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: MaterialsShow All ItemsThe materials for this project are pretty simple and inexpensive:Here is my cost breakdown:Tools:« PreviousNext »View All Steps Download Now that you've seen the Master Bedroom in our house, you can tell that I had a major dilemma on my hands.  There are four double-windows in the bedroom, one in the closet, and one in the bathroom plus the bay window above the hot tub.  If you add all of those up, that means that I would need 9 curtain rods, and 18 brackets.  

Curtains were a must, as we have neighbors that can see in the windows at night when the lights are on.  Also, they make the room look nice!Without a doubt, one of my most popular DIY’s ever has been my acrylic rods.  Well, they are DIY-ish, but more importantly, they are timeless, fabulous, and affordable.  You can find the original post that started it all here, and if you do use the tutorial, make sure you say “hey” to my buddy, Kipp, and tell him I sent you.  I don’t get a commission or anything (although I should, ha), but he has always been kind to me and provided awesome customer service to all of you who have called.  (as you have told me) UPDATE:  Kipp’s contact info!  He works for Nationwide Plastics in Dallas, and they will cut, polish the ends of your rods (if desired) AND ship the rods straight to your door.  They are open Monday through Friday 8-5, and his number is 214.239.3870.  Just call and ask for Kipp. My living room has gone through a number of changes since I first posted the rod tutorial nearly two years ago.  

And yes, I’m going to post the full room eventually, but I am still tying up a few loose ends before I photograph it.  You can see in the photo below from a couple of years ago that my rods have changed a bit.  Plus the paint color, curtain fabric, and hardware are different.   West Elm no longer sells the rod brackets separate from their rods, so that part of my previous tutorial is void, but I think I have found a better option.  These brackets from Restoration Hardware are AWESOME, and they are usually on sale.  They have an unlacquered, brass-with-patina look to them – not too antique brass, and not too pink, and they have just the right amount of shine.  I have used them in several projects now, for myself and others, and they are a winner every time. You can purchase the brackets with a square back or a round back, and in two different sizes, medium and large.  Please note the medium size bracket will hold an 1 1/4″ acrylic rod, and the large size bracket will hold an 1 3/4″ acrylic rod.  

I like the thicker rods so I ordered the large size for my living room.Vacuum Cleaner Linux I also ditched the end brackets when I changed the hardware and had Kipp polish the ends of the acrylic for me.  Doberman Puppies Sale Nashville TnI think it looks really nice and helps you notice the rod and hardware more.  Homes For Sale By Owner On Lake LbjAlthough I still like the end caps in some settings, I prefer the simplicity of the polished ends in my living room. Another change you will notice is the center support on the rods.  My rods are six feet long now (I ordered longer rods and moved the old ones to my little girl’s closet, oo-la-la!), and even though the cellcast rods are super strong, I think if you have rods longer than four feet, you need to order a center support so the rods do not sag, especially if you have heavy drapery.  

You can find the central supports I use here. I wasn’t wild about my old rings because they were not smooth, and I wanted something a bit more streamlined.  I found these on Overstock and ordered them to give it a whirl, and they worked perfectly!  Seriously, these match the hardware to a tee, and I love the color and scale of them.  They have a little grommet on the bottom, and you just slide your drapery hook into them.  Not to mention, drapery rings can be super expensive, so these are a great price for what you are getting. So there you have it, DIY acrylic rod update.  Still loving them – they add such a quiet elegance to a room. Next post will have more living room updates! Also, if you have used my acrylic rod tutorial, could you please send me a photo?  I would love to see what you have done!  I’m always so grateful when people send me images of an idea they have gotten from my site and made it their own.  I would love to do some sort of “round-up” of your acrylic rod designs at some point!  

So shoot them over!  They do not need to be fancy pictures by the way.   People love people who share!When my boyfriend and I moved into our new home, we were faced with three walls of windows in our living room, one of which was twelve feet long. We loved the light, but we didn't love the prospect of paying out the nose for custom rods, or for all the pre-made ones it would require. So we devised a way to make three lengthy rods for under $25. Electrical conduit (sold in 10-foot lengths) 5/8 " curtain rod brackets Optional: 1/2" set screw coupling, available in the electrical supplies area (if you need an extra long rod, this will be used to combine different pieces of conduit) Optional: 1/2" corner elbow, available in the electrical supplies area (use if you plan on building your rods around a corner) Remember to add a few inches so you can Measure your piece of conduit, mark off the desired length with a marker, and use the hacksaw to cut it to size.

Disassemble all your pieces (e.g., take the screws out of the curtain brackets, breaking them down to their component parts), lay everything out on a drop cloth, and spray paint them the desired color. The conduit is already silver, but there are stampings on them, and we wanted the finish of all the component parts to match, so we chose a basic Rustoleum silver. Be sure to add a few inches so you can . 5. Place the first bracket. On one side, place one of the curtain brackets in the place that marks the intersection of your desired height/ width of the rod. Make sure it's level. In the screw holes, lightly mark with a pencil the place where you plan to drill. (Ignore the fact that this bracket is brass; we used an extra to mark the holes while the painted pieces were drying.) You can set the bracket aside for a moment, and using your pencil marks, drill pilot holes in the intended places. Hammer in your drywall anchors, replace the bracket, and screw it into place with the screws included with the curtain bracket hardware.

6. Measure for the second bracket. Find the intersection point of your desired height and width on the other side of the window. Before you drill, though, you should make sure that everything is going to be level. We began using a normal level, but we quickly switched to using our laser level, which made the process a bit easier. If you don't have a laser level, rest the conduit on the first bracket, have someone hold the other end in the projected location, and use a normal level. Once everything is in place, lightly mark the screw holes, apply your anchors, and then mount the bracket. 7. Place the conduit on the brackets and add your curtains. Assuming that you're just hanging a rod for one window, you're pretty much done. Skip ahead to step 10 for some final notes. If you're planning to use either the elbows or set screw couplings, read on. 8. Set screw coupling instructions. We had one window that was twelve feet long, so one piece of conduit was insufficient.

We hung a third bracket in the center of the window, measured the conduit so that we had two even pieces (two six-foot pieces rather than one ten-foot and one two-foot piece), and used the set screw coupling to join them together. The coupling made the conduit a bit too fat for the normal bracket, so we used pliers to slightly bend it so that the coupling would sit inside more neatly. Here's an image of how the finished product looks. (Please ignore that the coupling is off center in the close up; we readjusted it after the photo, and it's centered now).If you're planning on building a rod around a corner, a corner elbow makes a fine connector. You will need to make sure that that rods to be connected are level around a corner so that the far end of one can be situated in the elbow with the other. You can use a corner elbow, as photographed in the supply list, or you can also use a pull elbow, as shown in our example, which might make it easier to move curtain rings around the corner if you plan to do so.

10. A final word on finials. As it stands, our rods have no finials because I wanted to figure out an option that I really liked rather than a stopgap. The rods really don't need finials for a functional reason, but if you don't like the open ends, here are some solutions: • Use a dowel screw to join a piece of cork, cut to size to fit inside the conduit, and a craft shape: a wooden ball, another decorative wooden shape, etc.) You could paint them to match your rods, or you could paint them a punchy color for a bit of fun. The cork will make it easy to remove the finials, should you need to change the rings. • If you find a pre made finial that you like, you could attach it to cork or a bit of styrofoam that you cut to fit inside the electrical conduit. • If you don't think you'll need to remove the finial, you could adhere a pre-made finial inside the conduit using a sturdy air-hardening clay. • You could use a wood shape drilled with the same size bit as the conduit (1/2").