After years of battling with the curtains we had, I finally figured out an easy window treatment for a sliding glass door. The trick is a special curtain rod that can span the length of the door without any brackets or hinges getting in the way. This way the curtains can be pulled back and forth without any obstacles. I also found very affordable curtains at a good length and bonus, they are no-sew! (post contains affiliate links, see disclosure)
Our sliding glass door is approximately 8 ft wide, so any regular curtain rod needed supporting brackets in the middle. This rod is closer to 10 ft long. I wanted it to be longer than the door so that when the curtains were pushed back, we still had all the light coming from the patio door.
SUPPLIES
- RITVA curtains from Ikea, I used 57×118″
- RIKTIG hooks from Ikea
- SY hem tape from Ikea
- iron
- traverse curtain rod, I used the 86-120 inch
STEPS
The curtains are a little more cream than white, so I soaked them in the tub with OxiClean to brighten them. Then washed and dried. Next, I gathered my “pleats”. I did this by hand and eyeballing it. Each pleat is approximately the width of my hand, about 4-5 inches. I tried counting the heading tape, however, eyeballing it was much easier. Then, I marked each tab with a fine pint marker for future reference and inserted the hooks.
Next, I attached the curtains with the clips from the rod and used four curtain panels total. I found it easier to hang the curtains first, then mark and cut the fabric where I needed to hem. I like for my curtains to just barely touch the floor. The Ikea hemming tape is easy to use and only takes a warm iron. Once all the hemming was done, I reattached the hooks and clipped the curtains back up.
With the transverse rod, these curtains glide back and forth so smoothly. Which is great because they are almost 9 ft high. The secret is the brackets that don’t block the track and allow with clips to slide on by. With our previous curtains, we were constantly yanking and pulling trying to get them to move and of course, didn’t have the option to push to one side because of the middle brackets.
I love that we can push the curtains to one side for maximum light. This way it also doesn’t block the cane chair or view of the bookshelves. You can also train your curtains so that the pleats fold nicely each time. Because we open and close these curtains every day, it wasn’t one of my concerns. I actually love the casual vibe.
Honestly, this traverse rod is the only rod I will be using any time I need to install curtains. In fact, I love it so much I also used it in our guest bathroom makeover by hanging the shower curtain at ceiling height. It’s much more stylish than usual ceiling tracks and is an easy window treatment for a sliding glass door.
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Hi! Can you show a photo of how the curtains clip onto the rod? Thx! xx