How To Make An Extra Long Continuous Drape Rod

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Have you ever been annoyed at telescoping drape rods when your curtain rings get caught in the transition. Have you wondered why all retailers sell telescoping rods and if you could ever find a continuous drape rod? I have the answers to these questions below as well as a neat solution that won’t break the bank.

Why you can’t find a continuous drape rod?

There are two reasons why drape rods over about 3ft length are always telescoping (unless of course you order custom).

• The first reason is that the manufacturer’s goal is to be able to sell a single product to the most amount of customers. Telescoping rods are also adjustable which means that each size will fit a number of different width windows. A fixed size will be appropriate for fewer customers and therefore be less economic.
• The second reason is that beyond a certain length, shipping longer rods becomes very expensive. By breaking down the rod to multiple pieces, it can be packaged in smaller packaging and shipped for cheaper.

For these reasons, the only way to get a continuous non-telescoping drape rod that fits the exact specifications of your windows is to order it custom. As we all know, custom is very expensive.

The solution

But there is another way. You can combine multiple rods and use the outer parts to create a continuous drape rod with a seam that does not jump down in thickness. The seam is in fact undetectable from afar. It also allows the drape rings to glide smoothly over it.

I found very inexpensive drape rods on Amazon that come in multiple sizes. I have the brass tone but this rod also comes in black. What’s unique about them is that the larger sizes have the boring for the finials on the thicker, outer rod part. This makes the task of combining the rods easy and inexpensive. Depending on the length of the rod you need, you may need to cut down some of the rods. (Read my post on How to Hang Drapes Like a Pro.) You can easily cut the metal rods using a hack saw or a pipe cutter. These are the drape rings that match the rods:

For rods between 28″ and 86″

If you need a rod that falls into one of these ranges, you will buy two identical rods and combine them to create a continuous drape rod with a single seam in the middle. You will take the thicker outer part from each rod and use one of the thinner parts to telescope the two thick ones. They will meet with a single unnoticeable seam in the middle. You may need to cut down one of the thicker outer parts to fit a smaller length. Use either a hack saw or a pipe cutter and make sure not to cut the side where the finial attaches.

For rods under 144″

Again, you need to buy two identical rods. Use the two thicker outer parts and one thin part from one of the rods and a single thick outer part from the other. You will have to cut the end of the one thick part to remove the attachment for the finial. This will make that part a tube that can slide over the thinner part in the middle to cover it. Cut the middle part exactly at the length you need it to combine with the other two parts to your total rod length.

For rods under 240″

You will need one 240″ long rod and one 144″ long rod. You will use the all of the outer thicker parts to combine into one extra long and continuous drape rod. The 240″ size comes with inner tube connectors for the middle parts. Slide the outer thicker parts from the 144″ rods over the thinner parts of the first rod. Cut the middle tubes as needed to fit your desired length.

The seam of the continuous drape rod

There might be a bit of prolapse and looseness where the two thicker tubes meet over the inner thin tube. Use some aluminum foil to wrap around the inner tube in order to keep the outer ones in place.