Finding yourself in a situation where you need to order a product that you are not familiar with can be a very intimidating position to be in. Industrial curtains and industrial curtain track systems are products that typically fall into this category; you find yourself needing them but are not sure how to go about ordering. The first thing to consider when choosing your industrial curtain track system is to determine where you will support the industrial curtain track hardware. Below you will find some guidelines and helpful information to assist you in beginning this process.
The first thing to consider when choosing your industrial curtain track system is where you will support the industrial curtain track hardware from. The track must be supported to your structure every 5’-6’. Support can come from your existing ceiling, floor, existing walls and vertical beams, or a combination of these structural members.
Once you figure out what will be supporting your industrial curtain track system, take a few photos of that structure so that you can refer back to them when choosing which hardware will best fit your structure. If you are planning to support your industrial curtain track from the ceiling, please also note what height this structure is at and if it is sloped.
There is a variety of industrial curtain hardware available, so that mounting your industrial curtain track system is easy to do. Whether you have a sloped ceiling with beams and trusses, a drywall ceiling, a drop ceiling, or want to mount to your floor or existing walls, there is an industrial curtain hardware system to fit your needs. Additionally, industrial curtain track comes in different lengths, from 2’ to 10’, allowing us to provide as much or as little footage of straight track as is necessary.
The most commonly used industrial curtain track hardware is the threaded rod mounting option. When mounting from your ceiling, threaded rod mounting allows for four things:
1. If your ceiling is sloped or pitched, threaded rod will allow you to level the industrial curtain track.
It is important that your track system is level; if it is not, then the industrial curtains will slide down the track to the lowest point. Most industrial ceilings do have a pitch to them, which is why the threaded rod mounting system is so popular. Once you measure the height at the lowest point of your ceiling, and the highest point of your ceiling, you can figure out how many rods you need, what length they should be, and what other industrial curtain track hardware you will need to make it all fit together.
2. If your ceiling is at a higher height than you would like your industrial curtain and industrial curtain track system set at, threaded rod will allow you to drop the industrial curtain track down a few feet.
It is very common for the ceiling in a building to be higher up than you need your curtain to run. For example, your ceiling may be 18’ high, but you would like to set your industrial curtain track system height at 12’. Companies often do this because they are trying to contain an operation, or visually block off an operation, but it’s not necessary to have the industrial curtain set above 12′ where no one would be able to see or interfere with it. Threaded rods will allow you to drop that industrial curtain wall and industrial curtain track system down to your desired height, while still supporting it from above.
3. If you have a drop ceiling, it will allow your track to sit below the drop ceiling, while the support for it comes from above.
A drop ceiling, also known as a t-bar ceiling or an acoustic ceiling, is a structure that is suspended down from the ceiling structure above. The drop ceiling can add aesthetic and acoustic value to a space, and as such, is a popular option for many semi-industrial office spaces. However the t-bar and tile that make up a drop ceiling are not strong enough to attach to an industrial curtain track system directly. Threaded rod will allow you to support your industrial curtain track from above the drop ceiling, but still set the industrial curtain track and industrial curtain below it.
4. If you have obstructions in your ceiling (water pipes, HVAC ducts, conduit, etc.) that you need to bypass, threaded rod will allow you to do that.
If you would like your industrial curtains to be retractable, then the industrial curtain track system must be uninterrupted. If you have a ceiling with obstructions in it, including but not limited to lights, sprinkler pipes and heads, HVAC ducts, and conduit, the industrial curtain track must be dropped down, via threaded rods, to sit below your lowest obstruction. This will allow the industrial curtain to move within the track seamlessly.
While threaded rod is the most common mounting option for the industrial curtain hardware, we also offer ceiling mounting, wall mounting, beam flange mounting, chain mounting, and floor mounting. Additionally, AmCraft has a variety of industrial curtain hardware that we have custom designed to make installation easier.
