Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 3/23/2009

Question
The exterior of my house is stucco and the interior is drywall.  However, when I tried to find a stud to hang curtain rods, there were none.  How can I hang curtain
rods on interior walls with no studs?
HELP!!!
Thanks,
Jackie  

Answer
Hi JACKIE, chances are you have masonry walls with furring strips nailed on the inside and then drywall installed over that?  Or you have stud walls with drywall installed over that.  I guess it depends on where you want to mount your curtain rods and how heavy the curtains will be.  Most drywall anchors nowadays are rated for 50 pounds each or more.  I like the anchors that look like a big plastic corkscrew that screws into the drywall and then on top of the anchor is a hole to screw your curtain hangers screws into.  You mark the drywall where you need the actual screw hole, then using a power drill with a phillips driver bit you drive the corkscrew anchor into the drywall.  It's about that simple.  If you don't have a power screwdriver a regular hand screwdriver will work also..

You can get plastic expansion type drywall anchors also..It says right on the anchor package how many pounds the anchor will be good for and what size screw it will accommodate. Follow the package directions for installation.  Always install the anchors as close as possible to the location of the bracket screws.  This will guarantee the anchor being in the right place to accept the screws for your curtain bracket.

If, in the curtain bracket installation phase you find that you are hitting a stud or a piece of furring strip you won't need the anchor for that particular hole, you can just screw directly through the drywall and into the wood.

Okay, one more thing.  If your curtains are really really heavy and you have to anchor directly into the masonry you can use Tapcon concrete screws that are long enough to go through the drywall and past the furring strip (3/4" usually) and at least an inch and a half into the masonry.  

All of the above fasteners can be purchased at any Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Wal-Mart, and pretty much any other hardware or lumber store.

I  hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com