Bay Window Curtain Tracks: Made to Measure vs. Off the Shelf

Bay windows can be a fantastic focal point for your house, both inside and out. All that natural light does wonders for your mood and the bay is a great place to put dressing tables, office desks and window seats. The only downside is that you have some tough decisions to make about your curtains. Should you go for a bespoke curtain pole, or get something from a store for some DIY installation?

Off the Shelf

At first glance, getting a good curtain pole seems simple: you go down to your local DIY store, buy a cheap pole or rail and put it up yourself. While this may save you some money in the short term, this is actually a recipe for disaster.

The main problem is the shape of the bay window, which could be curved or have lots of angles. The only way to deal with shapes like these is to buy lots of short poles (which look rather ugly) or to try to bend a curtain rail yourself to fit the gap. What most people don’t consider is that bending a rail properly is difficult and involves an element of maths to get the angles right. It’s very unlikely you’d get it right yourself first time.

Quality

Another problem is that your average DIYer doesn’t have the tools needed to bend a bay window curtain rail. That means the tracks sold at DIY stores are of lower quality to allow them to be bent without those tools. They’re designed to be flimsy, so fixing heavy curtains is virtually impossible. The cords also need to be thinner in this sort of design too, so they break or come loose. A plastic track might be another option, but these can become brittle over time.

Bespoke is Best

Getting a curtain pole or rail specially made to fit your bay window might sound more expensive, but in the long term it’s the most cost effective option. Made to measure tracks are bent to the exact shape of your window by professionals with years of experience. That means your track will already fit when it arrives and you can put it up quickly and easily.

You also get a better quality product that will last a long time. Our tracks come with a 5 year guarantee and are heavy duty so you can hang weighty or very long curtains, and they even have separate channels for the cords so they never fall out. Plus we have a wide range of styles, designs, brackets and accessories so you can get the look you want, not just what the shop happens to have in stock.

For made to measure bay window curtain tracks and poles, have a look at the website. We’ve got all the latest designs from top brands like Silent Gliss.

Image courtesy of Naama (Flickr)