Double Curtain Rod for Sliding Glass Doors

• Two layers for a glass door

  Sheers on the back rod soften the light. Drapes on the front rod close for the night.

  Size it for your door

• On the ceiling, clear of the handle

  You choose how far from the glass the rods hang, so the curtains don’t rub the handle or catch in the track.

  Check the clearance

• Extends to 84 inches

  Covers a 5-foot sliding door with a foot to spare on each side, or a 6-foot door with 6 inches.

  See the sizes

What Size Double Curtain Rod for a Sliding Glass Door?

Sliding patio doors come in a few standard widths. The most common are 60, 72 and 96 inches: 5, 6 and 8 feet. Measure your own frame anyway, from the outer edge of the trim on one side to the other.

Then add room on both sides. Open curtains need a place to stack beside the glass, not over it. On a window that’s a matter of looks. On a door you walk through every day, a curtain stack over the opening gets pushed, pulled and stepped on.

Long double curtain rods: what 84 inches covers

“Long” and “extra long” mean different things on different listings, so check the number. This rod covers sliding doors up to 72 inches and windows up to 76 inches wide. It doesn’t cover an 8-foot door, a corner window or a wall of glass. For those, you need a rod built for spans over 7 feet.

Which way the curtains open

The center bracket holds both rods, and curtain rings can’t pass it. So each layer opens from the middle: one panel goes left, the other right. You can’t pull one wide panel all the way to one side. On a door where only one half slides, that still works: open both panels and the doorway is clear. Just plan equal extra length on both sides of the frame.

Clear the Door Handle and Track

Sliding door handles stick out from the glass. A curtain that rubs the handle snags and wears through. A sheer that hangs into the track gets caught when the door moves. A ceiling rod solves both, because you set the bracket position, not the wall.

1. Measure from the wall to the front of the door handle.
2. Add 1 to 2 inches for the fabric to move.
3. Hang the back rod at least that far from the wall.

Before you drill, set both rods into one bracket on the floor and measure from the middle of the round base to the back rod. Add that to the distance from step 3, and you get how far from the wall to mark the center of the base.

Have vertical blinds on the door and only want one curtain layer? The curtain rod for sliding glass doors mounts on the wall, with brackets that reach up to 6 inches out and a 40 lb rating.

Room for the door to move

Hem both layers so they end about half an inch above the floor. Curtains that puddle on the floor look soft on a window, but at a door they drag across the track and collect dirt from the patio. With the rod on the ceiling and the hem off the floor, the door slides behind the curtains without touching them.

Privacy after dark, daylight by day

A glass door shows the whole room to the yard once the lights are on inside. The drapes on the front rod close over the door at night. During the day, the sheers on the back rod cut glare on a TV or a screen and keep the room bright, while you still see outside. Each layer moves on its own, so you never have to choose between light and privacy.

Brushed Nickel: a Silver Double Curtain Rod

Brushed nickel is a satin silver finish with fine brushed lines. It shines less than chrome, so fingerprints and smudges show less. That matters on a door curtain you push aside several times a day.

Many patio doors open off a kitchen or dining area. There, brushed nickel matches stainless appliances, nickel and chrome faucets, and silver door handles. It pairs with white, gray, pale blue and sand-colored curtains, and it suits coastal and transitional rooms. Under a white ceiling, the two satin rods read light and quiet, and the curtains stay the focus.

Prefer black hardware, or layering curtains on a bedroom window? The black double curtain rod for sheer and blackout layers is this rod in black.

Specifications and What’s in the Box

What’s in the box

• 2 solid metal rods, each telescoping from 48 to 84 inches
• 3 ceiling brackets that each carry both rods
• 3 installation kits

How to Install a Double Curtain Rod Over a Sliding Door

The brackets mount to the ceiling only. Bring a drill, a stud finder, a tape measure, a pencil and a step ladder. A second person helps when you lift the loaded rods.

1. Measure the handle. Find how far the handle sticks out from the wall and add 1 to 2 inches. That’s the minimum distance from the wall to the back rod.
2. Center the rod on the door. Mark the middle of the door frame on the ceiling. The center bracket goes there, and the rods extend the same distance past both sides of the frame.
3. Mark the end brackets. Mark one bracket near each end of the rods, the same distance from the wall as the center mark.
4. Check for joists. A bracket screwed into wood holds best, so run a stud finder across each mark. Marks that hit only drywall need ceiling-rated anchors, and plaster needs toggle bolts. Toggles aren’t in the box.
5. Fix the brackets. Drill and screw each bracket base to the ceiling.
6. Load the curtains. Drapes go on the front rod and sheers on the back rod, one panel of each on each side of the center bracket.
7. Set the rods and test the door. Fit both rods into the brackets and tighten the set screws. Close both layers, then slide the door open and shut. Nothing should touch the handle or the track.

Above a door, check the header

Many sliding doors have a beam, called a header, inside the wall above the frame. That’s in the wall, not the ceiling, so it won’t help a ceiling bracket. What counts are the joists overhead. When they run in the same direction as the door wall, it’s common for none of the three brackets to hit wood. Then the anchors hold everything, so choose ones rated for ceilings.

Double Ceiling vs Wall Sliding Door vs Single Ceiling Rod

This rod

Double Ceiling

Holds

20 lb

Length

48–84 in

Projection

Ceiling mount

Mount

Ceiling

Sliding Door, Wall

Holds

40 lb

Length

48–84 in

Projection

Up to 6 in

Mount

Wall

Single Ceiling

Holds

20 lb

Length

48–84 in

Projection

Ceiling mount

Mount

Ceiling or Wall

• Choose this double rod for two curtain layers on a sliding door or a wide window, mounted on the ceiling.
• Choose the curtain rod for sliding glass doors for one heavy layer up to 40 lb on the wall, or to clear vertical blinds.
• Choose the ceiling mounted curtain rod for one layer from the ceiling, such as floor-to-ceiling drapes.
• Layering sheers and blackout curtains on a window? See the black double curtain rod.

Wholesale and Bulk Orders