Great drapery rod. We added pretty heavy, velvet drapes and the rod is sturdy enough to hold them without drooping or requiring a center support. Worth mentioning though that weve only got it open to 47. Also, I recommend installing one side bar first, then slipping drapes onto it with the center extension, and someone hold it in place, while you install the second side bar. 



As others have mentioned, because they wrap around and attach to the wall, you need to install with drapes already on the bar. What I like best is how the wrap-around effect and lack of middle support allows us to fully close the drapes, with no light coming through. I added a photo from the back side to illustrate how they wrap around to the wall.