Rods take over curtain boxes

 

By JULIET KIGONGO
Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

 

People have used ropes and curtain boxes to hang up their curtains. But that was then. Mr Eric Galiwango, a shop attendant at Biplous Uganda Ltd says all these are old fashioned. Curtain rods are the fashionable way to go.

Curtain boxes are out of favour because they trap a lot of dust on top, making the curtains dirty. Fixing a curtain rod depends on the size of the window or door. If one wants to buy a curtain rod, they should visit their specialist with the window or door’s measurements.

“Before a curtain rod is screwed up, a curtain rail, which also has screws where a net will be fixed before putting runners that will help it move from one side to another, must be fixed first,” Galiwango says.

After fixing the holders in the wall, one has to place the rod in the holders with the rings fixed in it that will hold the curtain. Then, fix the metal hooks in the rings that have been already placed in the rod.

Also fix the end caps to cover the inner part of the rod. Then take measurements of the rod to enable you fix the curtain hooks that will hold the curtain and the tiebacks. Tiebacks are rope-like materials which are used to hold a curtain together in one place in case one wants to open it wide. 

Curtain hooks and runners help the curtain and net to move freely on the rod and rail. Galiwango cautions that before fixing the curtains, one should leave 15cm from the floor (skating) to the curtain. The curtain rods that are on the market are classified into three types: gold curtain rods, wooden curtain rods and black curtain rods.

Gold curtain rods
These have the most elegant look especially when put in the sitting room. “There is nothing that glitters like gold,” says Galiwango. However, they do not last as long as the rest because the gold coating peels off easily, making the interior house look awful.

Wooden curtain rods
Wooden curtain rods are very strong and last longer. But they can easily be destroyed by rodents if not well vanished.

Black curtain rods
These curtain rods are very good because they allow someone to design their curtains depending on the designs the curtain has.

A gold curtain rod of six metres is sold with all the accessories (tiebacks, screws, runners, metal hooks, rings, end cap and holders) and costs Shs120,000 at Biplous.

A black curtain rod of six metres costs Shs115,000 with all accessories. Wooden curtain rods of a metre long go for Shs25,000.

Curtain accessories such as tiebacks and metallic hooks are sold separately without rods attached. Tiebacks cost between Shs15,000 and Shs20,000, metallic hooks cost Shs5,000, curtain runners cost Shs4,000 and big curtain hooks cost Shs15,000.