The charms of older homes are many, from one-of-a-kind woodwork and paneling to the discovery of hidden or special spaces. Many homeowners prefer to leave the home in its original (yet restored and spruced up) shape – including architectural elements such as plaster walls, which are often not used in more modern buildings.

When attempting to attach Custom Curtain rod to a wall made of plaster, it’s important to follow a few guidelines, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Home Guides section, so that no damage occurs to the plaster itself. While it may be tempting to use simple wall anchors that you can push or hammer into place after you have drilled a pilot hole, the recommended method uses a different approach:

Measure from the floor level to where you want to hang the curtains above the window. Mark this spot on either side of the window, typically one to three inches from each corner. Check to make sure the marks are level. Then, hold up the mounting brackets to your chosen areas and mark the locations of the mounting holes directly on the wall.

Use threaded wall anchors – these look like giant plastic screws that you can manually screw in to surfaces, just as you would a regular screw. Choose anchors that will adequately hold the weight of the rod and the drapes.

Once the threaded anchors are in place and flush with the wall surface, mount the brackets directly into the anchors so that they are securely fastened to the wall.

Then, assemble the drapes onto the curtain rod itself, just as you would for an installation on any other surface, and place the whole assembly onto the mounting brackets. If you have chosen threaded anchors that are designed to support the weight of the assembly, the rod should stay comfortably in place as would any rod on brackets mounted directly into a secure wall surface.