips are for sale to use when ventilation space is essential plus a mesh top curtain is not an alternative. A drop chain is 18″ long with custom lengths available; it’s made out of nickel-plated steel. A PVC drop strip is 18″ long having a hole ahead which slips in the curtain carrier; a plated hook at the end connects for the cubicle curtain.

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