While I wish I could say this post is about finishing
Stellar at light speed, it’s still about making progress. We’re now at the
point where we’ll pretty much celebrate any project that gets finished.
Re-hanging the curtains, and getting them out of the house, certainly falls in
that category.
The above photo is of the curtains at the back of the
trailer. This area is the bedroom. When we purchased it, the curtains in the
bedroom area wrapped from one side to the other. They covered both side windows
and the back window. We decided not to do that. For one thing, I wasn’t 100%
certain all the original panels were still there, since at least 3 panels were
missing from the large curb/street side windows. The side windows each got a
new blind instead. (See “Low Tech Blinds”) Out of 7 panels, I put four back in.
The new curtain hardware is aligned with the trim piece which can be seen
above.
Out with the old, in with the new…
The debate of restoration vs. renovation can be a hot one. In
the end, there really isn’t a right or wrong. It’s personal preference, and if
most people are being honest, sometimes original equipment, installed by the
manufacturer, isn’t always the best. That even includes Airstreams. Since we
plan to spend a significant amount of time in our trailer, anything we’ve
decided to change was for better ease of use or increased comfort. (Our new Deluxe MaxxFans are a good example. Our
trailer didn’t come with fans. It had light fixtures with roof vents.)
G Glide
T Glides
I didn’t care for the old, dinky aluminum curtain tracks.
We’re talking about an RV which is 37 years old, so it’s reasonable some things
have seen better days. The old tracks were on that list. Their mountings were
mostly secure, but in the bedroom the bottom track had been bent in a few
places. It was also a pain in the rear to remove and rehang the curtains from
them. The curtains were originally attached, top and bottom, from itty bitty T
and G glides which were inserted into a small groove in the track. (Named for
their shapes). The T glides were in the top tracks and the G glides in the
bottom. Depending on where the curtains were hung, the glides were attached
with fabric tabs or elastic. While I was in the process of turning the curtains
blue and re-sewing some pleats, I discovered more than a few glides from the
bedroom curtains had been broken. It was not particularly surprising. The side
windows actually sit a bit higher on the walls than the back window, and the
top curtain track was mounted directly under the back trim and upper storage
lockers. The curtain panels weren’t deep enough to reach both tracks on their
own. The glides had to be attached with elastic. Over time, many of the glides
broke from the amount of tension applied to them. As I’ve mentioned before, the
curtains are made from a heavier fabric, and lined to boot. The old glides
weren’t suitable for their weight over the long term.
Rather than mess with the fiddly glides and elastic, I
decided to find a new system to re-hang the curtains and began searching for a
flexible curtain track, which could be mounted on our trailer’s curvy walls. The
search was general rather than RV specific. Justified or not, anything labeled
“RV” often comes with a higher price tag, and I wasn’t looking for an exact
replacement of the old system anyway. Besides being flexible, I had a list of
requirements and happened to find them in a system called Streamline. It
appears to be a British product, but I found the PVC version of it on Amazon
(sold by Curtains2Bedding). I bought 4 kits. The following links for YouTube
and a website both belong to the British vender.
Because of the shape of our trailer walls, hanging a single
track doesn’t work if you want privacy or to keep the sun out. Tracks at the
top and bottom of the curtains are
necessary. This product is designed for residential use, so the while video
gives you a good idea how the system works, there are a few things you’ll do
differently in an Airstream.
Since Airstreams have an interior aluminum skin, the first
thing you do is remove the drywall supports for the screws and set them aside.
You won’t need to use them. Pilot holes will still need to be drilled for the
screws which mount the key lock supports to the wall, but you’ll need to use a
smaller bit than the one recommended in their video. It should be the same size
or just slightly smaller than the screws. The way the key locks are designed I
wouldn’t recommend trying to rivet them to the walls. It might prove to be more
frustrating than necessary. While we’re discussing the key lock supports, the
video mentions wall or ceiling mount. There are two screw holes, one in back
and another on top. It was this versatility which influenced my decision to
purchase, along with the track end supports to keep the curtains from bouncing
off the end of the tracks. I used the
wall mount option in the bedroom, and both top and bottom tracks were mounted
the same way. At the front of the trailer, I needed to use the ceiling mount
option for the top track. (The top track
has been installed, but the bottom won’t be installed until after construction
under the window is finished.) As you’re determining the locations of the key
lock supports, you’ll want to make small marks for the pilot holes before doing
any drilling. The trickiest part of hanging curtains in an “egg on wheels” is
keeping the track level. Everything may look straight when you’re right in
front of it, only to be uphill at one end when you step back.
