Aluminum Weight Rod - 5-ft length

Placing a weight rod in the bottom of your shade immediately improves both the appearance and operation of your Roman shade. Note that this item earns Terrell's Flawless Use Award. Yes, they are expensive. They are expensive for us to purchase, freight is high and it costs a lot to ship to you. We have looked for cheaper rods, but cannot find a less expensive source that supplies the required "clean" aluminum. Is it worth spending this much for a hidden weight rod? Read on.

Without a weight rod, your shade will not drop all of the way down when lowered. You will have to reach out and pull it all of the way down. A weight rod assures that the shade operates properly. If you are using a cord lock pulley, you absolutely need a bottom weight rod. The cord lock needs a downward force on the lift cords in order to operate.

You may be tempted to use a wooden dowel in the bottom of your shade. Don't. They warp and are too lightweight to do the job. So why bother? You may be able to find aluminum rods at your local home repair store, such as Home Depot or Lowes, or at a local hardware store such as TrueValue or Ace Hardware. They are usually in the hardware (screws and bolts) area. Just be sure that you get a "clean finish" rod rather than one that will oxidize. They are sometimes called polished aluminum. Rub it with your fingers. If you get a black smudge on your hand, try something else or purchase a can of spray paint. A diameter of 1/4" or 3/8" works best.
 
The weight rod is the heaviest part of your shade. If your shade is a lot wider than it is long, or you are using a very lightweight fabric, you may want to use the aluminum rod rather than steel.

If you are making your shade using our online directions, your rod should be cut 1.25" SHORTER than your Finished Shade Width. This way it will fit into the hem of your lining. The Hardware Calculator does this calculation for you and tells you the correct length to cut your rod.

Custom cutting directions for rods over 5-ft long. You may be ordering a 5-ft weight rod to splice to another rod. You only need to give cutting directions for one of the rods. For example, say you need a rod that is 80.5" long and the Hardware Calculator said to purchase one 5-ft Aluminum Rod, one 2-ft Aluminum Rod and one rod splice. Before you place the 5-ft rod into your Shopping Cart, tell us the total rod length in the Custom Cutting box by typing: cut rods so that total length is 80.5".