Curtain Installation Cost Calculator
Curtain Installation costs $200 to $300 for a typical 3 items job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $240. Labor runs 2.8 crew hours at $40.06 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.
What makes up the price
Cost by size
National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.
| How many | Items | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 items | 2 | $190 | $155 to $235 |
| 3 items | 3 | $240 | $200 to $300 |
| 4 items | 4 | $295 | $240 to $365 |
| 5 items | 5 | $345 | $280 to $425 |
High and wide
Two decisions, both free, and together they are the difference between curtains that look designed and curtains that look like an afterthought.
Hang the rod high. Not on the window frame — 4 to 6 inches above it, or, if the ceiling is within about 12 inches of the frame, right up near the ceiling. The eye reads the top of the curtain as the top of the window, so a high rod makes the window taller and the room taller with it.
Run the rod wide. 8 to 12 inches past the frame on each side. This does two things: the curtains stack off the glass rather than over it, so the window is fully open when they are drawn back, and the window reads wider.
Then the length. Curtains should just touch the floor, or break onto it by half an inch. Shorter than that looks like a mistake unless they are café curtains or they clear a radiator or a window seat deliberately. Measure from the rod to the floor after deciding the rod height, and remember rings add 1 to 1.5 inches.
And the fullness. Curtain panels should total about two times the rod width for a proper gather — two 50-inch panels on a 90-inch rod, not one panel stretched across it. A flat curtain is the commonest reason an expensive fabric looks cheap.
What it costs
| Windows | Total | Each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $140 | $140 |
| 2 | $190 | $95 |
| 3 | $240 | $80 |
| 10 | $600 | $60 |
Into hollow drywall with toggles, three windows are $280; into plaster or masonry, $315. High or double-height windows add 25%.
The hardware is not in that: a decent rod and brackets are $25 to $120 a window, a ceiling track $40 to $150, and motorized tracks start around $250.
Why brackets pull out
A pair of lined curtains on a 90-inch rod is 15 to 30 pounds hanging on two brackets, pulled sideways every time the curtains are drawn. That is more load than a picture and in a worse direction, and plain drywall will not hold it.
What works:
- Into the studs beside the window. There is almost always framing within a few inches of a window opening — that is what the opening is framed with — so a bracket 8 to 12 inches out from the frame often lands on solid wood. Finding it is worth the two minutes.
- Into the window trim, if the trim is substantial and well-fixed. Screws into the trim transfer the load to the frame behind it.
- Snap toggles where neither is available.
- Never plastic plugs. They are the reason brackets pull out, bringing a chunk of drywall with them.
A rod longer than about 60 inches needs a center support bracket, and over 90 inches it needs it badly — otherwise the rod bows visibly under lined curtains. Many rods are sold without one. If yours did not come with a center bracket and the span is long, buy one.
Rods, tracks and ceiling mounts
A rod with rings is the normal choice, and the practical detail is that rings should sit above the rod's brackets — curtains on rings stop at the bracket, so a bracket placed where the curtain needs to pass is why a curtain will not close. Rod-pocket curtains slide onto the rod itself and do not have this problem, but they are stiffer to draw.
A ceiling track solves three problems at once: it goes as high as it is possible to go, it can be longer than a rod without sagging, and it is the only sensible answer for a bay or a curved window. It needs fixing into joists or into solid blocking, which in a top-floor room means the ceiling joists and in others whatever is above the drywall.
Blackout is a lining, not a fabric. A blackout curtain that stops 2 inches short of the wall on each side leaks a visible band of light. If the point is a dark bedroom, the answer is a wide rod with a return — brackets that bring the curtain back to touch the wall — or a track, plus a blind behind it. One without the other will not do it.
Double rods carry a sheer behind a heavier curtain. They need deeper brackets and a little more clearance from the wall, which is worth checking against the window trim before buying.
What you are paying for
Three windows, brackets into studs, at $240:
| Labor, about 1.85 hours | around $104 |
| Anchors and screws | $30 |
| The visit | $45 |
| Overhead and margin | the balance |
Half an hour a window, and the time is in deciding the height, finding something solid 8 to 12 inches out from the frame on both sides, and getting the two brackets level with each other.
Can you do it yourself?
Yes. It is a drill, a level, a tape and a stud finder, and the only things that go wrong are the three above: too low, too narrow, and plastic plugs.
A tip worth more than it sounds: mark both bracket heights from the ceiling rather than from the window. Floors and window frames are rarely level over a wide opening, but a ceiling line that is wrong will at least be consistently wrong, and the eye compares the curtain top to the ceiling.
Pay somebody for: a bay window, a ceiling track, plaster or masonry, anything over about 10 feet, or a double-height window.
Questions worth asking
- How high above the frame will the rod go?
