Curtain pole bracket on wooden plinth which is too small

[alewater]

Hi everyone,

Recently moved and looking to put up curtain poles but nearly every window has a wooden batten above the window.

This wouldn’t normally be an issue but where I’d like to attach the brackets would be very close to the top/bottom of the wooden plinth. Therefore imo not providing adequate fixation. See photo.

Don’t particularly want to remove the plinths as they are the same colour as the walls and I don’t have the paint to touch up.

The plinths are 45mm.

Thoughts on how to put the brackets up?

 

[Notch7]

Move the bracket up say 3mm then you can get 2 screws in, maybe angle bottom screw so it goes into the meat of the batten

I would pilot in case you split batten

I thought pole brackets were designed to go straight onto wall

 

[Koolpc]

Fix another batten next to the existing one

 

[Brigadier]

Cut the bracket in half (between the two "slot"-type holes).
Round cut end off with file / grinder etc.

Offer bracket up to batten.
Mark top and bottom of slot.
Pilot holes at marks.

Fix top screw most of way in.
Slot bracket onto this screw, and tighten screw up.
Fix bottom screw now, using washer (as lower part of slot hole will be wider than screw head).
Tighten bottom screw.

 

[johnny2007]

Get a piece of wood same thickness of the existing baton, cut small piece to go where bottom hole is and use it as a spacer.
You'll need to drill a big enough hole in this small piece of wood so that the screw can go through it without biting.
Make sure to use good masonry plugs.
To make it invisible, paint it before fitting.

 

[Notch7]

Ask 4 different people……….

 

[Koolpc]

Or, cut out the plinth exactly where each bracket goes. Thus then being able to secure the brackets directly to the wall.

 

[foxhole]

Just fix where it is in the photo , two screws thru top slot .

 

[alewater]

Thanks for everyone’s replies.

The plinth is 100mm above the window.

Something no one’s suggested is attaching the brackets directly below the plinth, the bottom screw would be 60mm from the window.

I’ve got brown wall plugs and appropriate screws.

Thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You might find there is nothing substantial there to attach to (e.g just plasterboard) or that there is something very substantial like a steel RSJ or a Catnic steel lintel which you may struggle to drill. This is not such an uncommon scenario (read through this forum for many, many examples). That makes using a batten where someone has already has had the pain (or was in the know) a much better option!

 

[blup]

Use washer head screws that will fit flat against the groove/slot which should be wide enough to take a wood screw, the round hole is for countersinking or appearance.

Blup

 

[foxhole]

Use washer head screws that will fit flat against the groove/slot which should be wide enough to take a wood screw, the round hole is for countersinking or appearance.

Blup

The round hole is to allow screws to be fixed in wall first and the bracket slid down over it .

 

[alewater]

You might find there is nothing substantial there to attach to (e.g just plasterboard) or that there is something very substantial like a steel RSJ or a Catnic steel lintel which you may struggle to drill. This is not such an uncommon scenario (read through this forum for many, many examples). That makes using a batten where someone has already has had the pain (or was in the know) a much better option!

I drilled a pilot hole where the top screw would go (90mm from window) and I got 30ish mm in and hit something hard. Drilled a slightly bigger hole and I can see metal.

Would a lintel be plastered over with 30mm of plaster without any masonry? I always thought metal lintels looked like this.

Tapping underneath the wooden plinth sounds hollow the whole way along, whereas above sounds more solid.

If it helps, my house is an early 80s Taylor Wimpey build.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Would a lintel be plastered over with 30mm of plaster without any masonry? I always thought metal lintels looked like this.

Tapping underneath the wooden plinth sounds hollow the whole way along, whereas above sounds more solid.

If it helps, my house is an early 80s Taylor Wimpey build.

That lintel is a Catnic style, but there are other types, including RSJs (rolled steel joists or I-beams - although you don't see them as much as you once did). It is possible that the lintel is covered with two layers of PB and a skim - which could make up about 30mm and it is also possible that there are voids around it especially if it is an RSJ and not a Catnic. Sounds like the timber battens are original, so the original chippy must have had some sort of schema to work to in order to ensure he got a decent fix for the batten. TBH you really are better off trying to work with that batten - it'll be a hellluva lot less effort...