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FAQs for French Door Shades
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Roman shades work perfectly on French doors. Read details on measuring and mounting shades on your door.
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I normally place the top of the shade very near the top of the door. This way you will be leaving as much glass uncovered as possible when you raise the shade. The drawing above has the shade mounted 1/2" below the top of the door. I always place the mounting board "flat" against the door. This way the shade only sticks out about 1/2" from the door. In fact, it tends to fall down right against the glass. I don't normally recommend using a Top-Down shade on a French door since the mounting board must be placed “projected”. However, if that is what you want and you realize that the valance at the top of the shade will stick out 1-1/2" from the door, then go ahead. There is complete measuring information for French Door shades at the bottom of Be sure to read the this page. |
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This photograph shows the mounting board of a French door shade. The top corner of the shade has been pulled away from the board. You can see the 1x2 board is screwed directly into the door.
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This photograph shows a close-up of the board. Ignore the strange pulley. This is a really old shade and the pulley is an inferior one to the flat pulley I now use. You can see that I made a fabric tab to cover hardware from the side view. It normally takes only two screws to hold a French door shade in place.
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The length of the screw should allow it to penetrate into the door by 3/4-inch to 1-inch. I lay the screw on the board to make sure it will project enough. Then I drill a hole through the wood so that the screw can just pass through the mounting board without actually screwing it. This way I can push the screws almost through these holes, hold the board up to the door, make sure it is level, tap on the screws with a hammer and remove the board. I then drill a pilot hole where the screws have made a mark. It is very easy to attach the mounting board into those hole by simply screwing in the two screws. |
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I prefer drywall screws to wood screws when I attach a shade to wood. They are similar in size, but the threads are deeper and further apart.
What about a metal door? I use the very same technique, but substitute metal screws for the wood/drywall screws. Many of you (or your husbands) seem to be totally paranoid about making a hole in a metal (often vinyl coated) door. Just measure carefully and do it. If you do remove the shades at some point, you can fill the hole with spackle or putty and paint, just as you would do if your door were wood. |
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You use the same technique for a window in a door. I typically have the shade drop to one-inch below the glass trim of the window. I always use a cord cleat on my French door shades. When you raise the shade, the cord gets longer. I don't like to have it dangling. In this photograph you can just barely see the clear plastic cord cleat that is just below the shade on the right side. You can also just barely see the white cord hanging down and the white cord drop that is level with the bottom trim of the window. |
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When the shade is lowered on this door, the cord cleat is covered with the shade.
What if the door is metal? I use the same approach, except that I use metal screws rather than wood or drywall screws. Many of you (or your husbands) seem reluctant to make a hole is a metal door. I don't have a problem with this, I just measure carefully. If you do decide to remove the shade, you can fill the tiny hole with spackle or putty and paint over the patch.
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Another question I get asked is how I keep the shade from banging against the door when it is opened and closed. I'm sure you have seen those mini-blinds that have a bracket at the bottom of the shade. I hate those things. You have to unclip the shade to raise it and then clip it back in when you lower it. That is not necessary with a cloth Roman shade. All you need is a steel weight rod at the bottom of the shade. It makes the shade very stable. I can sometimes get a little violent when I slam the door, and my shades don't bang against the door.
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