One of the most important tasks when deciding on drapery hardware components is getting the sizes right. Clearance, projection and return are by far the most widely used measurements that you’ll want to be familiar with. The clearance is the length from the wall or mounting surface to the very back of the drapery rod or piece. While, the projection represents the space from the very tip of the drapery hardware product to the wall. Or, more simply, how far a product protrudes from the wall. The distance that the drapery fabric will have to bend back to meet the wall is the return measurement.
The return measurement is often used when selecting brackets.
A lot of times, homeowners want their curtain to bend back from the rod and connect to the wall. You will find that curtains with a return do a better job insulating and blocking light, in addition this style offers you a more finished appearance to your treatment. To be sure that your drapery is manufactured with enough fabric, you will have to figure out the return measurement before buying your draperies. To make finding the return easier, most manufacturers plainly state the return dimension for the product whether it’s a basic curtain rod or a drapery pole. It is important to add the return measurement to the width of your curtain panels if you want them to bend back to the wall.
Occasionally, customers and professionals get clearance and return mixed up.
It’s really important that the drapery manufacturer or window professional you’re working together with understand what you mean when you give them your return measurement. The most common mix up with custom drapery hardware is getting the clearance and return measurements confused with one another.
The distance from the wall to the backside of the curtain rod is the clearance. The return dimension consists of the clearance as well as about half of the thickness of the rod – since the drapery material generally hangs close to the center point of the rod. You will find that your curtains are going to be made too short if you unintentionally give your drapery maker the clearance measurement as opposed to the return. Since it’s simple to tuck in a little excess fabric on the return with a safety pin, you might want to add a half inch to your return measurement to reduce the danger of that occurring.
To provide you with more selections, lots of products include adjustable returns.
When you are shopping for a curtain rods or drapery poles, you might find that quite a few rods and decorative brackets have an adjustable return. That means the mounting hardware may be adjusted on site to give you the exact return you need so your drapes will hang exactly where you want them to. But some products, like wood brackets for drapery rods, can’t have adjustable returns because they’re produced from a solid piece of wood or resin. In such cases, manufacturers generally offer you several sizes, each with a distinct return size.
Choosing your clearance initially is a good idea when you’re picking out your drapery hardware items. Clearance is really important for layered treatments which are very common. Next, verify your projection just in case there are obstacles in your room that may conflict with the operation of the drapes. After you know your minimum clearance and maximum projection, choosing the return is easy. You will find that having a good understanding of these popular drapery hardware terms can make choosing your components faster and easier.