Curtain Pelmet

[seanf]

Hi All,

Continuing my quest to pick your brains as we style and work on our new house! As the recent rain and wind have stopped the finishing off of my current garden project at least for now, I am turning my attention to indoors again. I have recently fitted some double curtain tracks to have both nets and curtains on some larger downstairs windows. We would like to fit a simple box pelmet over the top to hide the track system and to make a bit of a feature, something like this:

So a few questions are in my head as I plan this:

1. What material would work well for this? I was thinking maybe 6mm MDF with good support underneath, as that would paint very nicely. I have also seen lightweight ply, but that would require edging, and some off the shelf plastic ones but am not keen on those
2. What would be the best way to support? I have space to attach a batten above the track and can then attach the pelmet to this, but could also use L-brackets or maybe even a French cleat

Appreciate any thoughts on this

Thanks

Sean

 

[Richard_C]

That takes me back, pelmets were ubiquitous.

The ones I recall from my parent's house were dead simple, each end was a piece of unfinished softwood maybe half inch thick, about 4 inches square. Top was softwood same section. Front was hardboard shiny side out (no mdf in the 50's perhaps?). All glued and nailed with lost head nails, painted over with gloopy thick dulux - primer plus undercoat plus gloss. Simple and importantly light. I think there was a batten screwed to the wall that it sat on. Pelmet sits on it, simple small screw from above stops it sliding forwards and off, end pieces resting against the wall stop it flopping forwards, gravity does the rest.

Your 6mm mdf idea sounds fine, keep it simple, keep it light, and remember you have to be able to take it down easily to do anything with the curtains - again if my memory is correct they came down in spring and autumn for de-spidering.

Here we go, a photo from when we cleared the house. 2007, that room was unchanged from the mid 1960s.

 

[seanf]

That takes me back, pelmets were ubiquitous

Thank you for your thoughts. They were indeed everywhere when I was young, but always in garish styles and fabrics! Not that I follow trends, but simple versions of pelmets and things like picture rails and panelling are all back in

Sean

 

[heronviewer]

I made some years ago. Just a light frame, hardboard and hung on mirror plates.

 

[seanf]

…hardboard and hung on mirror plates

Than you for replying. I hadn’t considered hardboard as I thought a thin MDF would paint well and look fairly substantial. I assume the ones you made looked solid once installed?

Sean

 

[Richard_C]

Thinking back to my dotty aunty's house, there is a good argument for a making them with a sloping top so people can't put ornaments and other dust-gatherers on top. When the cupboards are full start to fill the pelmets......

 

[seanf]

Good point, people do like to put things everywhere there is a space!

Sean