Hi, guys, it’s Mandi here with an easy budget curtain rod DIY you won’t want to miss! It’s taken me over two years to clothe the windows in our dining and living rooms because, well, gosh darn it, you guys! Curtains aren’t cheap! And the fact that we had no window hardware to start with made saving up for window dressings all the worse. After a little thinking, though, I figured out a way to do stylish curtain rods on the cheap so I can save my dollars for delicious drapes.
If you, like me, prefer simple and modern shapes in your decorative hardware, you might want to skip the expensive and bland finials at the store and just make your own! Check out how easy and inexpensive it is to make a curtain rod set that perfectly suits your own style.
Supplies:
-steel pipe: $10 for a 10′ length (mine is 1/2″ thick to fit my rod supports)
-paint/primer duo: $4
-curtain rod supports: $10 average or $20 for two
-corks: $2 average for a pack at the craft store
-super glue and/or wood nails: $1 average
-wooden blocks or other finial objects: $1
Total Cost: $38 for an 8-10′ curtain rod, ready to install
Tools:
-hammer
-power drill
-screwdriver
Notes:
I had my pipe cut down from 10′ to 8′ at the hardware store and made sure there was no threading on the pipe. I took the scrap piece with me to the craft store to find the perfect size cork that would fit tightly inside. I also used the scrap piece to be sure the rod supports I purchased would fit the pipe.
If you are making multiple smaller curtain rods, instead of one long rod as I did, you can have a long pipe cut down to multiple pieces at the hardware store. One pipe could make you lots of rods! The main cost behind this project is buying the rod supports, so save up your coupons before you head to the store!
Step One: Paint the rod and blocks with multiple coats of paint/primer that matches the rod-hanging hardware. The key is to do lots of light coats to avoid dripping. Make sure each coat is really dry before you flip it to do the other side. You may want to place a piece of wax or parchment paper underneath the pipe after flipping it over, to help keep the freshly dried paint from sticking.
I started my painting with a bit of clean metal primer, because I had it on hand. But if you’re hanging your curtain rod in a low humidity area, you shouldn’t have to worry about rust occurring with the regular paint/primer duo.
Be sure to let your paint cure for about a week before moving on to the next step.
Step Two: Attach the corks to the side of your finial objects with super glue and a wood nail. (Only use a nail if your finials are wooden.) I used wooden blocks for my finials because I like their simple geometric shape, and they’re also super inexpensive! You could also buy wooden spheres from the craft store, or get creative and use objects you have on hand, like stones or minerals, plastic balls, figurines, or even shapes made with polymer clay! One thing I really like about using a wooden finial is the extra holding strength a nail gives to the cork.
After you’ve mounted your curtain rod supports securely into studs or appropriately sturdy drywall anchors, you can hang the curtains on your painted rod and pop the finial into place. It’s important to wait for the paint on the rod to cure before putting any kind of rings on it, or they’ll definitely scratch the paint. After the paint has cured, though, the paint won’t be easily scratched.
I love how clean and graphic my curtain rod is, and I’m certainly glad I skipped paying over $80 for a long rod at the store! The really great thing about this project (besides the money savings) is how easy it is to customize. If you’re looking for a brass curtain rod, you can just use brass paint instead of white and rub a little black acrylic paint on it for a nice patina. Going nautical? Just add a little bit of rope. Oh, the possibilities! –Mandi
P.S. Here’s a similar curtain rod project I found on Design Sponge that uses a different technique.
Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Spring of the Signature Collection.
40 Comments
I just love that color. How bananas it’s awesome. :] // http://www.itscarmen.com ☼
I wouldn’t have thought about using corks! Now you can change out the ends to get a whole new look.
At first I thought this said Final DIY and I was like, how can they stop doing DIY posts? Haha.
Your curtain rod turned out beautiful, Mandi! Why are curtains so expensive? I love your alternative and can’t wait to try it.
Also, I read this headline way too fast and thought it said final DIY and I was like OMG NOOOOOO!!! So relieved to find out it said finial! 🙂
hahaha I thought that’s what it said too… I was very confused.
Looks so cool! I didn’t think a DIY for curtain rods was possible, but you surprise me every time. Thanks so much for sharing this! 🙂
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We did this in our son’s room but didn’t paint or add finials. I like that it is industrial in his room. But I love this idea of painting them and making finials for other rooms in the house.
Love this! In my last residence, I did almost the same thing but skipped the paint to go for a more industrial look!
Thanks for the DIY! Curtain rods can be so darn expensive!!
Love it ! Thank you!!!
Wow that is brilliant! I was looking for a new curtain rod for my room but now i’m thinking – why not do it myself? Thanks Mandi!
