Thank you.
I did not realize that tension rods were available with a curved design. If study enough, that might work for us, but I am hesitant since we had such bad luck with a Moen tension rod from BB&B. It fell down repeatedly., We ended up using a straight, light-weight tension rod designed for window curtains as a temporary shower rod in the powder room, but it would only support a liner. We need something more sturdy as a permanent rod for our tub/shower alcove.

I have read that rust can be a problem for shower rods, even for those listed as stainless steel. How serious is this problem? Does it affect the rod itself or just where it attaches to the wall?

Rust was the issue with the BB&B curved tension rods, so I didn't buy one of those.

So far, we are rust free. But, like I said, we've only had it a couple months. There aren't any negative reviews involving rust on Amazon for this particular product though.

The tension is quite sufficient and easily adjustable for this rod. We only have a liner on ours, but my partner was also draping his towel over it for a few weeks until I got the towel hooks for the wall purchased and installed and it never collapsed or fell down.

For me, it was worth buying it at the amazon price even if it was a "temporary" solution until I knew if we wanted to get glass or not. So far, we don't feel like we need to get glass and are quite happy with the bar as is.

Good luck in your decision!

Bear in mind that online reviews usually number a handful, so it's hard to determine quality based on reviews.

Faucetdirect.com has lots of rods. Brass rods are the most expensive. I bought stainless steel. The Kohler rods would have been my first choice, but my shower is 58", and theirs and many others start at 60". I had to buy Moen and it does look nice. We have good ventilation so I don't think rust will be a problem.

Location: Once you have the rod and shower curtain, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. Most shower curtains are 70-72" long.

Leaking: Curved rods won't prevent it. I bought a shower curtain liner at BB&B that has suction cups along the sides.

Shower curtains: JC Penney, Macy's, Kohl's, BB&B, Pottery Barn, Croscill.com, Overstock.com, etc. I've looked at hundreds and haven't found what I'm looking for. Most look pretty chintzy imo.

We have the moen double curved rod and love it! We use the inner rod for towels due to space.

I would absolutely recommend a curved rod. The extra space inside is very nice, and the curtain does not attack you mid-shower.

I also highly recommend the moen rolling shower curtain hooks that look like a "U" with the ends curled up. It holds both the liner and curtain, allows the liner to hang slightly lower, and they roll very easy.

I also got the liner with the suction cups. It can be a bit frustrating some days to get them to stick, but they do seal things up pretty good. A regular size curtain fits just fine.

I have installed curved rods from signature hardware in my house and a few others.. They have an excellent mounting systemthat holds up and does not sag like many others. I would definitely use them again! Take a look, they are good.

Steve

Steve,
What finish did you get? I think I want stainless but do not see that option on the Signature site, Does chrome hold up well? The idea of rust concerns me.

Williamsem, I do like the ease of Moen rolling hooks but have not tried with anything more than a liner. Sometimes the hook slips out of the curtain. I hope this will not be a problem with the heavier weight of a curtain and liner combined.

Our new tile has a bit of texture, so I wonder if suction cups will work. Are there any other options for preventing leaks along the tub ends?

Before we decided to go curtainless in or hall bath, I was considering a mounting a track on the ceiling like a hospital curtain. They come in all sizes. Might this work for you?

I have the same hooks as Williamsem and the curtain and liner stays put.

I have installed the chrome, brushed nickel, and bronze units. Never had an issue with rust and the bronze one has be in for several years now. I put a double rod - chrome in a house a year ago that is still good but not a fair test as its in a lightly used shower. I put one in my sisters house 6 months ago and they like it. What I really like about their system is the mounts. They are screwed to the wall and the rods to not sag. I will try to post a picture of the mount.

kirkhall,

Thank you for the info regarding the curved rod from Amazon. We too don't want to drill into tiles, this would be a good choice.

The regular Moen shower curtain rod we purchased from BB&B is poorly made, we returned it.

I wanted to mount shower curtain high, I purchased an x-long shower curtain liner from BB&B, got the idea from this site. I also purchased x-long shower curtain from Restoration Hardware, the only one I found with simple design and decent quality. The shower curtain came with horrible smell. Luckily, the smell is gone after washed it once in cold water.

This post was edited by azmom on Thu, May 30, 13 at 11:35