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Curtain Pole Or Blind Pulling Out Of The Wall
A curtain pole or blind bracket has come away above the window, taking a lump of plaster with it.
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What's happening?
The area directly above a window is the least predictable piece of wall in the house. There is a lintel spanning the opening — concrete, steel or timber depending on the age of the property — and around it a mixture of brick, block, packing and sometimes a timber batten, all covered in plaster that tells you nothing about what is behind it. So brackets fixed by eye go into whatever happens to be at that spot, which might be solid concrete or might be a thin skim over a void. Add the way curtains are used — a firm tug on one side to close them, twice a day, for years — and a fixing that is only just adequate works its way out. Lined or interlined curtains and full-length blackouts are heavier than people expect.
What usually causes it?
- Brackets fixed into plaster or the perimeter of a void rather than into the lintel or solid masonry
- A plug that will not grip because the drill has broken into a cavity or hit soft mortar
- Heavy lined or blackout curtains on fixings sized for a light pair
- Only two brackets on a long pole, so the middle sags and levers the end fixings
- The pole tugged from one end to close the curtains, loading one bracket repeatedly
- A steel lintel that has stopped the drill, so a short screw was used into plaster alone
- Old, blown plaster above the window breaking away around a fixing that was previously sound
Is it dangerous?
A pole coming down brings the curtains and a shower of plaster with it, usually at head height, and metal poles and finials are heavy. It matters most in a child's room and over a bed. It is also worth knowing that blind cords carry a separate strangulation risk for young children, which is why cord safety devices are supplied with modern blinds and should be fitted rather than left in the packet.
Can I fix it myself?
You can find out what you are fixing into. Drill a small pilot hole and feel what comes out — grey dust means concrete lintel, red means brick, and a sudden drop with almost no dust means a void. Then match the fixing to that, and add a third bracket in the middle of any long pole. If you hit steel, stop and hand it over rather than moving along and hoping.
When should you call a handyman?
Call a handyman when the plaster has broken away and there is no sound material left, when the pole is long or the curtains are heavy, when you hit a steel lintel, or when the same brackets have already been re-fixed once. Getting into the lintel properly usually needs the right bit and a fixing chosen for that material.
What will the handyman actually do?
- Probe above the window to establish what the lintel is and where solid material sits
- Make good broken plaster so new fixings are landing in sound material
- Select fixings for the actual substrate — concrete, brick, timber batten or steel
- Add intermediate brackets on long poles so no single fixing carries the pull
- Level and test the pole loaded, and fit the blind cord safety device where one is supplied
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