How to Fit a Curtain Track to a Bay Window Ceiling

Hi, I’m Lee Stevens from ezecurtains.co.uk. I hear this a lot: “My ceiling isn’t strong enough for a ceiling-fixed curtain track. I need to know where the joists are so I can fix all my brackets into them.”

The truth is, for domestic windows, your ceiling is almost certainly strong enough. I’ve fitted thousands of bay tracks over nearly 30 years, and the joists are rarely in the perfect places for every bracket anyway—so you don’t need to find every single one.

The Big Idea (Don’t Overthink the Joists)

• Most domestic ceilings are hollow (lath & plaster or plasterboard). That’s normal.
• You’ll usually hit some timber with a few screws—great—but it’s not essential for every bracket.
• Start with the supplied screws and plugs; they work for 95–98% of fittings.
• Only reach for alternative fixings if a particular spot isn’t firm enough.

Basic Fitting Approach

1. Present the pre-bent track to the ceiling and position it to your marks.
2. Drive the supplied screws straight through the bracket holes into the ceiling.
3. Note which brackets feel solid (often the end brackets hit a lintel) and which need extra attention.
4. If a fixing isn’t firm: slide the bracket aside, drill a pilot/hole as needed, add a suitable plug, slide the bracket back, and re-fix.

Fixing Into Different Materials

Timber lintel (often in older houses): Drive the screws straight in—nice and secure.

Metal lintel (common in newer houses): Use a 3.5 mm high-speed steel (HSS) drill bit to make a pilot hole, then drive the supplied screws directly—no plug needed.

Brick returns (where the track turns out of the bay): Use the supplied red plugs. Drill a 6 mm hole with a masonry bit, insert the plug flush with the surface, and screw the bracket back on.

When to Use Alternative Fixings

Only if the supplied screws/plugs don’t give a firm fixing (that’s rare). Keep a couple of alternative fixings in mind, but don’t buy everything up front—nip to your local DIY store if you actually need them.

What You Don’t Need to Do

• Don’t lift floorboards upstairs hunting for joists.
• Don’t try to move brackets to meet every joist position—your support needs to follow the bay shape, not the joists.

Final Tips

• The last bracket on each side (just before the track turns out of the bay) usually fixes into the lintel—this gives excellent support for stacked curtains.
• For very smooth running, your track is supplied pre-sprayed with silicone. Give it a quick spray annually to keep it gliding.
• These guidelines apply to domestic-size windows and curtains (including heavy blackout); not stage-scale curtains.

In Short

Start with the basics: fit all brackets with the supplied screws and plugs, accept that a few will land in timber (bonus), reinforce any soft spots with a plug or pilot-and-screw into metal lintel where needed, and you’re done—no joist-hunting required.