I'm trying to hang a double curtain rod in my rental apartment, and I'm wondering if using high-strength adhesive tape or command strips along with screws would improve the hold or just mess up the adhesive. The wall I'm dealing with has an inch of drywall before reaching masonry on one side, and about 3/4" on the other side, which makes me nervous about the stability. I'm using 8 screws across 4 rods, and I'm not equipped to drill into the brick, so I'm looking for the best way to secure this without something too janky. Any thoughts?
3 Answers
Honestly, mixing tape with screws is probably not going to give you much added strength. Once you drive the screws in, the adhesive is likely rendered useless, especially if it's foam-backed. I'd strongly recommend renting a hammer drill and using proper masonry anchors to do it the right way. Curtain rods can be heavy, and you don’t want them falling down!
If you're worried about the drywall, a drywall anchor might help, but if the screws can only go 3/4" deep, that’s pretty sketchy for something heavy. You might want to consider easing the load, or getting help with drilling. Lastly, check with your landlord about any setups—they might have solutions ready.
I've had a similar issue, and it turned out drilling into masonry with a masonry bit is the way to go. A good rule of thumb is each bracket should support double the weight that it'll carry. If you can't get through the brick, consider hanging from the ceiling if you can locate the joists.
Yes, definitely try finding the joists if you can! That's a solid backup plan.
For sure! Can't stress enough how important proper anchors are for hanging heavy stuff like curtain rods.