Put up a bay window curtain track on a lath and plaster wall — HomeGraft

Fit a curved curtain track across a bay window, checking what's behind the wall before you drill or screw anything.

BW-01Measure the bay and choose your trackMeasure each of the three (or more) sections of the bay separately, along the wall, not across the room. Buy a bendable bay track long enough for the total run plus a bit of overlap at the corners, or a track kit sold specifically for bays. Decide bracket spacing: one bracket at each corner join, plus extra brackets every 600-800mm along each straight run, and always within 150mm of each end.

1 each · Bendable bay curtain track kit

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1 each · Tape measure

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BW-02Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere behind a wall, not just in the 'safe zones'. Run a cable and pipe detector over every mark you plan to drill, but still treat each hole as if something could be there — detectors miss deep cables, cables in metal conduit, and anything behind metal-backed plasterboard. Find your stopcock now (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt about a mark near a socket or light, isolate that circuit at the consumer unit before you drill.

1 each · Cable and pipe detector

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BW-03Work out what's behind each fixing pointA bay window wall often mixes wall types — lath and plaster on the flat sections, solid brick or block on the corner piers between windows. Tap the wall: a dull, solid sound is masonry or a stud; a hollow, slightly springy sound with give is lath and plaster or plasterboard. Drill a small 3mm pilot hole at each mark — fine white dust and old horsehair-flecked plaster with wooden lath fragments means lath and plaster; brick or mortar dust means solid masonry; timber dust with a solid stop means a timber stud; fine grey metal swarf means a metal stud, and a hollow feel with a bounce-back on a stud detector means plasterboard between studs.

1 each · 3mm masonry/HSS drill bit

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BW-04Mark and level the bracket positionsHold the track up (or use a length of string) to check your line and mark each bracket position lightly in pencil. Use a spirit level to keep the line true across each straight run of the bay, allowing for the fact the corners will angle slightly. Double-check every mark against your tape measure before you drill anything — moving a hole in lath and plaster leaves a mess.

1 each · Spirit level (600mm)

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1 each · Pencil

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BW-05Fix into solid brick or block piersDrill with a 6mm or 7mm masonry bit to match your plug size, going about 5mm deeper than the plug length so dust doesn't stop the screw seating. Push in a red or brown Rawlplug, then drive a 40-50mm screw through the bracket into the plug until it's snug — don't overtighten and crack the plug. This is the strongest fixing point in a bay, so use it wherever a pier lines up with a bracket position.

8 each · Rawlplugs (red, 6mm)

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8 each · Screws 40mm

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1 each · Masonry drill bit 6mm

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BW-06Fix into a timber studDrill a 3mm pilot hole into the centre of the stud, not the edge, then drive a 40-50mm wood screw straight through the bracket into the timber. This is a strong, reliable fixing on its own — no plug needed. If a bracket position falls between studs, shift it a little to land centrally on the nearest one where you can.

6 each · Wood screws 45mm

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BW-07Fix into a metal studNever use a plastic wall plug or an ordinary wood screw in a metal stud — they strip straight through 0.5mm steel and the bracket will fall. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a screw-in metal toggle rated for the weight, driven straight in with a screwdriver or drill on low speed. Metal studs won't hold anything that pulls away from the wall repeatedly, and a curtain track takes a sideways tug every time curtains are drawn — if you can, land these brackets on the plasterboard between studs with a proper hollow-wall toggle instead, or fix through to masonry behind if there is any.

6 each · Self-drilling metal stud fixings

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BW-08Fix into plasterboard on dot-and-dabDot-and-dab plasterboard sits on adhesive blobs with an air gap behind it, so a short screw and plug will just pull out of the board. Use a long fixing (60-75mm) made for dot-and-dab, or a hollow-wall toggle rated for the pull of a curtain track, so it reaches through the void and grips the masonry or spreads its load properly behind the board. Drill slowly and check with your pilot hole first — hitting a dab too early can make the hole feel solid when it isn't.

6 each · Dot-and-dab fixings 60mm

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BW-09Fix through lath and plasterPlaster alone will crumble under a curtain track's weight and pull, so you must locate the timber stud, joist, or a lath behind each mark and drive into that, not just the plaster skin. Use a long screw (60-75mm) so it passes through the plaster and laths and bites well into solid timber behind. Drill slowly with light pressure — lath and plaster cracks easily — and if a bracket lands over a gap between laths with nothing solid behind it, add a small timber batten screwed to the studs either side and fix the bracket to that instead.

6 each · Screws 65mm

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1 metre · Timber batten offcut (25x50mm)

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BW-10Cut and join the track to fit the bayBend the track gently by hand to follow the corner angles, checking against the wall as you go rather than forcing it. Cut each length with a hacksaw at the marked point and smooth the cut edge with a file so runners glide freely. Fit the corner joiner pieces from the kit before you offer the track up to the wall.

1 each · Hacksaw

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1 each · Small metal file

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BW-11Fit the brackets and hang the trackScrew each bracket to the wall using the fixing that matches what you found behind it in the earlier steps. Clip or slot the track into the brackets as you go, following the manufacturer's fitting method — most bay tracks clip up from underneath. Get a second pair of hands for the corners; the track is awkward to hold and fix alone.

1 each · Screwdriver or drill/driver

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BW-12Check the track runs level and glidesRun a curtain runner or gliders along the whole length of the track by hand and check it moves smoothly round both corners without snagging. Check with your spirit level that the track hasn't dipped at any bracket, and re-tighten anything loose. Sort out any snags now, before curtains are hung.

BW-13Fill any marks and hang your curtainsFill any misplaced pilot holes or small plaster cracks with a decorator's filler, let it dry, then lightly sand flush. Touch in with matching paint if needed. Hang your curtains on the track and draw them across fully to make sure the whole run works under real use.

1 each · Decorator's filler (small tub)

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1 sheet · Fine sandpaper

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BW-14Tidy upVacuum up plaster dust and drilled debris from the windowsill and floor straight away, as lath and plaster dust settles into everything. Put any spare fixings and offcuts of track back in their packaging and label them, in case you need to add a bracket later. Wipe down the sill and check nothing was left switched off at the consumer unit or stopcock.

1 each · Dust sheet

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