How to Hang a Single Curtain for a Sliding Door

Measure the width of the sliding glass door. If you want your curtain to collect outside of the window area, add 12 inches for every 5 feet of door width. Select a one-way traverse curtain rod that opens in the same direction as your sliding glass door.

Mount the traverse curtain rod system 4 or more inches above the door trim. The system should be even with the door trim on the side where the door opens and extend past the door trim on the side where the curtain collects when it is not in use.

Screw the brackets directly into the wall studs, using 3-inch wood screws and a screwdriver. Use smaller screws provided with the system and wall anchors if there are no wall studs where you need to mount your brackets. Always mount intermediate brackets as recommended by the manufacturer, because traverse systems and drapes are heavy.

Pull the cord down on the collection side of the door. Mount a tension pulley provided by the traverse system kit to the wall, following the specific directions of the manufacturer. In general, the pulley mounts above the hem height of the drape and behind the outside edge of the curtain. The cord should be vertical from the rod to the pulley.

Pull the cord so that the master cylinder and arm are in the closed position. This places the arm above the handle of the sliding glass door. Insert drapery pins in the back center of your drapery pleats so that the top hook of the pin is 1 inch from the top of the drape.

Position your drape with the decorator fabric facing the room. If your sliding door handle is on the right side, your first drapery pin will be the pin farthest to the right side. If your door handle is on the left side, your first pin will be the pin farthest to the left side. Hook the starting pin into the end hole on the master cylinder arm. Hook the adjacent, or second, pin into the third hole on the master cylinder arm. This means that you skip the second hole in the arm in this installation. Hook the third pin in the last hole on the master cylinder. The master cylinder is a rectangular white plastic box that guides the opening and closing of the drapes.

Hook your next pin into the first small plastic slide. Continue hooking each pin into a slide until you have two drapery pins left. Insert your second-to-last pin into the face of the corner bracket. Insert your last pin around the corner of the bracket close to the wall. This will hide the bracket from view.