This instructable will show you how to make strong, attractive and low cost curtain rods out of metal conduit. My goal was to make curtain rods similar to the Pottery Barn Standard Drape Rod but at a much lower cost. My biggest window needed a 106 inch bar which would have set me back $50 from Pottery Barn. Making my own rod using widely available EMT conduit ended up costing me less than $6. Your biggest variance of cost will be determined by your method of making or purchasing the finials.
Step 1: Materials
The materials for this project are pretty simple and inexpensive:
- 1/2 inch EMT conduit, available in 10 or 5 foot lengths (also available in 3/4 inch diameter)
- 1/2 inch conduit straps, 2 per window or 3 if it's a big window
- L brackets, 2 per window or 3 if it's a big window
- one small nut and bolt to attach each strap to an L bracket
- two 1/2 inch pieces of 5/8 inch dowel rod
- cheap/used/salvaged kitchen cabinet knobs for the finials
- flat black spray paint
Here is my cost breakdown:
- (10ft.) 1/2 inch EMT conduit = $1.97
- (3) 2.5 inch L brackets = ($0.70*3) = $2.10
- (3) conduit straps = $0.10*3 = $0.30 (pack of 25 - $2.54 / 25 = $0.10 per unit)
- (3) screws and nuts = $0.08*3 = $0.24 (pack of 12 - 0.98 / 12 = $0.08 per unit)
- (2) 1/2 inch stubs of 5/8 inch dowel rod = $0.04*
- (1) can of generic black spray paint = $0.98
- (2) surplus cabinet knobs or other creative object for finials = ???
Total: $5.63, not counting the finials.
I had surplus cabinet knobs from when I replaced them in my kitchen. If you don't have any laying around you should be able to salvage or scavenge some at the usual places: thrift stores, yard sales, auctions, surplus construction material liquidators, or even curbside. If you actually have to buy some new they shouldn't cost much more than a dollar a piece. Of course, a truly Creative Person would create stylish finials from scratch. Maybe someone else can contribute a specific Instructable showing how to make prettier finials... Worked metal finials would be really sweet! Or if you had a lathe handy I suppose you could turn out nice wooden finials.
(*I already had surplus 5/8 inch dowel rod on hand but a new 4 foot dowel rod would only cost $1.98 or about $0.02 per 1/2 inch unit)
Tools:
Pretty basic: drill, hacksaw, screwdriver, sandpaper
- 1/2 inch EMT conduit, available in 10 or 5 foot lengths (also available in 3/4 inch diameter)
- 1/2 inch conduit straps, 2 per window or 3 if it's a big window
- L brackets, 2 per window or 3 if it's a big window
- one small nut and bolt to attach each strap to an L bracket
- two 1/2 inch pieces of 5/8 inch dowel rod
- cheap/used/salvaged kitchen cabinet knobs for the finials
- flat black spray paint
Here is my cost breakdown:
- (10ft.) 1/2 inch EMT conduit = $1.97
- (3) 2.5 inch L brackets = ($0.70*3) = $2.10
- (3) conduit straps = $0.10*3 = $0.30 (pack of 25 - $2.54 / 25 = $0.10 per unit)
- (3) screws and nuts = $0.08*3 = $0.24 (pack of 12 - 0.98 / 12 = $0.08 per unit)
- (2) 1/2 inch stubs of 5/8 inch dowel rod = $0.04*
- (1) can of generic black spray paint = $0.98
- (2) surplus cabinet knobs or other creative object for finials = ???
Total: $5.63, not counting the finials.
I had surplus cabinet knobs from when I replaced them in my kitchen. If you don't have any laying around you should be able to salvage or scavenge some at the usual places: thrift stores, yard sales, auctions, surplus construction material liquidators, or even curbside. If you actually have to buy some new they shouldn't cost much more than a dollar a piece. Of course, a truly Creative Person would create stylish finials from scratch. Maybe someone else can contribute a specific Instructable showing how to make prettier finials... Worked metal finials would be really sweet! Or if you had a lathe handy I suppose you could turn out nice wooden finials.
(*I already had surplus 5/8 inch dowel rod on hand but a new 4 foot dowel rod would only cost $1.98 or about $0.02 per 1/2 inch unit)
Tools:
Pretty basic: drill, hacksaw, screwdriver, sandpaper
Step 2: A rough preview
In these pictures you can see a rough preview of the curtain rod and brackets (unpainted) as they are intended to fit together. (Note that I'm using a very short scrap piece of conduit just to make the rod a little easier to fit in the photo.)
