Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we are actually asked, answered properly. If yours is not here, ask us — the answer usually ends up on this page.
Choosing and specifying
Is NFPA 701 enough for a California facility?
No, and this is the single most common gap we see in quotes from out-of-state suppliers. NFPA 701 is the small-scale vertical flame test the fabric is expected to pass, and any credible supplier’s fabric does pass it. But in California, fabric used in public buildings must also be registered with the Office of the State Fire Marshal under Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations, Division 1, Chapter 8 — and hospital cubicle curtains are explicitly named in the soft goods that covers.
The consequence is practical: a curtain that satisfies a specifier in Florida can still be written up by a fire marshal here. When an inspector asks, the document they want is the OSFM registration for that fabric, not a mill’s flame-test certificate. Ask every supplier for it, including us.
What is the difference between inherently flame resistant and treated fabric?
Where the protection lives. In an inherently flame resistant (IFR) fabric the flame-retardant chemistry is part of the fibre itself; it cannot wash out or wear off. A topically treated fabric is ordinary cloth with a finish applied afterwards, commonly certified for around a year, and depleted by repeated washing.
That matters enormously in healthcare because privacy curtains are laundered hot — thermal disinfection runs at roughly 71 °C or above, which is exactly the condition a topical treatment survives worst. The curtain looks identical afterwards and is no longer flame resistant. For any healthcare application, specify IFR. More detail on the fabric guide.
Are antimicrobial curtains worth the extra cost?
In higher-acuity areas — inpatient, emergency, oncology, dialysis — yes. An antimicrobial finish inhibits microbial growth on the fabric between changes.
What it does not do is replace a change schedule, and any supplier implying that a finish lets you extend your interval is overselling. In lower-risk clinic rooms, a standard fabric on a reliable rotation is frequently better value than an antimicrobial one on a neglected rotation.
Do we need mesh at the top, and how much?
Yes, in sprinklered areas — the open mesh lets heat reach the sprinkler and water pass through, which is why a curtain built that way is not treated as an obstruction under NFPA 13.
On how much, you will see two different numbers quoted across this industry and both can be correct. The code figure is 22 inches measured down from the ceiling, and that measurement includes the gap above the curtain plus the track and its carriers — commonly around three inches. So “20 inches of mesh” and “22 inches from the ceiling” often describe the same compliant curtain from different starting points.
What matters is the total, calculated per room, because ceiling heights and track drops vary within one building. A single mesh height ordered for a whole floor is compliant in some rooms and not in others, and it is the most common reason we are called in to correct an order.
Scope worth stating: the exception applies in light-hazard occupancies, which covers most patient-care areas. Storage, mechanical and industrial spaces are classified differently.
Measuring and ordering
How do I measure?
Measure the track, not the room, in plan view — as though the track were laid on the floor and you were looking down at it — adding every leg and every return. Then add 10–15% fullness, because a curtain cut to the track length cannot close. Height is ceiling height minus 12 to 18 inches, which is the track and carrier drop plus your floor clearance.
The measuring guide works all of this through on three real bays, including the corner that catches people out. Or send us a room count and photographs and we will talk it through with you. If you would rather not measure at all, we can come and do it for you — see the quote page for what a site survey involves.
Why do you need a site visit before quoting?
Because four things decide the order and none can be assumed from a room count: track length including curves and returns, ceiling height, track type and drop, and the carrier type your existing headers must match. Getting any of them wrong produces a delivery that cannot be hung, which costs far more than the visit.
For a straightforward single run we can quote from photographs and measurements you send.
Is the track included when I order curtains?
No — curtains and track are specified and quoted separately, because most orders are curtains onto track that already exists. Where the track is sound, replacing only worn carriers is a fraction of the cost of a new system, and we will tell you when that is the case rather than selling you track you do not need.
Can we install the curtains ourselves?
Hanging curtains onto existing track, yes — most facilities’ own maintenance teams do it. Installing track is a different job: the fixings depend entirely on what is above the ceiling, a suspended grid carries almost no load, and a track fixed into a ceiling tile is the most common failure we are called out to correct.
What is your warranty?
⛔ To be confirmed. We are not publishing a warranty term until we can stand behind a specific one with our supplier, and a number invented for a website is worth nothing to you at the point you need to use it. Ask us for the current terms with your quote and they will be in writing.
What are your lead times?
⛔ To be confirmed, and it depends on fabric and whether sizes are standard or custom. We would rather give you a date with the quote that we can hold than a headline figure that slips. If you have a fixed inspection or opening date, tell us at the start and we will work back from it — and say plainly if it is not achievable.
Care and compliance
How often do privacy curtains have to be changed?
There is no universally mandated frequency, and anyone quoting you a legal requirement of “every X months” is mistaken. Neither the CDC nor The Joint Commission publishes a fixed interval for privacy curtains in non-isolation settings. The expectation is a risk-based approach: your infection prevention team, environmental services, nursing leadership and facilities set a written policy together, weighing patient acuity, unit type, turnover and how often the curtain is touched.
In practice most facilities land between every four weeks and quarterly, high-contact multi-bed areas at the shorter end. Every credible protocol agrees on one point without qualification: change immediately when a curtain is visibly soiled.
For intervals by setting, the sources behind them, and why changing a curtain and replacing it are two different clocks, see how often privacy curtains should be changed.
Then what will an inspector actually ask for?
Your written policy, and evidence that it is being followed. A facility with a quarterly policy and a complete log is in a stronger position than one with a monthly policy and no record. We label and log every curtain we supply by room, so the record starts on the day they go up rather than being reconstructed later.
Can curtains be disinfected instead of replaced?
No. They are porous and cannot be disinfected in place; the curtain is exchanged for a clean one. That is why a second set, rather than a cleaning product, is what actually solves it — one hangs while the other is washed.
Can laundering affect fire compliance?
It can, and nothing about the curtain will look different afterwards. Every fabric has a rated wash specification, and washing outside it can degrade the finish or the flame resistance. Keep two documents on file for every fabric you buy: its fire documentation and its wash specification. We supply both with the order — give the wash specification to whoever launders your linen.
When should a curtain be replaced rather than laundered?
When it has stains that survive a wash, a tearing or pulling header, brittle or holed mesh, fabric thin enough to see light through, or a mesh height that no longer meets clearance after a ceiling or track alteration. Past any of those, washing only delays the replacement while the room looks neglected. See curtain replacement.
Working with us
What areas do you cover?
Healthcare and commercial facilities across the Bay Area and the greater Sacramento region — San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, Folsom and the surrounding communities.
Can you work without closing the department?
Yes, and it is how most of our work is done. Evenings, weekends and bay-by-bay or floor-by-floor phasing are routine rather than an exception, and usually cheaper than the disruption of losing a room during clinic hours.
How quickly will I hear back?
The same working day. A person reads it, not an autoresponder, and if something is unclear we will ask before quoting rather than guess.
Do you only work with healthcare facilities?
No. Healthcare is most of what we do, but the same track and fabric expertise applies to gyms, studios, schools, warehouses, salons and open-plan offices — see commercial room dividers.
Do you charge for the measurement visit?
Yes — a site survey is a priced service, and the fee is credited against your order, so it costs nothing if you go ahead with the job. The current fee is shown on the quote page. If you would rather not book one, send us your own measurements instead, or talk it through with us first — neither of those costs anything.
