Verlie Feeney
Knowing I had 16 windows to buy for, I realized the cost would add up fast for something so simple. Since I wanted to spend more money on curtains, paint and accessories, I decided to figure out a way to make my own rods. We moved into our house a year ago knowing we had lots of projects ahead. Making curtain rods was another opportunity to put our own touch on a house we love so much.
Spray Paint (I used Rustoleum Universal in Oil Rubbed Bronze) PVC was another option, but it was too flexible, which is why electrical conduit was the perfect choice.
The best deal I found on curtain rod brackets were at Home Depot. Notice how small this window is but it looks much larger when I extended the curtains out as far as they would go. Keep rotating the pipe cutter around the rod until it gets loose again, tighten slightly and continue to spin it. For the bay window in the kitchen, I wanted the look of these round glass finials at Restoration Hardware but wasn’t about to pay $50 a pair, especially when I would need so many. I used an ample amount of super glue and used an egg carton to hold them in place as they dried. As they dry, you will see some white residue from the glue on the base of the knob but the paint will cover that.
We saved this step until now so we didn’t ruin the paint finish when cutting the rod or gluing the knobs. My favorite spray paint is Rustoleum Universal and I used Oil-Rubbed Bronze. For the curtains in the dining room, I some orange knobs I found really cheap on Amazon. After the paint has have dried overnight, I wrapped electrical tape around the screw so it would fit snugly into the end of the conduit.
This will take some trial and error as you find the right amount of tape so the finial end fits. I repeated this project for all 16 windows in our house and estimate that I saved a minimum of $500 if I bought all Target curtain rods.
Soon on the blog, I will share my secret on how I faked pinch-pleat curtains with pleater tape, binder rings and paper clips.