The new gliders on the curtains are not attached with any elastic. To make sure both my top and bottom tracks were in the correct locations, I had to start with the bottom track. It was mounted pretty much in the same place as the original. (This is one of those occasions when you shouldn’t trust your memory. I kept picturing the curtains as being deeper than they were. After I realized the curtains didn’t quite cover the back window from the upper trim, I needed to make adjustments to track installation.) If you look closely at the above photo, you will see a 12V and 120V outlet beneath the back window. The bottom track needed to be placed between the outlets and window frame. After the bottom track was installed, a curtain panel was attached to it and used to determine the location of the top track. The gliders have a clip which secures them to drapery tape. I had left-over bias tape from the blinds, so I used it instead. When I put the gliders on the curtains, I thought the top track would still be mounted just below the trim. As a result, the gliders are right below the top edge of the curtain panels, and the top track and key lock supports aren’t completely hidden. It’s not exactly a deal breaker since most of the bedroom won’t be seen from the front, once the interior is re-assembled. It also doesn’t interfere with function. Speaking of function, I used a button stitch on the rings at the bottom of the gliders and sewed them to the curtains. It was done as insurance to make sure the gliders stay where they belong.
Another item of note is the track itself. The company video
shows it as being a well behaved, flat piece which slides easily onto the key
lock supports. Don’t get me wrong. Getting the track on the supports really
isn’t complicated. But the track is coiled up in the packaging and secured with
zip ties. (Makes a compact package good for shipping.) It doesn’t become flat immediately
after you remove the ties. The front of the track is on the outside of the
coil, and I needed it to curve in the opposite direction. It was easier to get
the track secured with a second pair of hands. When those hands aren’t
available, it is possible to make the track more cooperative by bending it in
the opposite direction before installing. Since accurately measuring a curved
wall can be tricky with a construction tape measure, we just started with the
track at one end and trimmed off the excess. Instead of a hacksaw, the sheet
metal shears in the toolbox worked fine. Just make sure the cut is straight for
the track end supports.
I also did the supports differently from the video. I
attached them to the ends of the curtain panels first. Just pay attention to
the placement of your curtains on the track. There are left and right supports,
so you want to ensure you’re applying the correct supports at the outside ends
of the appropriate panel. After the
curtains were secured to both tracks, I just released the last key support so I
could pull the track far enough from the wall to tighten the back screw on the
supports.
Unlike the old system, the curtains now zip along the new
track. The only area that requires just a little patience is going around the
curved corners. It doesn’t take much persuasion to bring them around, though. The
last tweak I need to make is adding large hooks/eyes. They will connect the curtain
panels to each other and close gaps between them. (The old Velcro that
connected the panels to each other was getting ratty.)
Only time, and a few miles, will tell how this product
holds up. As far as I know, it hasn’t been used in an RV before. However, I
will have plenty of spare parts, including leftover track, which will get
consolidated into one container and stashed in the trailer. At the moment, I’m
quite pleased with my curtain hanging solution. Even though I didn’t see the
company video before using the product, the instructions weren’t difficult to
follow. I also had a pretty good idea how I was going to make it work for my
needs before purchasing. While it did take some time to remove the old glides
and sew bias tape onto the curtains, attaching them to the tracks was easy.
There is a point to this post which goes beyond curtain
hardware. Stretch your creative problem solving “muscles” and keep an open mind
when looking for solutions. (Before buying the Streamline kits for our trailer,
I had no idea the product existed.) If you want to take on a major project like
a vintage RV, they’re skills you’ll use frequently. Trust yourself
occasionally, and don’t let the possibility that someone else hasn’t done it
first (or shared their experience) stop you from trying.
