Things You'll Need:
- Drapery rod and brackets
- pencil
- ruler
- finishing nail
- hammer
- hollow wall anchors
- wood screws
- carpenter's level
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Step 1
Positioning the drapery rodsWith the help of a friend, hold your drapery rods up where you'd like to have them mounted to check for placement and height. When you're satisfied with the positioning, mark lightly on the wall with a pencil where the rod's bracket will be placed. Measure with a ruler to ensure that the brackets will be equally spaced on either side of the window.
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Step 2
Screw holes on a drapery rodHold your brackets up to the wall in the position they'll be in and make a pencil mark on the wall where the bracket's screw holes are.
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Step 3
Hammer a small finish nail into the wall where each of the screw hole markings were made. Note what the nail encounters -- whether it hits solid wood, or whether it passes through the Sheetrock and encounters empty space behind. Remove the nail after each test.
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Step 4
For hollow walls, place hollow wall anchors into the location of the screw hole markings. Hollow wall anchors come in a variety of styles, designed for holding different weights. Consider the weight of your drapery rod and draperies when choosing hollow wall anchors. For most applications, "Zip-it" style screw-in wall anchors are excellent. They're easy to install and hold well (see Additional Resources). Once the anchors are in place, screw your bracket into the anchor.
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Step 5
If you hit wood behind the Sheetrock, you don't need a hollow wall anchor -- the wooden stud behind the wall will hold a wood screw. Mount the bracket onto the wall with wood screws that are at least 1-3/4 inch long. To ensure the screw starts well, tap a small hole into the wood with a finishing nail, then screw in the wood screw to hold the bracket in place.
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Step 6
Place your drapery rod on the brackets to finish the installation.










