Great bay window treatments made easy!

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Most people worry about fitting bay window treatments, but no need .

You will need a Flexible, Bendable Curtain Track Kit The curtains and top treatments are usualy made the same as for straight windows.

The exception being for fabric covered Pelmet/cornices. They obviously have to bend in just the right places to fit the shape of the bay.

Not to worry though I have an article all about fitting pelmet/cornices on a bay window .

So why can't you use ready made draperies for bay window treatments ?

You will have to get curtains made to measure to fit your bay windows.

Unless you hang ready made curtains (not recommended), and you don't mind them looking like a complete "dogs dinner".

So what's the problem, well since you asked so nicely I'll tell you :-)

Ready made draperies are not made wide enough to fit most bay windows. Even fairly small bays are around 10ft wide. So ready made draperies even at 100 inches wide each panel will when gathered still only fit an 8ft wide window. This is allowing double for gather in your curtains.

They are also never the right length, either too short or sometimes too long.

As a rule of thumb your curtains ungathered straight out of the bag should be at least twice the width of your window. So on a 10 ft window your pair of curtains should measure 20ft wide. Most ready made curtain panels are only made up to 100 inches wide. Meaning that we are still 20 inches too narrow on each of our pair of ready made curtains.

So what is the answer to your bay window treatment promlem ?

That's simple have them made (I can hear you groaning). Yes it will cost a lot more than ready made curtains. However they will fit the window perfectly. You also get to choose exactly the style of curtain heading you want and get exactly the drapery fabric you want. Also whether to have them lined or not (I strongly recommend you do) and what kind of linings.

Another big plus about custom made curtains is the quality of the fabrics and the quality of the making. Ready made draperies are made by the thousands to keep the prices low. However the quality is nowhere as good. The sizes are also only approximate and not exact as with made to measure curtains.

You have to look at these bay window treaments as an investment in your home. You will be keeping them for many years, I have customers who have had their custom curtains hanging on their windows for 30 years in some cases.

I think 10 years is a very reasonable minimum for these kind of window treatments. They will still be looking good but will have more than payed for themselves. So when you divide the cost by the number of years you will have your curtains hanging. Then the yearly cost is minimal, it's like buying a new peice of quality furniture such as a dining room set. Find out how much it would cost to get some custom made bay window treatments for your bay window.

How do you measure for curtains in a bay window treatment ?

I seriously recommend you fit your window treatment hardware FIRST then measure for your new curtains. The window curtain rods and other hardware you use will determine the sizes of your new custom curtains. So fit first, measure second. Take a look here to find out how to measure for curtains properly

Do you want valance window treatments or a window treatment cornice ?

If you just want to hang a pair of curtains. Then you will need Flexible, Bendable Curtain Track Kit to hang curtains from.

If you want to have window toppers such valance window treatments or a window treatment cornice. Then you will need to fit some cornice boards first. Then fit your flexible curtain rod to the underside of this.

A flexible curtain rod fixed directly to the ceiling.

A cornice board fixed to the ceiling, coming out of the bay.

I used 2 curtain rods that overlap in the center of the window.

Curved bay window treatment

This bay window treatment is all hung from the cornice boards and flexible curtain rod in the photos just above. Velcro tape stapled to the leading edge of the boards sticks to the velcro tape stapled to the back of the fabric covered cornice/pelmet.

Curved bay windows like this one above are a little bit more work when fitting a new curtain rod or curtain track. The good news is hanging your curtains is just the same as a regular window. But it's still not very difficult to fit your own bay window rods and curtains for yourself.

3 Sided bay window treatment

As above this bay window treatment is hung from timber cornice boards in this 3 Sided bay fixed with wall brackets rather than fixing to the ceiling. Very simple to fit and the fabric covered cornice/pelmet is fixed using velcro tape. These curtains have a double pleat buckram header. Even though you don't see it under the top treatment it makes the curtains fall naturally into nice neat pleats with no effort.

Make your own fabric covered curtain rod

In this photo above I have covered the curtain rod with a strip of the same fabric as the curtains. I used self adhesive 1" white velcro tape to make this stick in place. This only works for curtain rod and tracks where the gliders are to the bottom or back. You can't have the gliders running over the fabric. This is a great way to fit a bay window treatment without a top treatment.

How do you make bay window cornice/pelmets ?

One of my personal favourites to make and fit is a bay window cornice/pelmet. They can also suit most rooms. Just cover with a modern fabric for a contemporary look. Or cover with a traditional fabric for a more cosy look.

Why I don't recommend bay window curtain poles !

These curtain in the photo above have been hung from a custom bent bay window curtain pole. The only troulble is for working curtains I am yet to find one that works efficiently. They have special curtain rings called "passing rings". These rings have gaps in the back to allow them to pass over the curtain pole brackets.

No matter how much money you spend on these bay poles, the curtains struggle to open and close. The rings still get stuck trying to pass the brackets. So most people I have fitted these for have been dissapointed with the way they perform. The so called "better ones" still don't work well and cost a small fortune. take a look here to find out more about bay window poles

How do you fit window treatments in a square bay window ?

Square bay window treatments are not as difficult to fit as you may think. This example is all hung of 3 timber boards fixed with wall brackets. The valance is a simple box pleat and the curtains are on a standard pencil pleat header tape. The curtains sit to the window sill rather to the floor.

How do you hang tailored swags in a bay window ?

This was one of the widest bay window treatments that I have ever fitted. The curtains are only to dress the sides of the window. Behind the swags are working roman shades that are used on a daily basis to cover the window. Again this window was fairly simple to put together, just a lot bigger.Take a look at Large bay window

For more detailed info on bay window curtains and why you need to have custom curtains take a look here at the bay window curtains guide.

How to hang bay window curtains ?