Love how simple this looks! This is actually miles better than a lot of hardware you can buy in stores.
Now I’m thinking to collect corks 😀
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They look great! I like the square blocks at the ends!
I’d most likely have replaced the whole thing with something expensive while redecorating but this has given me so much inspiration! There are so many possibilities for the finials – and they’ll be unique!
I do agree about the price of curtains – for two pieces of fabric they really are expensive but can really make a house a home.
Lucky for people in India cotton fabric is damn cheap here. So making your own curtains is not a big deal at all but yeah finding the right curtain rods and hooks is such a huge hunt here. The popular ones are the highly ornate ones but finding something clean and minimalistic and simple is so difficult! This is such a brilliant idea for DIY. Simple and fits in a modern looking home perfectly..very versatile! Thanks Mandi! loved this one..
I’ve always been shocked at how expensive curtains and curtain poles are, madness. I’m looking at put up curtains in my little ones room as we’ve just got blinds right now I’m wondering if my diy skills can stretch to this
Looks cute! Just so you know Ikea has really cheap curtains and rods.
Adorable! I’ve been trying to find some curtain rods that match my style (and my budget) and I think this might be the way to go!
xoxo
Taylor
Really awesome!!! LOVE 🙂
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Love it! I used metal electrical conduit (which is a type of steel pipe) and spray painted it for our house. At Home Depot it’s less that $5 for a 10 ft. piece!
This is so great! I’m planning an international move this month, and furnishing our new place is going to be on a very tight budget to start- It took me 1 1/2 years to get proper matching curtains up in our current place (like you said, theyre not cheap!)
I’m going to try to go the DIY route for the window coverings in our new place, since I sew and will probably make the curtains myself. Thanks so much for this!!!
<3 dani
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If you’re planning on using wine corks for this, just keep in mind that you’ll need to get a pipe that the cork will fit into, and also keep in mind that you’ll need to find brackets to hold that pipe. I found that the size pipe I wanted to use didn’t work with wine bottle corks, but smaller corks are cheap enough at the craft store so it was not biggie. 🙂 – Mandi
Mandi, would you mind sharing what stores you got the supplies at?
Thanks!
Sure! I got the pipe at Lowes and had it cut down for me there (make sure to ask for no threads on either end). I got the square block, the small cork, and the glue at a local craft store (JoAnn will have them too). And the curtain rod hardware I found at Bed Bath & Beyond. Make sure you bring a scrap piece of pipe when buying the curtain rod hanging hardware to make sure the pipe fits, and also bring it along to select a cork. I actually opened the package of corks at the store to make sure they would be the perfect size to squeeze inside the opening of the pipe. -Mandi
I might have missed this somewhere, but could you share where you got that amazing fabric from? I absolutely LOVED this DIY. I’m making window treatments for my living room right now! It’s like you read my mind!
This is gorgeous! I need to dress up my curtains with something awesome like this!
lovely job! wondering where you got those curtains – have been looking for the EXACT same thing for months and no luck!!
Very creative. I’m going to have to keep this in mind when I start hanging up my curtains http://sadityinthecity.com
I’ve made curtain rods with dowel rods before because the curtains weren’t heavy (see here: http://love-library.com/2013/08/08/cheap-diy-curtain-rods/). Although now this is making me question if I should have painted the rods. That white is kind of perfect!
Other than saving money by making things on your own, I like how you can customize it to your taste. I find that often, when I go to purchase something, I don’t find exactly what I need/want and end up with something that doesn’t fit in my decor. This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
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I love the blocks!
Where did you find the curtain rod supports?
Thanks!
Thanks for this! I recently bought an inexpensive rod at target and the metal was so flimsy it wouldn’t hold my curtains 🙁 This is a great solution!
I need to replace some curtain rods in my house and these look like an amazing solution!
Mana
http://www.fashionandhappythings.com
This post comes at the perfect time for me. I’ve been looking at curtains everywhere, lately! (The ugly ones that came with my house are driving me crazy.) Thanks for sharing this, Mandi! Any tips on where to buy nice curtains?
I actually didn’t make the curtains. I was looking for that specific type of yellow curtain that was velvety, and I wasn’t wanting to make them myself this time around. So, finally I found some I liked on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/1iXT6IB -Mandi
I was looking for months and months too! I commented a couple of comments above with the answer. 🙂
They were just a standard curtain rod bracket I got from Bed Bath & Beyond. 🙂
I like to check out JCPenney’s sales they have occasionally. I am signed up for their alerts and actually don’t find it annoying. 🙂 I got the curtains for the rest of our home from there, but they didn’t have the specific color of yellow that I wanted, so I was happy when I found these guys on Amazon.
Unbelievable easy DIY and so stylish!
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