Which curtain track is best?
Updated
No single curtain track is best for every window. The best one depends on the window, the weight of the curtain and how you want to open it. Choose how it fixes (ceiling or face), its shape (straight or bent) and how it is worked (hand drawn, cord drawn or motorised), then check the fit with your retailer.
Best depends on the window, the curtain and your budget. A track that suits a light sheer on a small window is not the one for a heavy lined curtain across a wide opening. Ask your retailer to price the options side by side, so you can see what each choice adds.
How do you choose a curtain track?
Make three choices: how the track fixes, its shape, and how the curtain is worked.
| Choice | Suits | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling fix (top fix) | A taller, cleaner line, with the curtain running from ceiling to floor and less light over the top | Needs something solid to fix into. Plasterboard alone should not carry a loaded track |
| Face fix | Ceilings that are sloped or very high, cannot take a fixing, or have a cornice in the way | A gap above the curtain, so some light comes over the top |
| Straight track | A window or wall that runs in a line | A long track made in one piece may still need a join to reach the room |
| Bent track | Corners, columns and bay windows, where the curtain has to travel round without a break | Made from the actual dimensions of your window. Irregular walls need a template |
| Hand drawn | Windows you can reach, worked by hand or with a wand | Check you can comfortably reach and move the curtain through its full travel |
| Cord drawn | A curtain worked from one fixed point | Cord safety rules are mandatory. The installer plans the cord drop and the tensioning device |
| Motorised | Hard to reach windows, heavy use, very wide or heavy curtains and automation | Needs a compatible motor, controller and power, wired or battery |
Neither fixing is automatically stronger. What matters is what the fixings go into and whether the brackets suit the weight of the curtain, and that is the installer's call at your window.
If you choose a Wave Fold or S Fold curtain, the track and the curtain are ordered to match, so settle the heading and the track together.
Which curtain track suits heavy curtains?
A heavy curtain puts more load on the track, the brackets and the fixings, so all three have to suit the actual curtain. The installer chooses brackets and fixings for the wall or ceiling and for the curtain's weight, and adds support where it is needed.
How you move a heavy curtain matters too. On a very wide or very heavy curtain, a cord drawn or motorised track is easier than pulling it by hand.
Heavy fabrics such as velvet and self lined blockout (blackout) also settle lower over time. Tell your retailer the curtain is heavy, so they can allow for floor clearance when they order.
Which ceiling mount curtain track is best?
Ceiling fix gives a taller, cleaner line where the ceiling can take a fixing. A track can also be recessed, set up into the ceiling so only the curtain shows. That has to be planned before the ceiling is finished.
A double track carries two curtains, one behind the other, usually a sheer and a blockout. Allow more room off the wall or window, with enough space between the two curtains that the folds do not rub.
Which motorised curtain track is best?
That depends on the curtain and the window, not on one model. A motorised track needs a compatible motor, controller and power arrangement. Before you order, settle the curtain weight, the track layout, wired or battery power, the opening direction, how the motor will be reached for service and any automation system it has to link to.
A motor has no cord or chain loop, so it avoids the cord safety concern of a cord drawn track. The installer sets up the motor, remote and controller, and tests that the curtain runs correctly.
Take the window, the curtain and your budget to a curtain retailer. Ask which fixing suits your ceiling or wall, whether a bend or a join is needed, how the curtain will be worked and what each option adds to the quote. Speedy Blinds makes curtain tracks to order for retailers, straight, bent and motorised.
Other ways people ask this
What is the best curtain track system?
There is no single best system. The best one fits the window, carries the weight of the curtain and works the way you want to use it.
Which curtain track is best for heavy curtains?
One whose brackets and fixings suit the weight of the curtain. On a very wide or very heavy curtain, a cord drawn or motorised track is easier to work than a hand drawn one.
Which is the best curtain track for a ceiling?
A ceiling fixed track gives a taller, cleaner line where there is something solid to fix into. Your installer checks what is behind the plasterboard.
Which motorised curtain track is best in Australia?
It depends on the weight of the curtain, the track layout and the power supply, so ask your retailer which motorised track suits your window.
This answer is general information. For your own windows, your retailer's advice and your order with them come first.