How to Hang Drapes With Sheers

Hang drapes with sheers to add both privacy and a touch of elegance to your space. Sheers are a low-cost alternative to shades or blinds, and add a softness to heavy drapes that really balances out a room's ambiance. Here's how to hang drapes and sheers with a professional look.

Things You'll Need

• One Panel of Sheers for each Panel of Drapes
• Curtain Rod for Sheers (at your local home store, Wal-Mart, or hardware store)
• Ruler or Measuring Tape
• Pencil for marking
• (Power drill) - necessary for some rods
• (Screwdriver) - necessary for some rods

Instructions

1. 

   Decide which type of rod works best for your space, the look you're going for, and your type sheers and drapes.
   - Option 1: an interior pressure rod that hangs like a shower curtain rod inside the window frame.
   - Option 2: a sheer rod that is mounted above and outside the window frame but only sits about a half to one inch from the wall. These come in traditionally mounted styles or with magnetic brackets to make mounting easier.
   - Option 3: a double curtain rod set up where the sheers hang from a rod set on the same brackets as your curtain rod between the drapes and the window. There are a lot of options to explore at stores such as Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

2. 

   If you choose pressure rods, mounting is easy and requires no tools. For the other two sheer types, follow the instructions on the packaging for mounting the brackets above your window frame. The basics:
   1. Using a ruler or measuring tape, mark the wall above and outside the window frames where you'd like to install the brackets. Be sure to consider the length of your drapes and sheers.
   2. Use the bracket screw holes as a guide to drill holes for the brackets.
   3. Install the brackets with screws.

3. If just out of the package, you'll likely need to iron your sheers and/or drapes so they hang straight without creases. For sheers, set the iron on the lowest setting possible to avoid melting/burning the sheer material.

4. Put the sheers on the rods by sliding the rod in the pocket at the top of the sheer. Hang the sheers in the window (for pressure rod types) or on the brackets you've installed.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure your window frame width--both inside and outside--before heading to the store so you know what size rod to get.

• Measure the height from the floor to the top of the window frame so you know what length of sheers to buy.

• Take measurements of all windows you plan to dress with drapes and sheers. Window frames that appear to be the same size could have a few inches of difference.