What stack-back is, and why it decides so much
Stack-back is the bundle of fabric a curtain forms when it is fully open, and the width of wall or window that bundle occupies. A curtain that is wide enough to cover a window properly when closed has to go somewhere when it is open, and it does not disappear. Thick fabrics, interlining, blockout linings and generous fullness all make the stack wider. A thin sheer on a compact heading stacks narrow.
Where the stack sits changes how the room works. If it sits on the glass, the window lets in less light and the view is framed by fabric. If it sits in front of a door, the door becomes awkward to use and the curtain gets handled, pushed and marked. If it sits against a wall with no room to spare, it may press into a corner or a piece of furniture and never hang straight. Most of the disappointment people have with new curtains that look fine closed comes from not planning the open position.
The stack is also connected to warmth. A curtain that has been made narrower to reduce the stack may not reach far enough past the frame to seal at the sides, and a track shortened to avoid a wall obstacle may lose the return that stops air slipping around the end. The thermal curtains for winter guide explains why those sides matter.
Sliding doors and stacker doors
Sliding doors are where stack-back causes the most trouble, and there are a lot of them in Pakenham, Officer and Clyde North homes, often opening to an alfresco area. A standard two-panel sliding door has one fixed panel and one that slides. The opening side is where people walk through, so the curtain needs to stack clear of it. The usual answer is a one-way draw curtain that stacks over or beside the fixed panel, leaving the walkway and the door handle free.
Stacker doors, with three or more panels that slide behind one another, change the picture. When they are open, the panels bunch at one end, and the curtain should stack at the same end so the whole opening is clear. Check which way your door panels stack before deciding the curtain's direction. It sounds obvious, but a curtain that opens towards the wrong side of a stacker door covers the opening you paid for.
Handles and locks are the other detail. A curtain that brushes a protruding handle every time it is drawn will catch, wear and pull off its carriers. Track position and a return that carries the curtain slightly forward can keep it clear, and the heading style affects how far the fabric projects from the track. Pet doors and screen door tracks set in the lower frame can catch the hem, so note them too.
Extending the track past the frame
The simplest way to get the stack off the glass is to extend the track beyond the window frame so the open curtain sits on the wall instead. The more wall there is either side, the more of the stack can sit clear of the glass. Extending the track also helps the curtain seal at the sides when closed, because it overlaps the frame and meets the wall on a return.
The limit is the wall itself. A window close to a corner, a doorway, a built-in robe or a return wall leaves little room on that side. In that case the choices are to stack more of the curtain on the other side, accept part of the stack on the glass, choose a slimmer fabric or heading, or split the curtain unevenly. Each is a trade-off between light, look and warmth, and the right one depends on what the room is used for.
One-way draw or centre opening
A centre-opening pair splits the curtain into two panels that part in the middle and stack at both ends. It looks balanced, halves the width of each stack and is the default on most windows. A one-way draw curtain has a single panel that travels in one direction and stacks at one end. It suits sliding doors, windows with an obstacle on one side, and corner windows where one end has to stay clear.
An uneven split is a third option that often gets overlooked. On a wide window with more wall on one side than the other, the track can be set so the larger panel stacks where there is space and the smaller one where there is less. The two leading edges still meet or overlap, just off-centre. On a bay window, the stack also has to work around the angles of the bay. The bay window guide covers that case separately, so this guide stays with flat walls.
Measure the wall, not just the window
At an in-home measure we look at the wall either side, the door hardware, the vents and the furniture, and plan where each curtain stacks before quoting.
Light switches, vents, split systems and heaters
Walk the wall either side of the window and list everything that is on it. Light switches and power points beside a sliding door are common, and a stack that lands on a switch means reaching behind the curtain every night. Moving the stack, shortening the track on that side or splitting the curtain unevenly are easier than moving a switch.
A split-system air conditioner head mounted above or beside a window needs room around it for airflow and service access, so the track and any pelmet have to fit around it rather than under it. Ducted heating vents in the floor directly below a window are another frequent clash. A floor-length curtain that sits over a floor vent blows about when the heating is on and pushes warm air behind the curtain, straight onto the cold glass. Where a vent sits under the window, the options include adjusting the curtain length at that point, moving the curtain line forward, or discussing the vent position with a heating technician.
Heaters need particular care. Keep curtains clear of wood heaters, gas heaters, panel heaters and fireplaces according to each appliance manufacturer's instructions on clearance to curtains and furnishings. Plan the track so a curtain cannot be drawn into that space and the open stack cannot swing towards it. If you are not sure what clearance applies, check the appliance manual or ask the installer or a qualified technician before the curtain goes up.
