The Secret To Mapping Out The Perfect Length For Your Curtains On Uneven Floors

If you have uneven floors in your home, you aren't alone. As homes settle, it's common for floors to become slightly unlevel. It's usually a minor inconvenience, if even noticeable at all, except when it comes to hanging curtains. Curtains are a key design element in any room, which is why you should always consider how they look in addition to the practical functions they provide. Unfortunately, floor-length curtains draw the eye straight to the floor, magnifying flooring imperfections. Hanging curtains straight along uneven floor lines will create a glaring imbalance that will be hard to miss.

If your floor makes eyesores out of otherwise perfect curtains for your space, there's a smart and simple solution: puddling. Puddling refers the look curtains give when they are hung slightly below their full length and 'pool' or 'puddle' on the floor. Creating this effect with your curtains can hide uneven floors by allowing each curtain panel to bunch at slightly different lengths across the floor, blurring any uneven lines. Puddled curtains add timeless elegance to any room, but they're also much more forgiving than curtains meant to perfectly skim the floor.

The key to measuring curtains for uneven floors is to accommodate the drop differences the floors create in your curtains. First, measure the curtain drop length at several points along the rod height and note any variations, particularly the longest and shortest points. If you want to have a minimal puddle of fabric, add 1/2 inch to your longest measurement. This will create a slightly larger puddle on the part of your floor that's higher, but the difference will be indistinguishable.

Curtain puddling can be a bold style statement all its own, with some dramatic looks pooling up to 16 excess inches of fabric along the floor. A modest puddle will be no more than 2 inches of extra fabric. If you really want to go for a glamorous puddle look, sheer and delicate fabrics are your best bet. If you have already chosen the perfect curtains for your room, just stick to a slight-to-moderate puddle and any fabric will do.

Puddled curtains require a little extra maintenance when it comes to cleaning, as the bottom of your curtains can accumulate dust and dirt from being in constant contact with the floor. Also, if your curtains are in a high-traffic area, too much puddling can become a hazard. Because of this, if you're adding curtains to your kitchen or sprucing up your kids playroom, it might be better to skip this tip in favor of an alternative window treatment.