Curtains and curtain rods are one thing I have never wanted to splurge on. As far as home decor goes, they make a big statement, but are also so stinking easy to make. In this DIY tutorial, I’ll show you how I put together a super cheap DIY curtain rod using electrical conduit or pipe.
Metal conduit only costs around $.50 a foot , but still offers a higher strength than a lot of store bought curtain rods. We used this same super cheap DIY curtain rod method in our old home for a custom bay window rod, and loved it.
Check out the video tutorial here!
What You’ll Need
For this project, you will need some electrical conduit, spray paint, drawer knobs, curtain rings, hot glue and some form of hook to hang your DIY curtain rod on.
You may also need conduit fittings like the compression coupling above, if you are making a very long rod.
As far as cutting your conduit to size goes, you can pick up a tube cutter like I used here. Or, many hardware stores offer free pipe cutting and bending, which saves you the hassle.
Before | In Need of Curtains
We have these lovely windows that let great light into our living room, and allow us to enjoy our country view. Since we have lived in our house for just over a year now, I figured it was time to hang some curtains.
The curtains really are just for aesthetic reasons since we don’t have close neighbors, and don’t need to worry much about privacy.
Measure Your Window
Before heading to the store, you will want to measure your window. It is best if you can find one conduit pipe long enough for your entire DIY curtain rod. This will create less obstacles for your curtain rings.
Unfortunately, my hardware store didn’t sell pipe long enough. Hence the compression coupling. This, however doesn’t bother me.
Adding an angle to your DIY curtain rod will increase the overall length by about 12 inches. So keep this in mind when you are figuring out how much pipe you need. Leave extra room for your curtains to hang open without overlapping your window as well. This will keep your windows looking big and bright.
Cut The Pipe
To trim your pipe to size, you can use a tube cutter similar to the one I have here. As I mentioned above, the building supply store that you purchase your conduit from will likely offer free pipe cutting.
I should be totally transparent, and reveal that I found this little pipe cutter in my flower bed. Needless to say, the rusty old pipe cutter that some old handy man lost years ago didn’t work so well for me. I did however, give it a painfully long time to prove itself before finally resorting to the hack saw. Lesson learned.
Couple Your Pipe Pieces
If you found a pipe long enough to skip this step, then sit back and relax. If not, join the club. Grab one of these easy twist on compression couplings. Make sure your pipes are straight, and give this puppy some muscle. Using a wrench can help too.
Use the Fun Pipe Bender
For my 90 degree corner, I got to use this fun pipe bender. If you need to bend your own pipe, ask your dad, grandpa or neighborhood electrician if you can borrow one of these handy thinga-mabobs. Formally known as the conduit bender, it makes bending the pipe nearly effortless. Angles are clearly marked on the side as well.
Be sure to bend the conduit before painting. This will save you having to go back and touch up any scratches. Ain’t No Time For Scratches!
Spray That Pipe
After the conduit is bent to its final shape, go ahead and spray paint it. While my paint was drying, I stained my knobs. Use whatever drawer knobs you like to cap the ends of your curtain rod.
Glue the knobs with hot glue over the opening at the ends of your pipe. This gives the DIY curtain rod a nice finished, non-pipe look.
Be sure to slide your curtain rings onto the rod BEFORE you glue your knobs to the ends of your pipe.
Wall Mounts
To mount the curtain rod, I spray painted the screw in wall hooks and twisted them into the wall about every three feet. You could also use curtain rod hooks like these. It’s ideal if the hooks are spaced between the curtain panels and out of the way of curtains opening and closing.
Hang Your Curtains and Enjoy Your Custom Curtain Rod
Pretty much, once your paint is dry, and your hooks are in the wall, you can hang your DIY curtain rod. Sit back and enjoy your custom curtain rod after you hang your curtains!
Check out the video or find more DIY home decor inspiration here!
