Curtain Tracks... Argh! If you haven't got bored already, please help!

[GleamingHeels]

Please help me find the right solution

I have a bay window
I want to have voile/sheer curtains on one track at the bottom of the wooden bit above the windows (put there for attaching curtain track to)
I have ordered very heavy curtains which I wish to attach to 'the wooden bit' above the sheer curtains

I think this is the right thing for the heavy curtains

My question to all of you though, is what should I Google/buy to ensure that the heavy curtains sit forward from the sheer ones - are there bracketty things for the heavy curtains, or a really small track for the sheers or should I ask a joiner to make little wooden bits for the places where the track for the heavy curtains is attached to the wooden bit?

You can tell that I don't know what I am talking about... but I know what I want... two parallel curtain tracks, the top one slightly protruding further than the lower so that I can open my proper curtains and leave the sheer ones in place

Help... and Thanks

That one you've linked is v similar to one I had in last house. I bought an extension bracket that fitted on to the main rail without any extra drilling/screwing

Would you consider net curtain wire?

Right, first of all I had two of those tracks (one was a replacement) and neither of them would function on a bay. Sorry

I would skip the corded option and get a really good track that is designed for heavyweight curtains - fineline make them, you can get on ebay or other shops online, I got mine in Paul Simon.

(the heavy duty metal pole I bought fell down - too far out from the wall, on huge brackets, and too heavy)

I have lace curtains too - they go on plastic coated springy wires, that you attach with little tiny hooks. there is no conflict between the heavy curtains and the nets.

I'd suggest something like that - presuming you won't want to 'draw' the sheer ones? If you do then you need something called a valance track, which is basically a double rail, with one protruding further than the other.

Might be tricky to get the angles right on a bay though, with one of those.

What I should emphasise is, if the curtains are very heavy, they will need to be on a rail as close to the frame as poss - it will be far stronger than one further away from the wall.

So if you can manage with curtain wires/plastic coated wires for the nets, then do so.

also the heavier the curtains, the less likely the corded facility will work properly - whatever they say about it, if you have a curve in the rail, it is very very likely it will jam.

Thank you all for your responses, I want to have the nets on a track so that I can open them fully to clean windows - the track will be so high that I won't be able to reach to get the curtains out of the way.

I will Google 'valance track' SeveredEdMcDunnough that sounds promising

My 'heavy' curtains are cream, I'd like to have a cord to minimise dirty marks on the curtains, but sounds like they'll stick in a bay - is there no hope for a corded track?

Well you could try. But I had exactly those tracks and it was hopeless.

There are various ones, they say they will work in a bay setting but that's just my experience, that they don't - or they struggle!

I think you must clean your windows more often than I do - when I do it I just stand on something (furniture/ladder) and take the nets down, and do it that way.

It's tricky as the windows are 10-11ft tall!

Mind you if the track is very high - won't you need to stand on something to get at the top of the windows anyway?

I guess you're right about needing to stand on something to clean the windows, though I'd thought I could get something with a long handle for that.. also I have now ordered (doing all this in the wrong order I know) nets that have pinch pleats and a proper tape for hooks, so I seem to be pretty committed to tracks for both sets of curtains.. off to google valance tracks, but must cook tea first. Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment, I haven't had a ceiling this high before nor a bay window!

It is a pleasure if I can help in any way. I have spent far more time thinking about this than any sane person should!!

steep learning curve when we moved here four years ago...

valance track should be fairly close to frame still - they tend to make them with either a massively long bracket (for thicker curtains + pelmet) or a shortish distance between, for, I suppose, your arrangement with thin then thick curtains.

Good luck with it. Let me know how you get on!