How to Hang a Roman Shade Inside a Front Door

Position the Roman shade at least 2 inches above the window area of the door. Center the shade on the window. The shade should overhang the window on each side by about an inch. This may be less if you have protruding door handles to work around.

Level the blind with a level. If the Roman blind has a wooden batten (a batten is the header at the top of the blind and wooden battens are common with homemade Roman shades), it must be covered in fabric on all sides for your best finished appearance.

Measure 3 inches in from each side with a tape measure and draw a line indicating the top of the batten location with a pencil. Select an L bracket that is the height and depth of the batten. Apply construction adhesive to the back of the L bracket. Screw the L bracket at each 3-inch mark so that the bottom of the L forms a shelf for the underside of the batten. Center your wood batten on the L brackets and screw the batten to the L bracket from the underside, using a screwdriver.

Attach commercial brackets into a steel exterior door by marking the location of the brackets. Hold the brackets at the marked locations and mark the screw holes. Use a dab of construction adhesive and self-tapping metal screws to attach the brackets. Commercial shade headers snap into their brackets.

Attach a cleat to the door above the reach of small children. The cleat should be on the same side as the Roman shade cord and 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch from the edge of the window. A cleat is a small metal bracket with two hooks that face outward. Pull the cord to the blind height you prefer and wind the cord around the cleat to hold the blind in that position.