Corner windows and adjoining walls
Where two windows meet at a corner, or a window sits hard against a side wall, the stack has nowhere to go on one side. For a window hard against a side wall, a one-way draw that stacks away from the corner is the usual layout. For two windows meeting at a corner, the curtains can be treated as two separate tracks that meet at the corner post, or run on a single bent track. Two separate tracks are simpler and let each side open independently. A bent track gives a continuous curtain but needs more planning around the corner joint and the stack.
A window next to an internal door or a wardrobe needs the stack to finish short of the door swing, with room for the door to open fully without catching fabric. Measure the door swing, not only the door frame.
Beds, sofas and desks under the window
Furniture placed under a window changes the curtain in two ways. A floor-length curtain behind a sofa or bed gets pushed, creased and leaned on, and it may not close fully because the furniture is in the way. A curtain behind a desk gets used as a place to rest things. The choices are to leave a gap between the furniture and the wall so the curtain can fall freely, move the curtain line forward with a deeper projection, or choose a sill-length curtain for that window and accept the loss of seal at the bottom.
Sill-length curtains solve furniture clashes but give up warmth, because cold air can pour out underneath. In a bedroom where the bed has to sit under the window, a blind in the reveal behind a shorter curtain can be the more practical combination. The curtains and blinds together guide covers that layout.
Tiebacks, holdbacks and the open curtain
A tieback or holdback changes where the stack sits. Instead of hanging straight down beside the window, a tied-back curtain sweeps in a curve from the track to the tieback point, which pulls fabric across the edge of the glass at the top and away from it lower down. The effect is softer and more decorative, but the curtain covers more of the upper window, and the fabric is creased at the same point every day.
The height of the tieback decides the shape. Set around a third of the way up from the floor, it gives a long, gentle curve. Set higher, it opens more of the lower window and lifts the fabric off the floor, which helps if a sofa or a floor vent sits in front of the window. Tieback hooks and holdbacks are fixed into the wall, so they need to land on wall rather than the window frame, and clear of switches. On a door, a tieback on the walkway side gets knocked constantly, so keep it on the fixed side or leave that curtain to hang straight. Heavy interlined curtains pull hard on a tieback fixing, so the fixing needs to suit the weight.
Ceiling or wall fixing
Track position changes the available drop and how the curtain meets its surroundings. Ceiling fixing can support a near floor-to-ceiling appearance and extend beyond the frame without needing wall space above it. It does not automatically close the air path above the curtain: carrier clearance and the heading shape still matter. Face fixing can suit a deep cornice or bulkhead. For either arrangement, ask how the top gap and side returns will be treated, including whether a properly fitted pelmet is needed.
Either way, the fixings have to suit the weight and what is behind the plaster. A heavy interlined curtain across a wide door needs fixings into framing or suitable anchors, not plasterboard alone. Leave this assessment to the installer, who should locate the framing and check for hidden services before drilling.
A family room has a three-panel stacker door with panels that stack to the left, a light switch hard against the right side of the frame, and a ducted vent in the floor in front of the middle panel. A workable plan would be a one-way curtain stacking left over the parked door panels, a track extended further to the left where there is wall, a return on the right that finishes short of the switch, and a curtain hem set slightly above the vent rather than resting over it.
Eight items. Tick each one as you note it.
The heading style has a large effect on stack width, and the fabric weight adds to it. The heading styles guide compares how S-fold, pinch pleat and eyelet headings stack, the winter fabrics guide covers how heavy fabrics widen the stack, and a sheer and blockout double curtain doubles the stack at each end, which matters on a tight wall.
Stack-back and track questions
What is curtain stack-back?
Stack-back is the bundle of fabric a curtain forms when it is fully open, and the width of wall or glass that bundle covers. Its size depends on the fabric thickness, the lining, the heading style and how wide the curtain is when closed.
Should a curtain track extend past the window frame?
Often, yes. Extending the track onto the wall lets the curtain stack mostly off the glass so the window lets in more light and the door opening stays clear. It needs clear wall on that side, and a return at the end so the curtain still seals when closed.
Which way should a curtain open on a sliding door?
Usually the curtain stacks on the side of the fixed panel, so the opening panel and the walkway stay clear. A one-way draw curtain suits this. A centre-opening pair can work on a wide door if there is clear wall on both sides.
Can curtains hang near a heater?
Keep curtains clear of any heater according to the heater manufacturer's instructions for clearance to curtains and furnishings. Plan the track and the stack so the curtain cannot swing or be drawn into that space.