Hanging a shower curtain under a sloping ceiling
When I built the
upstairs bathroom in 2002, I knew that the shower stall's sloping
ceiling was going to be a challenge for hanging the shower curtain.
The contractor wanted to make a custom glass door and wall
arrangement, but I didn't like that -- too expensive, too unforgiving
(easy to see banging elbows and knees into it, in this small space),
and those glass doors get grody with mildew and such.
So I simply delayed dealing with the problem until the rest of the
construction was done. Over the last few years, I've thought over
various ideas and experimented with some of the simpler ones. I've
learned what doesn't work -- specifically, hanging a rectangular
curtain from the existing holes along one edge causes folds that catch
moisture and get mildewy, and leaves gaps along the bottom that let
water splash out over the floor.
So the thing to do is cut the curtain so that its top edge fits the
sloping ceiling, allowing it to lie flat. You will need to get simple
supplies from the hardware store:
- a new shower curtain of the correct size, 6' x 6' for me
- suction cup hooks, usually a package of ten or so
You will need paper clips, scissors, and pliers.
Click on the thumbnails to see the full size image.
Stick the suction cups to the ceiling and hang the curtain from them,
folding the top edge so as to fit along the slope. It's best to use a
brand new curtain, because they come folded up in a little square, and
the folds make a handy grid so you can easily see horizontal and
vertical on the plastic.
Where exactly to place the suction cups is determined by the size of
the curtain and the layout of your bathroom. I've chosen a location
that lets the curtain hang just inside the lip of the shower pan,
almost but not quite touching at the bottom. Use the paper clips
first, to make adjustments and get it lined up just right. Then
remove the clips and punch the suction cup hooks right into the
plastic.
When the curtain is hanging where you want it, use scissors to cut
away the extra plastic. The first picture shows how it looks from
outside the stall. The second picture is from inside the stall,
showing that I've left a little extra plastic along the vertical wall,
and an extra suction cup there to hold it in and keep water from
splashing out along this edge.
Completed curtain hangs nice and even. Minor adjustments can always
be made later, by adding or moving suction cups, or punching new
holes. The result is not going to win any design awards -- I know
this is a college student solution, not hotel quality or anything like
that -- but it gets the job done.
The suction cup at the upper corner can be moved, to open the "door"
of the curtain for drying. The first picture shows the "door" closed
for showering. The second picture shows the "door" open, with the
corner stuck high up on the ceiling, to allow the curtain to drip dry
with airflow to cut down on mildew.
Next steps
The holes in unreinforced plastic can tear out -- I haven't found this
to be a major problem, but it does happen. Adding some kind of
reinforcement to the plastic would be good. As it is, when too many
holes are torn out, I throw it out and get a new one, they're cheap.
It would be more aesthetic to hang the curtain on some kind of bar or
rod along the sloped ceiling. Probably needs to be custom made. I
might get to this at some point.