Step 3: Assemble the support bracket
This is pretty straight forward. Just bolt the conduit strap to the L angle. You may also want to saw off the tip of the bolt that sticks out. I sawed the bolt tip off with my hacksaw but it wasn't nearly as easy as sawing the conduit.
Step 4: Do some cutting with your hacksaw
Measure your windows carefully and then add 6-8 inches so that your rod extends several inches past your trim on both sides of the window. I measured 100.5 inches from trim edge to edge so I added 6 inches and cut at 106.5 inches to give me 3 inches of overhang on each side. Mark and cut your conduit, (it's really pretty easy to cut with a hacksaw,) then sand or grind off the rough edges.
Now try twisting your 5/8 inch dowel rod into the conduit. It will probably be a little tight so you may need to sand it just a little. Don't try to use 1/2 inch dowel or it will be way too loose. Once you have a good fit, clamp it down and saw off two little 1/2 inch stubs. These will be used to attach the finials to the conduit.
Now try twisting your 5/8 inch dowel rod into the conduit. It will probably be a little tight so you may need to sand it just a little. Don't try to use 1/2 inch dowel or it will be way too loose. Once you have a good fit, clamp it down and saw off two little 1/2 inch stubs. These will be used to attach the finials to the conduit.
Step 5: Drill a couple holes
Drill a hole through each dowel rod stub. The hole size should match the screw that goes into your cabinet knob. Try to drill the hole exactly in the center of the stub and as vertical as possible. It helps to use a drill press but you can do it with a hand drill too.
Once you have the hole drilled you should be able to insert the cabinet knob screw and attach the cabinet knob to the stub.
Once you have the hole drilled you should be able to insert the cabinet knob screw and attach the cabinet knob to the stub.
Step 6: Spray some paint
When spray painting the pieces, it helps to mount them on some scrap wood to keep them from constantly falling over or sticking to your newspaper/cardboard spray mat. Personally I like flat black the best, (it helps hide minor scratches.) but there's no reason you can't choose whatever color you prefer. A little paint makes a huge difference in how finished the project looks! You may also want to put a final clear coat over the colored paint as I've noticed over time that normal friction will rub the paint onto the curtain sleeve. (This isn't as much of an issue if you hang your curtain with rings.)
Step 7: Hang your curtain rod on the wall
Once your paint is completely dry (24 hours) you just have to screw your brackets to the wall, stick your finials in the rod and clip the rod into the brackets. It's best to screw into a stud, of course, and generally there will be a stud (or two) right beside the window. Also, be careful to line the rod up right in the middle BEFORE you clip it into the brackets because the little bump on the brackets will scratch the paint off the rod if you try to move it after it's clipped in.
That's it! Now we just need someone to create an Instructable on how to make no-sew $5 curtains... ;)
That's it! Now we just need someone to create an Instructable on how to make no-sew $5 curtains... ;)
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This is a great project. I was wondering, however, if there is a way to alter it a bit to accommodate a corner window. Can this conduit be bent in a 90-degree angle, or do you think I need to purchase some kind of a hinge connector? Thanks again.
My question is do you think a two hole EMT strap (picture attached) connected first to the bracket and then to another strap would work? Not sure about the strength of the connection of strap to strap.
Hope that makes sense.
Thanks, Monica
Now that I see it I can tell I wouldn't be confident that it would hold. I think I'm going to have to spring for some double brackets and be happy the big ole savings on the rest of the project.
Thanks so much for you help, Steve.
I'm so glad to have found your site. In desperation, with many cold windows to cover, I also came upon the idea of using EMT conduit but thought I might be a bit crazy and wondered whether it would work. I now have confirmation from your site that it can work! What I had been searching for before starting my idea was finials. Searching through a craft store I saw a few possibilities but none that I really liked. Your idea of the cabinet knob was brilliant. So, thank you!
I want to put up a double curtain. Do you have any ideas how I might make the bracket into holding 2 rods?
(I have searched through the internet and 6 stores and none of them sell double curtain rod brackets alone! I think they are trying to force one to buy the whole lot with rods. Home Depot said they used to carry a Levelor double bracket but don't anymore.)
Thanks,
Chellie
One way to set up a double rod system would be to make two brackets for each end, one large and one small.
- Steve
BTW, for everyone, there's also a website called www.knobsandhardware.com and they have some nice "finials" between $1-2.
I was able to get the EMT cut at Home Depot. I had to wait around for a long time for someone in the plumbing department to show up and use the pipe cutter (and then he said he wasn't supposed to cut EMT) but I was able to get away without having to buy a hacksaw. Note that the pipe cutter narrowed the inner diameter of the cut ends. I had to file down the lip before I could get the dowel in. Luckily I had files at home.
