How to Build a Hanging Curtain Room Divider

Dividing a room to create private areas for storage, sleeping or laundry is a simple project completed in just a couple of hours. Two hooks, installed on either side of the room, suspend curtain panels threaded onto a chain. For maximum privacy, floor-length opaque drapery panels can work. To create a lighter, less-private visual barrier, sheer curtain panels work well. This simple project requires no special tools or advanced home-repair skills.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Middle-weight utility chain
• Wire cutters
• Step stool (optional)
• Stud finder
• Drill with drilling bit
• 2 heavy-duty threaded hooks

Instructions

1. Measure and note the distance between the walls on either side of the room, where you plan to install the room divider. Use wire cutters to cut a length of chain a few inches longer than that distance. Thread the upper casings of the curtain panels onto the chain.

2. Use a stud finder to locate the wall stud nearest to the position where you intend to install the first hook. Mark the position of the stud at the height you want to install the hook. Locate the corresponding stud on the opposite wall and mark it at the same height as the first mark.

3. Drill a horizontal pilot hole through each mark into the stud. Install a threaded hook in each hole. Turn the hooks clockwise to tighten until the curved portion of the hook meets the wall.

4. Hang one end of the chain on one hook. Hang the other end of the chain on the hook mounted on the opposite wall. Remove slack in the chain by repositioning the links on the hook. Excess chain may be trimmed with wire cutters, if desired. Evenly distribute the curtain panels across the chain.

Tips & Warnings

• Homes that are built to code should have wall studs that are opposite each other. If this is not the case in your home, you may need to use a wall anchor to install the hook in a hollow portion of the wall.

• The diameter of the drill bit used to make the pilot holes in the wall must be smaller than the threaded shank of the hook.

• For flat-hanging curtains, the combined width of the panels is equal to the distance between the opposite walls. For a fuller appearance, the combined width of the curtain should be two to three times the distance between the walls.

References

• Room Divider Guide: Curtain Room Dividers | How to Make a Room Divider
• Curtain Room Dividers: A Look at Different Types of Hanging Room Dividers