curtain rod system?

Any curtain rod advice out there? I need a rod or
some way to hang a sheer, floor-to-ceiling curtain
that extends about 11 feet horizontally, is ceiling-
mounted, and which will allow the entire curtain to
be moved to one side. Something that wide usually
needs multiple support points, and the obvious means
of attaching the curtain to its support (rings, tabs,
what have you) will get hung up on supports, preventing
the curtain from being moved completely. Of course
I want very simple, clean lines, but I need it in a
dark color -- bronze, black or raw steel.

Any ideas out there? Especially something I'm likely
to find locally, as I am admittedly an instant-
gratification kind of gal.

Thanks!
-KP

These rods from West Elm are nice:

http://tinyurl.com/rjxpz

Jen

Thanks Jennifer! Great suggestion in terms of style
and finish. But they require support brackets that
will get in the way of moving the curtain completely
to one side, and only extend to 9'. Thanks for the
tip though!

Cheers,
-KP

What about hospital track mounted on the ceiling? That can be extended to just about any length and should do the trick. If you don't want the track to be exposed, it can always be trimmed out with something. Try this link, but a quick google search will yield many others.

-- Diego

http://medicalproductsdirect.stores.yahoo.net/hanprivscree.html

Yep, something like that is probably the ticket. Now I just need to find the right color. Thanks!
-KP

There's also the Deka curtain wire system from IKEA. It's a wire system that can be either wall or ceiling mounted. It's pretty reasonably-priced as well. You might also check with local architects or contractors that work in healthcare design. You might find a project where you can get the cubicle curtain track before it's removed/demo'd from a rennovation project.

Two words:
tensioned cable

The IKEA ones are nifty. I'm using a couple of them presently and they're nice if a little on the light weight side. I've had a hard time tensioning them enough over a long span (even with pretty lightweight panels) because they use just two set screws to hold the end of the wire into the bracket.
If you've got a heavier drape or fabric to hang, I'd suggest making your own tensioned cable using a heavier gauge cable and an actual turnbuckle. Prolly cost ya about ten bucks total and avaliable at any hardware store. To fix the end points I've used eye bolts screwed into a stud, but you may need to figure something else out depending on your circumstances.
Iron plumbing pipe also works well for spanning longer distances without center supports. If they're sturdy, you can use regular drapery brackets to hold up the ends, or get those screw down flanges and some 90 degree elbows and do the entire thing with all plumbing stuff and then paint it whatever color you want with spraypaint.
It doesn't bend but it's heavy.

Can you tell I've had this problem a few times before?

If you're in the midst of renovating the ceiling, consider adding a curtain palmet. That way, the curtain's hardwares are hidden.

If that's not possible, I'd go for the ceiling mounted hospital track (recommended by Diego) and have it spray-painted in the desired color. That's provided you're able to get it at 11 feet.

I would not go with IKEA's Deka as I don't find it durable and as splatgirl pointed out; you'll have a hard time tensioning the wire. I'm also concerned about the iron plumbing rod since it'll sag in the middle due to its own weight and lack of support at that area.

A more practical solution is to have the width of the curtain halved and you'd have a wider choice of curtain rod system to work with.

Lester

Thanks for your suggestions, all! I like the tensioned cable idea, and will pursue a solution which has a turnbuckle and is securely mounted to ceiling joists. The fabric I need to support weighs maybe one pound total; then there's the weight of the cable, which could be more. Now, I am scheming about how to size it so I can support the cable AND the fabric without sagging, but at a tension that won't kill me in my sleep if it fails! :zz: I'll let you know if something goes wrong...

-KP

kp,
i make modern window coverings for a living. we have multiple tracks that would work extremely well. this is actually our favorite applicaton, celing mounted one way draw. you want to probably use a white track so t dissapears into the ceiling, unless you want a colour for aesthetics. where are you located, if you are nearby i can ship, if not i can point you in the right direction.

Cheers,

Ravi