Everything You Need to Know about Curtain Weights

Imagine this scenario. You’ve had the same set of curtains in mind for years and you couldn’t wait to get your hands on them so that you could finally finish out your home the way that you really want to. You purchase the curtains and initially, it all looks exactly like you had hoped. However, there is one significant problem.

The curtains don’t hang quite right. In fact, they have a tendency to bunch up in the middle and they don’t hang evenly on the bottom. Worse yet, you can’t allow any type of breeze inside the house because every time you do, the curtains go absolutely crazy and lose their shape entirely. What are you supposed to do if this happens? Were you wrong in choosing the drapes that you ultimately chose for your home? Should you have potentially decided to go with something else entirely so that you could have avoided all of this drama from the beginning?

You might seriously be considering the potential that you need to remove the curtains that you chose and replace them with something else that is completely different. If that is what you’re thinking, then you’re probably struggling with the decision, especially if you spent years and years trying to figure out what type of drapes you wanted and you finally got exactly what you were hoping for, only to find that they just don’t hang well. Instead of giving up on the whole matter, consider adding curtain weights in order to make them hang properly.

What Are Curtain Weights?

If you’ve never heard of curtain weights, you’re definitely not alone. As it turns out, there are a lot of people that have never heard of curtain weights and had no idea that such a thing even existed. If that’s the case with you, don’t despair. The point is, you are now aware of the fact that they do indeed exist and that they can help you make those curtains you have waited so long to get hang properly so you won’t have to replace them and make another choice that isn’t exactly what you wanted.

Now that you know curtain weights are a thing, it’s important to find out as much as you can about them because it does matter which weights you choose. Believe it or not, there are different styles of curtain weights out there and it does make a difference which option you select. Some weights work better for outdoor curtains while others do a better job for curtains that are installed indoors. By the same token, some people simply prefer one style of curtain weights over the other.

Last but not least, certain weights often make a particular style of curtain hang better while other types of weights might work better for different situations. Since you have to consider all of these things in order to choose the right option, it’s important to do your homework first so you won’t be disappointed.

Styles of Curtain Weights

Typically, there are two main styles of curtain weights that you have to contend with. One of them is something called the penny weight and the other is a chain weight. Just as you might have already guessed from the names involved, one of these weights looks very much like a large penny, only it’s weighted so that it weighs significantly more than even the heaviest coin.

The chain weight, on the other hand, looks exactly like the chain covered in heavy-duty material. In both cases, the weights will allow the curtains to hang properly and it will keep them from blowing around in the breeze so much. Fortunately, they’re easy to install and you can adjust the amount of weight that you’re using to fit the situation at hand. In other words, if you have curtains that are blowing significantly in the wind because they’re either outdoor curtains or they’re in a place in your home where there is a significant amount of wind, you can add more weights to the curtains so that they don’t move around as much.

By the same token, you can also add fewer weights for curtains where you don’t need to have quite as much control. In short, you can include just a couple of weights to help the curtains hang better and prevent them from blowing in the breeze if the issue isn’t significant. If it is, then you will simply add more weight throughout the length of the curtains in order to keep them in check. It’s worth noting that if you have curtains that are outdoors and they’re blowing a great deal, you may have to add a significant number of weights in order to remedy the situation.

Adding Curtain Weights

Now that you know what curtain weights are used for and you know more about the different types that are available, how do you add them to your curtains successfully? In almost every case, these weights are added to the hymn of the curtain so that they will hang properly. That means that you have to do at least a small amount of sewing.

If sewing really isn’t your thing, it is possible to try and use a heavy-duty fabric glue to attach the weights to the back of the hem, but it’s not nearly as likely to work as it would if you actually sewed the weights into the hem so that they’re not exposed. In addition, you have to consider the possibility that simply using fabric glue and attaching the weights to the backs of the curtains will not only be less effective, but it could potentially cause damage to your home, especially if you don’t have enough weight involved and the curtain starts blowing around.

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about penny weights or chain weights, you don’t want these objects striking your walls or worse yet, a window or a glass sliding door. It is possible that doing so could cause the glass to break and then you have a genuine mess on your hands that could also potentially be dangerous, especially if you have pets or small children in the house. As a result, it’s really best to sew the weights into the hem so that they stay in place. That way, there is no chance of this type of thing happening. Rest assured, even if you don’t consider yourself a skilled sewer, it’s relatively easy to accomplish this.

