I rarely close my sliding door drapes, love the light and we have almost no privacy issues. But I installed my rods almost 10" either side of the slider....slider is 6' rod extends to 8'. Then, my drapes were hung with rings so they would slide easily. My current drapes are shirred on the rod, so they take more effort to move and I wouldn't recommend that for those who want to cover the slider each day. Red Here is a link that might be useful: Not a great picture but gives you the idea...

To all reading this post: First of all, the quoted post should be attributed to Brickeyee. My sincerest apologies for my error. Here's a copy-and-paste version with the relevant section. Posted by brickeyee (My Page) on Thu, Jan 31, 08 at 19:46 .... The track should also NEVER be attached to a header in a weight bearing wall. A secondary header should be installed with about a 1/2 inch clearance below the structural header. If the header bows (and they all do to some extent) it can cause problems with the track. If the wall is NOT weight bearing the header will not be loaded and you CAN omit the second header. Decker, You asked what I meant by a secondary header. The real answer is I don't know; I'm just parrotting what I've read. But the term was used when describing 2x4(?)as something to which the pocket door track would be attached. BTW, this door installation is not a DIY project. I'm just trying to second-guess potential problems in construction. Again, I apologize if I've opened a can of worms.

We are on Lake Lanier and have built with Marvin Integrity Ultrex/Wood. We replaced a smaller house and one of the best decisions I made was to change from slider to french doors. The sliders on the old house were large and did not seal that well (although they were fairly high end). The constant opening and closing of these sliders became annoying after a few years. With the french doors, the opening is much bigger (when you open both doors) and they operate like a door so kids can use them easier. You're welcome to stop by and see them if you like. Let me know and I'll send my email address.

I have drapes that I made, and I also painted the fabric during the process. I made these some time ago for a couple of friends, and when they moved from their condo to a house and didn't need them any more, I got them back, rather than have them be discarded. I had to remove the old lining, as it was worn out, and I have hung them temporarily until I get around to replacing the lining. Previously, they were pleated. When I made the drapes, I sewed four widths of fabric together, making a panel that is about 210" wide, and then I laid out a pattern that I had created for painting. I wanted a pattern that would have repeated elements that would define different areas of the drape, from left to right. It took about three days to do all the painting, and then much less time to sew the lining and make the pleats. When I put a new lining it, the drapes will no longer drag on the floor, but for now I have to have something there. I previously had raw silk pleated drapes on a traverse rod, and I hated that rod. I replaced that with rings, which makes it much easier to open and close the drapes. I waited until now to do this because I wanted to move the wall switch for the outdoor light from the right side of the doors to the left side, since the doors open on the left. If I had know how easy (and inexpensive) it was to move this switch, I would have done it long ago. The people who built this room addition to the house before we bought it put the switch in the wrong place, simply because the fixture outside is directly above where they put the switch. They also had the door to the garage hinged on the wrong side, and I changed that right away. Lars