• Choose the proper type of clawfoot shower rod


• Learn how to install a clawfoot shower rod


• Decide how long your fabric clawfoot shower curtain should be and where the hem should fall


• Find a liner that will fit your new fabric clawfoot shower curtain

Familiarize yourself with the different clawfoot shower rods available.

Clawfoot shower rods come in several shapes:

• Rectangular rods
• Oval rods
• D shaped rods
• Round rods
• Rectangular and oval rods are the most popular

Different clawfoot shower rod mounts:

• Ceiling mounts
• Wall mounts
• A combination of both

Wall mounts require that your tub to be close against one wall or tucked into a corner. If your tub is not close to a wall, you must use ceiling mounts.

Ceiling mounts come 36 inches long and can be cut shorter. If you have an extremely high ceiling, this may not work for you.

Now that you know what shape rod and type of mounts to use, you need to determine the proper size shower rod to buy.

Your rod should be as wide and long as the rim of your clawfoot tub or up to two inches wider and two inches longer. It should never be smaller than the outside rim of your tub! Please note the illustration below.

Determine where you want the hem of your shower curtain to fall. There are three choices:

• Floor length (1 inch above floor)
• Somewhere along the side of the tub
• The top of the leg

We personally favour the top of the leg (show them legs off)! Please note the picture illustrations below.

Now you have to do some math.

For a Wall Mount Rod, add the following:

1. The distance from the hem to the floor
2. The length of your curtain*
3. Two inches to allow for the distance from the top of your curtain to the top of your rod (the distance your curtain rings and pole takes up)
4. See measuring diagram below

The figure you come up with is how far up from the floor you should mount the brackets on the wall. It is important to mount the brackets into studs for stability. Most clawfoot rod brackets slide along the rod allowing you to place them in a stud. You may need to use a stud finder.

For a Ceiling Mount Rod:

1. Follow steps one through four above and arrive at a figure
2. Take this figure and subtract it from the ceiling height (distance from the floor to ceiling)

The figure you come up with is how long the ceiling mounts should be. You may need to cut the ceiling brackets. It is important to mount the brackets into studs for stability. Most clawfoot rod brackets slide along the rod allowing you to place them in a stud. You may need to use a stud finder.

Most clawfoot shower rods allow you to adjust the mounting brackets. You will want to adjust the brackets so that the size of the opening where you get in and out of your tub (the space where you slide your shower curtain open and closed) is plenty wide.

*Pond Lily offers two lengths of clawfoot shower curtains, 72 inch long, and 76 inch long.

• A clawfoot liner is 180" wide by 70" long. Both the liner and the decorative fabric curtain are to be hung on the same set of hooks.


• You will need 36 shower curtain hooks.


• When purchasing a clawfoot shower liner, make certain that the liner has 36 buttonholes. Please be aware that Signature Hardware sells liners that vary in the number of buttonholes and will not fit our clawfoot shower curtains.


• Please see our Bathroom Resource page to find sources for clawfoot shower curtain liners. We hope to offer a line of liners in the near future.


• Your curtain must open and close at the faucets.


• If you have any suggestions on how to improve this page, please send an e-mail to pondlilyinteriors@gmail.com