How to Make a Wall Out of Fabric for Your Unfinished Basement

You don't have to spend a fortune to turn your unfinished basement into a livable space. If you need privacy, or simply a way to section off specific areas in your basement, you can make walls out of fabric that are both functional and nice to look at. You can use fabrics in a way that requires little or no sewing, or, for those who like to sew, you can get elaborate as well.

To start, you need to measure the distance that you would like a wall to fill. If you want curtains that are straight down, you can use that exact measurement, or, if you want folds in the fabric, you can take that measurement, half it, and add that halved number to the original measurement. For more folds, simply double the measurement numbers.

Now measure from the ceiling to where you want your curtains to hang to. I would suggest that you not allow the curtains to go all the way to the floor because the bottoms of the curtain will pick up dirt much easier that way. Once you've decided how you want your curtains to hang, take your finished measurements and go shopping for the right fabric that you want.

When shopping for your fabric make sure that you not only get the fabric cut the length you need, but also measure it's width. Almost all fabrics are doubled over on the fabric tube, so you can measure its width and multiply that number by two. You will need to do this so you can get the required amount you need to match your first measurement (from side to side, not floor to ceiling). Also, when having your fabric cut, make sure to add at least an inch to make room for folding the fabric over for sewing the seams (if you want), or, if stapling, to allow for the added material under the staple.

One problem you may face when shopping for fabric is getting enough of the same kind of material. This is easily remedied by finding two or three coordinating fabrics that will match nicely, and when hanging the curtains, you can simply interchange the fabrics to have a kind of striped appearance (one panel of fabric A, then a panel of fabric B, another panel of fabric A, and so on until you get the wall you like).

To hang the curtains with staples, you simply find the studs on your ceiling, and marking a straight line out to where you want your wall to end. You can do this by simply taking your measuring tape and having a friend stretch it out to where you want it, and marking the studs where you need to staple. After you have marked where the staples go, simply staple the fabric in the specified places, making sure that the same amount of fabric is used under each staple, so that the bottom of the curtain hangs evenly. If there is any duct work or obstruction that won't allow for your fabric to hang evenly down, you can take a piece of newspaper and cut out that area on the newspaper. Use your newspaper as a template on your panel of fabric to cut that same area out, making sure to staple only on the studs on either side of the obstruction, and not the obstruction itself (as in the case of duct work or large wiring). It is more aesthetic, too, to have the fabric touching the obstruction, and not hanging away from it, but not tightly, just enough so that there aren't any gaping holes between the obstruction and your curtain.

When stapling the curtains to the studs, to make sure there are no gaps in between the individual panels, make sure that you staple one piece in front of the other. To have folds in the fabric as it hangs, simply make a pleat at the stapling point. To do this you simply fold one side over about an inch or so, then do the same to the other side. Staple the pleat to the stud in the middle. You may even want to staple two or three times to make sure the pleat holds.

For those who sew, you can make a seam to hold a rod for each panel, or a long rod to hold all the panels. Mark the studs in the same way you would if stapling, and add large hooks to hold the rod(s). You can also sew the individual panels together to make one long curtain instead of several small ones.

Once your wall curtain is in place, you can add bits of color to it but using clothes pins to secure postcards or greeting cards to the fabric in various places.