Thrifty curtain rods

Thrifty Curtain Rods

Curtain rods are expensive! A few years ago I needed rods for my kitchen windows. I have five windows, two on one wall and three on the other where they meet in the corner. So basically I needed two long rods. I shopped around for the rods and just couldn't believe how much it was going to cost me. I decided there must be another way, and there was. I went to Home Depot, purchased 3 inch PVC pipe (the type used for plumbing) 1 can of spray adhesive and a few

packages of twine. I took the pipe home, cut it to the size, sprayed it with adhesive and wrapped twine around it. I bought some finials and attached them to each end.

When you go to the plumbing aisle and take a look at the PVC you will notice they have all sorts of connectors. That's what I bought so my rods would form a 90 degree angle where the walls meet (see below). I made tab top curtains with some marked down fabric. They were cheap next to what I would have paid in a retail store.

There is so much you can do with PVC pipe. First you must buy it big enough so it doesn't sag in the middle. If you like the thinner PVC then buy brackets to support it. Think about what you could apply to the pipe to cover it. I used twine, but you could use fabric in the same way, cover it with wallpaper or another type of decorative paper and lastly you could spray paint it. Krylon has come out with a great paint for painting plastic. Here is the web site:

http://krylon.com/main/product_template.cfmlevelid=5&sub_levelid=10&productid=1751&content=product_details

http://krylon.com/main/product_template.cfmevelid=5&sub_levelid=10&productid=1751&content=product_detail

Here is a close up of the PVC rod covered with twine.

Finials you can find at thrift stores, discount stores and also craft stores. They carry all sorts of wood objects that can be made into finials. It's best not to make your finials permanent by gluing them on or you won't get those curtains off and on easily. I glued a small wooden rod onto mine so they would slip into the PVC pipe.

Other Ideas:

Here is another idea. Use a large, beautiful and as straight as possible tree branch as your rod. This looks especially good in a southwestern motif or a masculine room. It takes a while to find the perfect branch, but the completed look is great. Look for a branch that is dead but in good condition. Dry it out for a few days, sand it well, stain if you desire and apply polyurethane. Just drape a piece of fabric and you have a very unusual curtain rod. It's free too. You just need some nice hardware to hang it from. Here is a photograph of a branch that I found and made it into a hand rail. You can imagine the same set up as a curtain rod. Don't you love the fact that it's not completely straight. That's what makes it unusual and unique.

Here is an example of a rod made with a plain wooden dowel purchased at Home Depot and stained. This rod (it's missing a finial ) is hung from two large decorative hooks which are actually metal curtain tiebacks. Total cost for this rod including the hooks was under $15.00.

This rod was made from a cardboard dowel found at a fabric store. They use these to wrap the fabric around. It was spray painted brown and small finials were attached.

Buying your rod is the easy way to go, but sometimes expensive. Now at least you know there are alternatives and different creative ways to make your own.

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