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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Creating Room Dividers from the Ceiling
Abigail 02:51 AM 08-22-2010
I am wanting to create a room divider from the ceiling for the reading area. If it is not in the corner, it will still be along one wall and I will have a dividing a sheet hanging from the ceiling. (One sheet if it's in the corner or Two sheets if it is just along a wall) I will still be able to see the "cozy/quiet" zone, but it will have a well-defined area and will also serve as a noise barrier! Does anyone currently do this? Do you have any pictures to share?

Also, would you make the curtains moveable like they do in the Dr's. offices or do you make them stay where they are at? How far down does it hang?--down to the floor, only half the height of the ceiling, is it partially see-through material or solid?

Thanks!
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MarinaVanessa 03:14 PM 08-22-2010
I've never seen room dividers that hang from the ceiling but I have seen room dividers made of pvc and fabric that stand on the ground. They're easy to make and inexpensive.
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kitkat 11:50 AM 08-23-2010
I found some stuff on the Ikea website, but they only sell it in the stores. I'm thinking of doing this for a bedroom that DS and DD will have to share for a bit when baby #3 comes in March. I'll let you know if I come up with anything.
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Crystal 12:12 PM 08-23-2010
You could buy inexpensive wooden dowel rods, at home depot, etc. ($2-$4) Put screws in the ends and wrap heavy twine or wire around it and screw tight against the dowel. Then you can use inexpensive sheer curtain panels, dark colors are good because they get the privacy, yet you can still see them through the fabric, and hang on the dowel or drape fabric over it. If you do curtains, make sure you put the curtains on before you screw in one end of the wire to the dowel.

Thanks for the idea.....now I want to do it!
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kitkat 12:52 PM 08-23-2010
I found this by doing a search online:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongomery-...White/11548122
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misol 05:27 PM 08-23-2010
Abigail I am glad you asked this question. I have been researching this as a way of making my home look less like a daycare when all the kiddos leave. Most of my toys and supplies run the length of one wall and I would love to be able to just pull a curtain across the entire wall to cover everything until the next day.

Before I saw the link that kitkat posted, I had settled on the IKEA Kvartal system. It looks like it would fit my needs and they also sell the curtains for it that are the right length for my ceiling height. The only thing is that I am going to have to save up to purchase it

I am going to do the math to see if the curtain track from walmart comes out cheaper than the Ikea one.
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jenh171 07:56 PM 08-23-2010
just found this one on ikea...very colorful and the description says it is child safe. pretty good price too!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80163253
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Abigail 09:45 PM 08-23-2010
Originally Posted by Crystal:
You could buy inexpensive wooden dowel rods, at home depot, etc. ($2-$4) Put screws in the ends and wrap heavy twine or wire around it and screw tight against the dowel. Then you can use inexpensive sheer curtain panels, dark colors are good because they get the privacy, yet you can still see them through the fabric, and hang on the dowel or drape fabric over it. If you do curtains, make sure you put the curtains on before you screw in one end of the wire to the dowel.

Thanks for the idea.....now I want to do it!
This seems like more work than getting a curtain track like posted before from the walmart web site. Do curtains go all the way to the floor or just down to about a foot above the floor? I'm concerned about children wanting to pull on it. I checked out the IKEA site (even though I'm not near one) and it said they may loosen when children pull or try to climb, but are easy to put back. LOL.

Originally Posted by kitkat:
I found this by doing a search online:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongomery-...White/11548122
This sounds like a really good basic option. Almost everywhere is a Walmart! This option has the sliding feature and one concern of mine would be if it is used to section off a large area in a room then children might have the urge to pull it back and forth across the track because it's easy to do so. This would be the first affordable option I would try for my reading/quiet zone because it's a small area. Thanks for posting the link!
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countrymom 04:19 AM 08-24-2010
my own children would love to have curtains like that hanging off my ceiling, I can imagine how long that would last. Just be prepared incase the kids try to rip them off, I have older kids who love to hide behind my curtains, no matter how many times i tell them not to touch them
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Crystal 06:11 AM 08-24-2010
I like what kitkat posted. I would personally use dowels because I think it would look more "natural" and I could use more than one to create an enclosed "room" with the curtains. I think maybe draping the fabric over, instead of actually putting a curtain on may help with the pulling.....if they pull it hard, the fabric will slide off instead of pulling the whole thing down.
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DBug 08:50 AM 08-24-2010
Yeah, I agree -- I have a 5 foot curtain rod that goes the length of my daycare entry door (a sliding door). The kids do pull on it every once in awhile, and as a result, the middle support bracket has fallen out. The side brackets are also bent down from kids pulling on them. Mind you, the kids aren't doing it purposely -- usually they're hiding behind the curtain and step on it accidentally. I now keep it tucked up out of reach during my open hours.

Depending on the kids involved, it might not be an issue, but it's still something to consider with whatever system you choose ...
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Tags:barrier, cozy, noise, quiet, room dividers
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