You don’t even need a sewing machine in order to do it. All you really need to do is take out one or two stitches in the hem of the curtains, add the weights and then sew them back up with a heavy-duty needle. If you’ve never sewn anything in your life, you’ll probably have to watch a couple of YouTube videos that give you the basics but after that, you should be good to go. It’s actually a fairly simple fix for something that could potentially make all the difference in the world between keeping a certain set of curtains up or deciding to take them down.

How Many Weights Should You Use?

Now that you’ve gotten past the fact that you’ll have to add drapery weights and that you might actually have to do some sewing, you might be wondering exactly how many weights are likely to be required in order to get the job done. Again, this is going to depend a great deal on exactly what types of curtains you have, where those curtains are located and the amount of wind that you typically see in that particular location. That said, a good rule of thumb is to place one weight in the hem of the curtain at each end.

Aside from that, you may have to add some additional weights. In some cases, it’s enough to add one more weight that sits in the hem of the curtain directly in the center. In other cases, you need to add a couple more weights, one on each end, one in the center and one on either side of the weight that is located in the middle. In a worst-case scenario, you can add weights that are approximately an inch apart throughout the entire length of the curtain. This will take a bit more time to sew all those weights into the hem, but it is a good solution for outdoor curtains that tend to blow around a bit too much.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s imperative that you keep it even on both sides. As long as you do that, you can tailor the number of weights you include to fit your particular situation so that it works well for you. Just make sure that you don’t have three or four weights on one side of that particular curtain while only placing one weight on the other half because if you do, it won’t hang properly.

Special Advice for Outdoor Curtains

If you’re wondering whether or not you should choose one curtain weight over another when you’re talking about outdoor curtains, then you should know that more often than not, it’s best to go with the chain weights for these types of curtains as opposed to using penny weights. That’s because the chain weights typically weigh a bit more and they also take up a little bit more space than the penny weights do.

That means that you’re not having to spend quite as much time sewing weights into the hems of the curtains in order to get the job done. That’s always a plus, but the biggest benefit is that the chain weights simply work better in this particular instance. Penny weights are great for curtains that you have hanging indoors, especially when they’re just not hanging quite right and you want to give them a little added weight.

For curtains that see a significant amount of wind, such as those that are located outdoors, the chain weights typically do a far better job of keeping them from moving around too much. Considering the fact that you probably don’t want to install penny weights and then have to go back and go through the whole process again with chain weights, you’d really be better off installing the chain weights to begin with and let it go at that.

Can You Buy Weighted Curtains?

Perhaps you’re interested in buying new curtains but you’re not in the mood to have to sew weights into the hems of them yourself. If that’s the case, what other options do you have available to you? Fortunately, there are some options available. One of them is to purchase curtains that are weighted so you don’t have to do anything on your own.

Granted, the curtains will cost more money than those that don’t come with weights already in them, but it might be worth it to you to spend the extra money as opposed to having to spend all of that extra time sewing weights into the curtains that you already have. This is especially true for individuals who don’t fancy themselves as being terribly skilled with a needle and thread or who simply don’t have the time to deal with it. What if you find a pair of curtains that you’re particularly fond of that don’t have weights in them and you are absolutely not open to the idea of sewing them in yourself? Are you simply out of luck, forced to purchase something else entirely?

Fortunately, the answer is no. As a matter of fact, you can do a couple of different things if you find yourself in this situation. The first is to purchase the curtains and then take them to a shop that specializes in adjusting curtains, allowing them to sew the weights in on your behalf. The other is to custom order drapes that can be purchased weighted or without weights, also custom ordered according to the size, color and type of material that you want.

Again, you’ll be spending more money if you choose this option but it may be worth it in the end. At the end of the day, it’s good to know that you have these options available to you if you should need them. If you’re looking for something economical, your best bet is to purchase the weights and sew them in yourself. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you can still get weighted drapes that work according to the style and the pattern that you’re interested in purchasing.

You can also read:

• How to Choose the Right Curtain for Your Dining Room
• The 20 Best Online Curtain Stores To Choose From
• A Complete Homeowner’s Guide to Boho Curtains
• What Are The Different Types of Curtain Hooks?
• How to Tie Curtains That are Too Long