DIY Guide: Building Sliding Curtain Panels on a Budget
You can create sliding curtain panels that function like room dividers, moving on tracks with each panel independent. These panels let you adjust the amount of light entering a room. While store-bought versions may start at $150 depending on panel count and retailer, you can make your own for under $50 in a single afternoon.
By Reese Brooks10 steps
Sliding panels are a great way to cover a sliding glass door
Sliding curtain panels work much like sliding room dividers: they glide along tracks, and each panel can be moved on its own. With panel curtains, you can control how much light comes into a room by adjusting their position. Purchasing such panels can cost $150 or more, depending on how many you need and where you buy them. However, you can build your own sliding curtain panels for less than $50 and finish the project in just one afternoon.
Step 1
Take a measurement of the full width of the door or opening that the panels will cover.
Step 2
Take that total width and divide it by the number of panels you plan to use. For a sliding glass door, three to five panels are suitable, while a large picture window might accommodate seven or eight.
Step 3
Measure how deep the window or door frame is. Then divide that depth by the number of tracks you intend to install. Every panel will rest on a track; if you want each panel to stack one behind another when they are open, you will need a separate track for each panel. Alternatively, you can arrange them to alternate, so when open they appear twice as wide as a single panel.
Step 4
Using a pencil, indicate where each track will go on the frame. With a laser level, mark the matching spots on the opposite side of the frame. This ensures all tracks are aligned at the same height.
Step 5
Measure and cut the fabric to the panel dimensions, but add 4 inches to the width and 5 inches to the height.
Step 6
Turn the raw edges of the fabric toward the wrong side and pin along the entire perimeter. Sew a 2-inch seam around all sides of each panel.
Step 7
Fold the top edge of each panel over by another 3 inches and pin it. Stitch along the fabric edge to form a channel that the tracks will slide through.
Step 8
At each pencil mark on the frame, use a drill with a 3/8-inch bit to create a hole roughly ¼ inch deep.
Step 9
Put one 3/8-inch dowel into a hole and thread one or two curtain panels onto it. Gently flex the dowel to fit its other end into the matching hole on the opposite side of the frame. Start with the hole nearest the window.
Step 10
Do the same for every dowel. If you want alternating panels, slide two panels onto each dowel. Then pull one panel completely to the opposite side; bring the first panel from the other track next to it. After that, pull the second panel from the first track so it sits beside the last panel.