- How far past the frame on each side?
- Where will the brackets land — studs, trim or toggles?
- Is a center support bracket needed?
- Will the curtains clear the brackets when drawn?
- Rod or ceiling track?
- For a dark bedroom: is a return or a track being used?
- Is the floor level, and will the curtains touch all the way across?
- Is the hardware supplied?
- Can the blinds go up on the same visit?
Common questions
How much does curtain installation cost?
About $240 for three windows, or $80 each, which is the handyman's time plus anchors and screws. One window on its own is $140 because the minimum charge is most of a half-hour job, and ten windows come to $600. Into plaster or masonry three windows are $315, and high or double-height windows add 25%. Rods and curtains are extra.
How high should a curtain rod be hung?
Four to six inches above the window frame, or right up near the ceiling if the frame is within about a foot of it. The eye reads the top of the curtain as the top of the window, so a high rod makes both the window and the room look taller. Hanging the rod on the frame itself — which is what most people do — makes the window look smaller than it is, and it costs nothing to avoid.
How wide should a curtain rod be?
Eight to twelve inches past the window frame on each side. That gives the curtains somewhere to stack off the glass, so the window is genuinely fully open when they are drawn back, and it makes the window read wider. A rod that stops an inch past the frame leaves the curtains covering the glass even when open, which is the second half of why self-hung curtains often look wrong.
How long should curtains be?
Just touching the floor, or breaking onto it by about half an inch. Anything shorter looks accidental unless it is deliberate — café curtains, or clearing a radiator or a window seat. Measure from the rod position to the floor after deciding the rod height, not before, and allow 1 to 1.5 inches for rings. Floors are rarely level across a wide opening, so measure at both ends and work to the shorter one.
How wide should curtain panels be?
The panels should total about twice the rod width — two 50-inch panels on a 90-inch rod, for instance. Fullness is what makes fabric hang in folds rather than as a flat sheet, and insufficient fullness is the commonest reason an expensive fabric looks cheap. For sheers, two and a half times is better. It is a fabric decision rather than an installation one, but it is worth knowing before ordering.
Why do curtain brackets pull out of the wall?
Because a pair of lined curtains is 15 to 30 pounds pulled sideways every time they are drawn, and plastic expansion plugs in drywall cannot take that. The fixings should go into the studs beside the window — there is almost always framing within a few inches of the opening, often right where a bracket 8 to 12 inches out would land — or into substantial trim, or into snap toggles. Never plastic plugs.
Does a curtain rod need a center support?
Over about 60 inches, yes, and over 90 inches it needs one badly — otherwise the rod bows visibly under lined curtains. Many rods are sold without a center bracket, so for a long span buy one separately. The detail to check is that the curtains can pass the center bracket: rings stop at a bracket, so a center support needs to be the type that the rings clear, or the curtains will not close.
Should I use a curtain rod or a ceiling track?
A track solves three problems at once: it mounts as high as physically possible, it can run longer than a rod without sagging, and it is the only sensible answer for a bay or a curved window. A rod with rings looks more decorative and is easier to fit. A track has to be fixed into ceiling joists or into solid blocking above the drywall, which is the part that makes it a job worth paying for.
How do I stop light leaking around blackout curtains?
Blackout is a lining, not a magic fabric, and a curtain that stops two inches short of the wall leaks a bright band down each side. The fix is a return — brackets that bring the curtain edge back to touch the wall — or a ceiling track that runs wall to wall, and a blind behind the curtain to deal with the top. One without the other will not give a genuinely dark room, however good the lining.
Can I hang curtains myself?
Yes — a drill, a level, a tape and a stud finder. The three things that go wrong are hanging too low, running too narrow and using plastic plugs, and all three are decisions rather than skills. One tip worth having: mark both bracket heights down from the ceiling rather than up from the window, because the eye compares the curtain top with the ceiling line and window frames are rarely level across a wide opening.
Can curtains be hung on a bay window?
Yes, and it is the job most worth paying for. The options are a bendable or jointed rod with brackets at each angle, three separate rods with their own panels, or a ceiling track curved to the bay, which is the neatest. Each needs the angles measured and the brackets placed so the curtains pass them, which is fiddly in a way that a straight window is not.
Is it cheaper to do several windows at once?
Yes: $140 for one window, $95 each for two, $80 each for three and $60 each for ten. The minimum charge is most of a single window, and half an hour per window after that. If curtains are going up in a living room and two bedrooms, that is one booking — and it is worth adding the blinds, the shelf and the pictures to the same visit, since all of them are the same trade.
Where these numbers come from
Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.
- All other specialty trade contractors, United States: $40.06/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023899003)
- Anchors and screws for a rod: $10.00 per window (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)