My store didn't have 5/8 in dowels, so I got 1/2 in instead. It fit snugly into the EMT without sanding. I applied a little wood glue to the ends of the pipe to make sure the dowels wouldn't fall out.
I tried drilling holes into the dowels at first but could never seem to get it centered. After 2-3 tries I gave up and decided to glue them on instead. I didn't really stress test them, but they seem to be very securely fastened. It may have helped that I was using wooden cabinet knobs. Metal knobs probably would have required something stronger (e.g., epoxy)
Three comments:
One: That suggestion to get stuff at "DiscountRods.com" well, that place sells fishing rods, not curtain rods, so don't try it. And, the site doesn't seem to work for fishing rods, even.
Two: Once I was even poorer than I am now and I made a houseful of cafe curtains for much needed privacy in a rental house surrounded by close neighbors on a busy street using a glue gun, bungie cord, eye screws and clearance fabric. I cut the fabric a bit longer than half of the window, measured out a string of bungie along the top and one for the bottom, released a line of hot glue along the upper and lower seam and encasing the bungie cord at the top and bottom seams, without getting glue on the cord. Let it dry. Put four eye screws into each window at the mid and bottom of where I wanted the cafe curtain secured. Tied the bungie ends to the eye screw and tucked the knot ends into the curtain seam (after trimming). I made sure to pull the bungie tight enough to appear that there was actually a tension rod holding it up before knotting it). Those curtains stayed up there the entire four years I lived there. I also did it at my consulting office with lace to block the unsightly parked cars and show only the nice view of the mountains. Once, however, the bungie popped and snapped a bald client in the head with the tension! Hahahaha! Scared him terribly! Hahahahah!
Three: I have purchased a house for the first time and will be moving next week: 22 windows! I plan to upgrade to black bungie and experiment with irrigation system tubing over the bungie to provide body and appear more like the Pottery Barn iron rods. I am also coming up with some way of imitating those adorable iron clips with the rings.
If you do a little research on google for "discount curtain rods" , you will find 2 to 3 sites that have great quality rods at cheap prices.
http://yssmart.com
http://discountrods.com
http://swagalore.com <--Some maybe expensive but if you search their clearance theres quite a few cheap sets.
If this curtain rod would be used in a child's room how about attaching a small toy, like a Hot Wheels car, a small doll, wooden alphabet blocks, Scrabble letters, a bunch of pencils, thin markers or crayons shoved in the rod, pieces of a game where some of the pieces are lost so the game is useless? In Dad's Man Cave, if he's a golfer, put a golf ball on the end for a finial. For a hunter, an empty cartridge or a bunch of empty cartridges glued together, a small basketball, football, soccer ball for the team sports player (or observer LOL) would customize the rod.
Orbs or other shapes, depending on the shape of the baloon) can be made from starched string or yarn wound around a balloon inflated to the size you want the finial to be. Let it dry, pop the balloon, and glue the orb to the end of the pipe.
Styrofoam balls could be painted (special paint needed) or decorated in a variety of ways and attached.
These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. I'm sure you and anyone who reads this will be able to come up with many of your own.
Thanks VERY much for posting this. I just knew there had to be an inexpensive and simple way to make my own curtain rods but not having building construction experience, I was unaware of the products you used. I'm sure there are many a homeowner for whom you saved many dollars on new curtain rods. We should all get together and buy you a lobster dinner. LOL Seriously, thanks for posting such a great idea that was well done in the sharing here.
Burlap is relatively inexpensive and looks great when you fringe the bottom. BalladDesign.com, a high end home decor venue, has these for lots of money. Take a look anyway because you'll get an idea how neat they can look! Remember, though, burlap comes in a few different weights/ To get the look of a decorator curtain, use one of the heavier weights.
I've used old lace tablecloths, old rayon, old silk, and old cotton tablecloths with clip rings for curtains. They are especially cool if you're not going to be pulling them closed, using them as a side curtain with some type of blind that you can raise for light control.
If you're lucky enough to have old wool blankets, especially those with a pattern, or old quilts, these can be used with clip rings, too. An old matellase (a woven raised pattern) bedspread or other types of fabric bedspreads can be used, too. Slipcover throws are big, too, and should be considered.
Anything you can use with clip rings can be made to put directly (shir) on the rod, EXCEPT quilts or othings that would be too bulky to gather.
Check garage sales and flea markets for anything made with large pieces of fabric. Just be sure to leave the fleas and bed bugs at the market. LOL