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| Completely assembled curtain rail. |
A standard double storey link or terrace house usually comes with five (5) windows and one sliding main door plus one side door. This exclude the small toilet windows. For the 3-room apartment, there are three standard windows plus one large window at the lounge.
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| Blank curtain rail cut to the required length |
The standard window size is four feet by four feet ( 4 X 4). The master bedroom window is slightly bigger, i.e. six feet by four feet ( 6 X 4). The sliding glass door at the lounge is usually ten feet by seven feet (10 X 7)
The Malaysia’s standard height of window is four (4) feet and the standard height of door is seven (7) feet.
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| Cross section view of blank curtain rail |
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| End cap |
Most Malaysian house owners prefer to cover the window and sliding door with curtain. Blinds are common in offices and commercial building but rarely used for home.
The most common type of curtain rail is the hollow channel aluminium curtain rail.
To get a contractor to supply and fix the curtain rail for the standard double storey house will cost approximately RM420.00 (USD135.00). But if you also purchase the curtain from the same supplier, you may get a discount for the curtain rail of 10 to 20 %.
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| Curtain rail rollers |
Assembling and installing the curtain rail DIY cost only a fraction of the price charged by the contractor or curtain supplier.
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| Inserting rollers into the curtain rail |
The curtain rail and all the components, such as the roller, end cap and bracket, are available at all hardware shop and DIY stores. The hardware shop will cut the curtain rail according to your requirement.
The price of the curtain rail ranging between RM1.20 per foot run to RM2.00 per foot run.. The price of the rail varies with the quality and thickness.
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| Closing and locking the end of the rail with End cap. |
The components cost and components used are quite standard too. End cap cost RM0.40 each, roller is RM0.10 each and the bracket is selling at RM0.50 each.
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| Completed curtain rail ready for installation. |
You must provide six inches extra curtain rail length for each window. For example if the window is four feet wide, the rail must be four and a half feet long.
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| Mark the position of the bracket (3 inches above) before drilling. |
For every foot run of curtain rail, three rollers are required. You may add 10% more to the total number of roller, as spare. A bracket is recommended for every three-foot run of rail. A minimum of two brackets are required for each curtain rail.
To assemble the curtain rail, secure one end of the curtain rail with an end cap, with the lock screw tightened. Insert the required number of rollers into the groove of the rail, through the opposite end.. Finally, close the opposite end of the rail with another end cap and secured it with the screw. It is that simple.
To install the curtain rail, a leveller, and electric drill, measuring tape and wall plugs & screws are required.
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| Level and align the rail position before fixing the brackets. |
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| Drill to fix the plug and the bracket |
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| Curtain rail secured to the bracket |
The curtain rail is installed three inches above the top edge of the window. First, mark the position to fix the brackets. Ensure that all the brackets position are in line and levelled. Then, drill the hole on the wall to lay the plug and secure the bracket with the screws. Finally, fix and hang the curtain rail to the bracket. There is only a screw and a clip to secure and lock the rail to the bracket. This is the most important part of the installation. If the rail is not secured properly to the bracket, the whole curtain and the rail can collapse.
Total cost of the job by DIY is only RM66.50 (USD21.50) as compared with the contractor’s cost of RM420.00 (USD135.00). Just look at the amount you can save.
It is worthwhile to be a handyman and practise DIY. |
| The curtain is ready for hanging the curtain. |
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| Another rail ready for hanging curtain. |
