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I had originally hung up window curtains by putting plastic anchors into the plaster and screwing into those. After a year, that fell out.

Searching online, it seems if I find the studs / wood framing and screw into that, it should be more secure. I used a magnet I had to try to locate the studs; the magnet sticks to the wall anywhere within about an inch of the window frame. I thought the screws in the wood were only supposed to be spaced apart 8" vertically so I would only expect the magnet to stick every 8", or am I misinterpreting that?

And as a renter can I screw into the wood? If not, I guess I need a toggle of some sort?

Anon
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    Two likely possibilities - either metal studs or a metal corner bead for drywall. – bib Jul 17 '15 at 16:02
  • If you want to find a stud, I would recommend using a [stud finder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stud_finder). Especially as screws may not be steel and hence may not respond to a magnet. – AndyT Jul 17 '15 at 16:09

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There's metal corner bead under the finished surface. It will be more difficult to screw into than drywall alone. Put the screw more than an inch away from the corner and you should be fine. As a renter, just make sure you remove the curtain and patch and paint the holes you made when you need to leave.

iLikeDirt
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  • Thanks, that makes sense! Any recommendations on how to get the screws to stay in the drywall? (plastic anchors weren't enough) – Anon Jul 18 '15 at 21:11
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    Longer screws that will penetrate into the wooden studs that frame the window. The drywall should only be 1/2" thick; behind that is wood. If there's no wood behind where you're screwing, you're too far from the corner. – iLikeDirt Jul 18 '15 at 21:14
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Like iLikeDirt mentions these are the corner beads. You can screw directly into these - will just take a little longer to pierce the metal.

DMoore
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