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Roman Shade Hardware & More

 

Use our Hardware Calculator to determine the number of Cord Drops required for your Classic Roman shade, Top-Down/Bottom-Up shade or Top-Down Only Roman shade. 

Free instructions on how to make your own Roman shade are available in the How To Section. 

	It "finishes off" the lift cords.
	It allows the cords to hang nicely (this requires that the Cord Drop have some weight to it).
	It is used to operate the cords. Ppulling on the Cord Drop (which can be easily cleaned) prevents the lift cords from getting soiled over time.

Comparison of Cord Drops

	CDS - Small Weighted Cord Drop. This is my favorite Cord Drop. Since I always use white lift cords, I like the look this gives blending in with the cords. It is unobtrusive and has a nice "feel" to the hand. It does have it's limitations. The top hole is small and can only handle a few lift cords.
	CDL - Large Cord Drop. This is a much improved version of our old large Cord Drop. It is a quite substantial and will hold up to eight 1.4 mm lift cords. When I need a white drop and many cords, I use this pull.
	CDW - Wood Cord Drop. I am using this drop for more and more large shades. The top hole is nice and large and you can get an amazing number of cords into it. One minor aggravation is that the bottom hole is not much larger than the top and making a good knot that will pull up into the housing but not come back out the top hole takes some doing. The drop is the perfect "hand size" and also has a great feel to it. It can be stained or painted any color you want, although I really like the natural wood look.
	CDF - Fluted Metal Cord Drop. This is a wonderful, substantial Cord Drop. The top hole is a nice size and the slick metal walls allow the lift cords to slide in easily. The inside of the drop is large enough to easily hide the knotted ends of the cords. The only drawback is the price. But since you only need one per shade, it can be worth it, particularly for large shades. Another possible negative is that the drop is quite heavy (3 ounces, compared to 1.2 ounces for the large weighted plastic cord drop.

Threading Cords into the Cord Drops, also know as "The Ice Pick Method"
     

Braid the lift cords until about 3 to 4" are left on the end where you will be attaching the Cord Drop. Spread the cords out and carefully melt the end of each cord using a match. I run the match along about an inch at the end. This stiffens the polyester cord making it easy to insert into the top of the cord drop. Have an ice pick handy and start poking the cords into the top of the Cord Drop. You usually can get three cords into any of the Cord Drops easily. It is the fourth, fifth and sixth cords that are sometimes hard to insert into the center of the Cord Drop. You can carefully poke extra cords into the hole using an ice pick. Be patient and don't let the cords that are already through slip out. Once all of the cords are threaded through the Cord Drop, knot all of the cords together at the ends and clip off any excess. Now pull the cords up so that the cord is hidden inside the body of the Cord Drop.

I suppose that I should add the required Safety Notice to the above instructions:

	Be careful to not burn your fingers with the lighted match.
	The polyester cord takes 5-10 seconds to cool off, so wait before you touch the end after you melt the tip.
	Don't poke yourself with the ice pick.

Back to Shopping for Lifting Hardware.

A Comment on Flimsy Cord Drops
I have seen flimsy cord drops that do not have a weight inside of them. They only fulfill one function as far as I am concern. They DO keep the ends of the cords clean. You have gone to a lot of time and expense making your Roman shade. Spend a few extra dollars and finish off the cords with a professional-quality Cord Drop.

Contact Information:
Terrell Designs, owned by Terrell Sundermann 
5325 Sanford Cir. E. Englewood, Colorado 80113
Phone: (303) 758-0188  Email: