command strips | jamie's home blog

UPDATE: Welcome to jhb! Thanks so much for stopping by! This method worked really well for hanging curtains in my rental without damaging the walls. If you want to see how the removal went, click HERE! If you’re installing your curtains, read on for instructions friend!

First, chew a piece of gum. While chewing, use duct tape to fashion floor length curtains. Find a piece of plumbing pipe longer than the width of your window. Affix your duct tape curtain to the plumbing pipe using more duct tape. Spit out your gum, tear it in half, put some on each end of the plumbing pipe and attach it to the wall. Boom. That’s how MacGyver would hang curtains in my situation. See, the condo that the fella and I live in was built in 1983. And like most condos built in the early 80s, we have… a mirrored wall. Here it is in all its glaring, shiny, mirrored glory. Note that this photo was taken previous to me purchasing my sectional and also previous to the last two living room rearrangements.

One of the two small windows in our living room is surrounded by this massive mirror. Into which I cannot drill holes for window treatments. Convenient. Our landlord is a saint, but I’m pretty sure taking a sledgehammer to the mirrored wall would be on his no-no list. Plus, who needs all that bad luck, anyway? So my task was to figure out how to hang curtains on a wall I couldn’t drill into. And though MacGyver’s version sounds lovely, I’m not sure it would match our decor. So here’s how I did it…

*Disclaimer: as with the rest of my posts, this post is NOT sponsored. I just want to write about products that I love, use and have success with!

My curtain rods, mounting hardware and finials all came from IKEA. For each window – one rod, a pair of mounting brackets and the finials came to the grand total of $7.47 pre-tax. So for both windows, I spent $16.17. Can’t beat it! And how cute are these finials?!

Here’s where it got real complicated for me. I went out and got the 3M Command hanging strips that hold up to 16 lbs. The ones that work like velcro. These guys.

I’ve used them before on heavy frames and they work wonders. I attached the strips to the brackets and the wall according to the instructions, then I waited two days before touching them to let the adhesive set. I put my curtains on my rods and then carefully rested the rods in the brackets. And 15 minutes later, the strips separated and the whole thing came crashing to the floor. Sad face. My curtains are a really breezy, thin linen, so I really don’t think they weigh 16 lbs (even combined with the rod and finials), but I guess gravity got the better of the Command strips because down they came.

I knew there had to be another way… Enter Alene’s turbo tacky glue…

I thought it might have enough strength to keep the strips from separating, but also be pliable enough to make removal easier. I figure if its a little stubborn when I take them down, I can take a box cutter to the tacky glue. The strips are destroyed when you remove them anyway.

So all it took was a little bead of tacky glue down the length of the strip and a firm press into the wall.

I waited a couple of days before putting the curtain rod on the brackets, just to be sure that the tacky glue had set and was completely dry. I very gingerly put the curtain rods into the brackets and much to my excitement, they stayed up!

Imagine me doing a happy dance in my living room while the dog tries his best not to feel embarrassed of me.

So far its been a month and I haven’t had any issues with the system not staying put. I’ll definitely post an update if that changes. But I’m glad that its a success thus far! Now I’m thinking I may want to dye my curtains or otherwise give them some sort of upgrade. Right now they’re just plain linen but I’d love to give ’em some character. Commencing brainstorm session…

So that’s how I hung curtains on a wall that cannot be drilled into. Pretty great, right? Anyone else have a creative way to hang curtains without drilling holes? I’d love to hear other folks’ ideas or workarounds for a situation like this! Do tell…