Installing a cubicle curtain track properly is a two-person, two-hour job in most clinical bays. The difference between a track that lasts twenty years and one that sags within twelve months is almost always the fixing — not the rail itself. This guide covers the install sequence we use on every project, whether self-fit or supplied through our installation service.

Before you start

1. Confirm the layout against the site survey or sketch. See Track layouts explained.
2. Locate the structural ceiling above any suspended grid. See Installing to suspended ceilings.
3. Check the ceiling finish. Plasterboard alone is not a fixing — see Installing to plasterboard.
4. Lay the track out on the floor first to verify lengths, bends and joining bars match the configuration.

Mark the line

Snap a chalk line or laser the full track run on the ceiling. Mark each hanger position at 1.5 m maximum centres, with additional hangers at every bend and joining bar. This is the rule HTM 66 enforces and your install must match.

Fix the hangers

1. Drill the first fixing at one end. Mount the hanger.
2. Run a string line between the first hanger and the planned end of the run. Drill remaining hangers to the line — this keeps the track straight.
3. For ceilings with poor fixing — see plasterboard and suspended ceilings.

Hang the track

Lift the rail into the hangers, working end to end. For runs with bends, install the bent section first and work outward — bends are factory-formed and non-adjustable, so the rest of the run takes up the slack. Fit joining bars where the configuration calls for them (see Joining bars: when and why).

End stops and gliders

Slide gliders in from the open end of each track section before fitting end stops. The configurator and the configurator pack ship with the right glider count for the run length — typically one glider every 80 mm. Fit a pair of end stops once gliders are in.

Hang the curtain and snag

Hook the curtain on, draw it end to end three times, listen for drag. Anything sticky is usually a hanger sitting slightly off-line — adjust and recheck. Snag complete, the install is done.

Compliance and certification

If you’re installing for an NHS or other clinical site, the install needs documenting against HTM 66. See HTM 66 compliance explained. Our installation team issues a compliance certificate as part of the handover; self-installers can request a template from our customer team.

Prefer to leave it to us? Book a free survey — surveyor on site within 5 working days, fitted within 2–3 weeks.