Make stylish yet inexpensive curtain rods

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.)

Comments

[Pinky212]

Steve, me again! I've been wondering about the clip rings rubbing on the rod and taking off the paint if I'd open and close the curtains once a day. Is it your experience that this doesn't happen without using the clear cloat? Or if it happens with the clip rings, does it happen even with the clear coat? Would you recommend using a paint specifically made for use on metal? That type would probably be costlier but if the paint rubs off too easily, it would probably be worth it. Please advise. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise.

[SteveGerber]

I'm not using clip rings. My curtains just have a sewn pocket along the top so the cloth rubs against the painted tube and picks up a bit of the black paint. But it's inside the pocket so not really visible. I would think that metal rings would wear the paint more but the wear will be on the top of the tube so it won't be visible. I think that clear coat would help reduce the wear somewhat.