Last week I shared some photos of an outdoor room that I’ve been working on since March.
Today I wanted to share a few more details about it… I’ve still got several projects “to do” out there but it’s a good start and now that the weather has turned to summer, I should be able to get them done!
I knew I wanted outdoor drapes under the deck. I debated about buying the drapes or making them. After much research at my local fabric store and online, I elected to buy the drapes. I got them for a reasonable price. Turns out, I could not find outdoor fabric cheap locally. It ended up being close to a “wash” financially… so I elected to save the time and not make them (blasphemy I know, for a self professed seamstress *wink*).
However I was not excited about the price of outdoor drapery rod. Especially considering the fact that our deck is 20′ x 16′. That’s a whole lot of drapery rod!
Then one night I was wandering the aisles at Lowe’s and walked past the chain link fencing aisle, I realized the poles for chain link fencing would would make great drapery rods.
-they are made to be outside
-they are inexpensive
-they are easy to cut to the right size
I was even more excited when I realized that I could use some of the chain link fencing materials to also hang the curtain rods!
So here’s how I did it:
Purchased fence poles that I knew would fit the rings on my drapery rod. Then I had my husband cut them to size. The poles are meant to lock together with a large side and a tapered side, so just make sure that you cut the correct end of the pole, so they will still fit together.
When you have the rod the correct size, feed the drapes onto the rod. Then at the center of the rod (where you joined the 2 pieces if you needed to do that) and the 2 ends of the rod attach the U shaped bracket (it’s sold right next to the fencing, just make sure you get the right size).
Okay, something to keep in mind. The curtain rod can not be flush up against the underside of the deck, otherwise the drapes will not slide back and forth on the rod easily.
Now, my husband and I sat and argued in Lowe’s for about an hour on how to fix this problem… to save you a potential argument, I’ll just tell you what we figured out… *wink*
Buy a LONG bolt to go through the U shaped bracket. Feed the bolt through the bracket then behind the bracket attach 3 nuts. This will give you a good buffer between the bracket and the wood.
To finish up… you can add the end caps to the ends of the poles to make them look nicer.
If you live in a windy area like me, you’ll want to attach the drapes to the deck to keep them from blowing away.
To do this I installed a hook to the beams on the deck, then used some hemp grosgrain ribbon to make a tie back. The hemp ribbon is a bit stiffer than normal grosgrain… I also got it in bulk, so if the tie backs start to look bad, I’ll just replace them.
Now the last problem to fix is how to keep the drapes from blowing in the wind when they are open… I need some kind of weatherproof temporary drapery weight- suggestions?
In the evening, the sun comes in so bright through this side of the patio (it gets right in your eyes!) So far, it’s been great to be able to close the drape and get some shade, so we can still enjoy the patio in the evenings!
I’ve received many questions about the outdoor room.. I’m planning a FAQ post on it soon, so if you have questions about the drapes, just leave a comment and I’ll answer them in that post!
linking up:
The little hooks with clips that you use to hang curtains could be used upside down. Just clip them to the bottom of the curtain and then anything with a loop could be hung off the hoop. Think fabric beanbags with ribbon loops or even rocks with little hoops epoxied on.
I’ve been thinking of adding curtains to our breezeway. You’re so right about the cost! I was thinking of just using muslin and replacing them every year, or as they wore out. Would you mind sharing where you found your’s? I’d love to purchase them if I can!
Blessings–
Dana
I’m not sure if this would work, but for my curtains inside, I use small fishing weights hidden in the hem to weigh them down. Maybe you could get heavier ones and slip them in? It may require the self proclaimed seamstress to make little pockets in the hem so they don’t all slide to one side though ;)
If you had the draperies professionally made, they should already have some sort of drapery weight in the corners. However, those weights won’t really cut it for outdoor breezes. I like one of the previous suggestions; cafe curtain rings clipped to the bottom (possibly just to the corners?) with a weight rod slipped through and attached to the rings. Good luck!
Oh and by the way, FANTASTIC idea for rods! Drapery hardware is SOOO expensive.
i would do fishing weights. they are meant to be submerged in water!
love the drapes and the fencing materials were a fantastic idea!!
Fishing weights or large washers slipped into hem or stitched onto corners?
Here’s my question-can I move in too! :) That looks awesome! Wish I lived somewhere I could even have an outdoor pool! :)
I would love for you to link it up to my party that is running now. Any linky goes.
http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/2011/06/any-link-goes-party-running-now-summer.html
Come strut your stuff.
This was a great idea! I needed this before I spent way too much money on outdoor curtain rods. I had a problem with my curtains flying around to. I ended up sewing a length of lightweight chain into the bottom of each one. It is heavy enough to weigh them down, but still flexible so you can gather them and tie them back.
We bought the chain to do it this year and just haven’t gotten around to it! I think it’s a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion!
Just a thought about your weights for the curtains. Maybe marbles in the seams. :)
We used electrical conduit for our poles and large eyelets screwed into the posts. We also used wood door knobs ssanded to fit each open end of pipe snuggly to keep the pole in place while still being able to take end off to wash. We did the same thing with smaller eyelets at mid height to tie back the curtains but had to upgrade to a heavier ribbon after a major windstorm. We’re going to go with the chain – like the flexibility. We used off sale curtains and threaded the curtain sleeve right over the conduit instead of grommets – just to save money and time. Looks fab!
My best friend uses electrical conduit too for curtain rods. She uses it inside her house and they look great. I love the idea of the door knobs too! We bought chain to add to the hems of the drapes but haven’t done it yet. We figured out that if we clip the drapes together when they are opened (using metal clothespins ) that they don’t blow around as much.
The doorknobs would not only look good in my area, but would keep wasp from nesting inside the poles! Good thinking!
I used large canvas drop clothes for my curtains and just added the grommets for hanging them. It worked out great and way cheaper than buying curtains.
Someone else told me they did that too! I might try that this year if the ones I have look worn out- so far they have held up pretty good though. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you all for the tips on adding weight to your curtains. I have a large Gazebo and I use it year around. It came with mosquito netting, so to keep the rain out I attached extra long shower curtains(found at Walmart)to the inside. I used shower curtain rings and clipped them on the same sliding clips that my netting is clipped to. so when I open the netting they open along with it. The next problem was how to keep the shower curtains from blowing in, you could use snaps, but I used 1/2 brass fasteners(office section at Walmart) and took a steel skewer to make a hole through the trim of the netting and the shower curtain, pushed fastener through and bent back the fasteners. Works great. Hope this helps with anyone who wants to keep the rain out.
Could you post a pic of it?
Some excellent items here and really didn’t have a idea in relation to almost any of this before so with thanks for your perception
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I got great netting ccurtains at Ikea–REAL cheap and100% polyester to resist mildew. $9.99 for two very wide panels (110×98) They also have cabana stripes and plain white curtain panels that are 70% poly 30% cotton– $14.99 for two panels.
My problem is weighting them in the wind.havent found a solution other than large fishing weights. Heavy chain is very expensive.
I will use polyester cording for tie-backs.