Domakihub Hang Curtains in a Rental Without Drilling
Give any room privacy and style without touching the walls — no holes, no lost deposit.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 4 min read
Renting in Greece — whether a city apartment, a holiday villa, or a hotel room — often means bare windows and landlords who expect the walls returned intact. The video above shows just how straightforward drill-free curtain hanging can be, and this guide walks you through the exact tools and steps to do it yourself. With the right hardware you can have full blackout curtains or sheer linen panels up in an afternoon, looking completely professional and leaving zero trace when you move out.
Why Drill-Free Hanging Matters in Greek Rentals
In Greece, rental contracts almost universally require tenants to return the property in its original condition. Wall tiles, rendered plaster, and the popular marble-effect finishes found in island villas and Athens apartments are notoriously difficult to patch cleanly — one wrong drill hole can cost you hundreds of euros from your security deposit.
Beyond the deposit risk, many short-term rental hosts and hoteliers rotate curtains seasonally or redecorate between guest cycles. Drill-free systems make that kind of flexibility genuinely practical: you can swap sheer panels for blackouts before summer and back again without leaving a single mark.
Choosing the Right No-Drill System for Your Window
Not every drill-free method suits every window. Tension rods work best in recessed window reveals — the kind common in older Greek stone buildings and cavity-wall construction — because they brace against two opposing surfaces. Adhesive command hooks and strips need a smooth, clean surface and perform best on painted drywall, glass, or glazed tiles. Pressure-mount bracket systems, which clamp onto window frames rather than walls, are ideal for PVC-framed windows that are standard in most post-1990 Greek construction.
Before buying anything, measure your window width and recess depth, and note the surface material around the frame. That five-minute survey will save you a return trip to the hardware store.
How to Hang Curtains Without Drilling: 5 Steps
- 1
Measure and choose your method
Measure the window width, the depth of any recess, and the wall or frame surface material. If you have a recess at least 10 cm deep, a tension rod is your simplest option. For flat walls with no recess, opt for adhesive command strips rated for the weight of your curtains — check the pack's weight limit against your fabric. For PVC or aluminium window frames, a pressure-mount bracket that clamps onto the frame profile gives the most secure hold.
- 2
Prepare the surface thoroughly
This step is where most people cut corners and then wonder why things fall in the night. Clean the mounting surface with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely — even in the Greek summer humidity this means waiting a full five minutes, not just wiping and moving on. For adhesive products, remove the backing only after the surface is fully dry. For tension rods and clamp brackets, check that the frame or recess walls are free of loose paint or dust.
- 3
Install the rod or hooks
For a tension rod, extend it to roughly 2 cm wider than the recess, compress it slightly, position it inside the recess, and release — it should grip firmly with no wobble. For command hooks or adhesive strips, press firmly for 30 seconds and then wait the full 24-hour cure time before loading any weight. For pressure-mount brackets, slide them onto the window frame profile and tighten the clamping screws until the bracket is immovable by hand.
- 4
Thread and hang your curtains
Curtains with a rod pocket or tab-top heading slide directly onto tension rods without any additional hardware. For eyelet curtains on command hooks, use S-hooks or curtain rings with clips to connect the eyelet to the hook. On pressure-mount bracket systems, the supplied rod sits in the bracket cradle exactly as a drilled rod would — so standard eyelet, pencil pleat, or pinch pleat curtains all work without modification. Check that the curtain hem clears the floor by about 1 cm to avoid pooling.
- 5
Test, adjust, and add finishing touches
Pull the curtains fully open and fully closed several times to confirm nothing shifts. If a tension rod creeps, try rubber end caps (sold separately) for extra grip. Add curtain tiebacks using adhesive-backed hooks placed at roughly two-thirds of the curtain height — these are removable and leave no mark on painted plaster. For holiday rental properties, photograph the finished installation as evidence of the no-damage approach, which is useful if any deposit dispute ever arises.
Rather have a pro handle it?
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FAQ
- Will tension rods hold heavy blackout curtains without falling?
- Yes, if the rod is the right diameter for the recess and the recess walls are structurally sound. Most tension rods sold for curtain use are rated for 5–10 kg, which covers even dense blackout fabric. Add rubber end caps to boost grip, and check the rod every few weeks — if it slips even slightly, re-extend it by half a turn.
- Can I use adhesive command strips on textured Greek plaster walls?
- Command strips require a smooth, non-porous surface to bond reliably. Rough or textured plaster — common in older Greek properties — does not give the adhesive enough flat contact area, so the strip is likely to fail under load. In these cases, switch to a pressure-mount clamp bracket on the window frame instead, or use a tension rod if a recess is present.
- How do I remove adhesive hooks without damaging paint when I move out?
- Command-style adhesive products are designed to be removed by pulling the tab straight down at a slow, steady pace — not yanking outward. Do this at room temperature (warm the strip slightly with a hairdryer in winter). If any adhesive residue remains, a small amount of cooking oil or isopropyl alcohol on a cloth removes it without marking the paint. Never use acetone or spirit solvents on painted walls.