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DIY Long-Length Curtain Rods

Okay I know yesterday’s post about my curtain rod drama was such a
cliffhanger
and you are waiting with great anticipation for my big solution to the problem!

(The problem being I needed a very large rod for a picture window to match the rods on two regular-sized windows. This is what the big window rod has looked like since I realized the rod I bought for it was a foot too short. Oops!)

 

Let me just tell you first that I don’t take any of this decorating of my home too seriously.
I certainly would if I did it as a job like a lot of you talented ladies, but when it comes to decorating my own house, I’m not losing sleep over a curtain rod, I can tell you that.

However, as with anything, there may be snafoos that pop up when you do a project, and I for one always enjoy hearing solutions to real life problems around the home.

This, my friends, is something I wish I had been doing for the past 14 years of home ownership! To think of how much I have spent on custom window treatments and extraordinarily expensive curtain rods makes me want to – you guessed it – bang my head against the wall. Oh how I would rather use that money to go to Hawaii.

So – you may have guessed it – my picture window is now outfitted with a rod made from

PVC piping

that cost all of one dollar and fifty-five cents to purchase!!!

First I trimmed the PVC pipe with a hacksaw – it was very easy to cut through. I pushed a wooden dowel into the ends as far as I could get it to go (the dowel was an exact fit for the pipe so it only went in 2-3 inches. If it was slightly smaller I had epoxy on hand to make sure it stayed in place.)  When the dowel was securely inside the pipe, I cut the excess.

I drilled holes for the finials into the dowel, spraypainted the pipe with oil rubbed bronze paint (that can be used on plastic) to match the other rods in the room,

and
WA – LA!
 
(PS – Mark can’t put down that book – House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubis)
 

 

PVC is flexible, so it’s important to have a support bracket on a big window to avoid the rod dipping in the middle.
 

 

 

Doesn’t the PVC version look just like the other window rods?

 
You can also use wooden dowels without the PVC pipe but I couldn’t find dowels long enough.
The PVC piping comes in 10 foot lengths and is easily cut to your desired lenghth.
I would highly recommend PVC for stationery panels like mine, but if you plan to pull the curtains closed the rod might dip a bit because it is very flexible.
 
Total cost for this window:
$1.55 for the PVC pipe
$8.70 for the spraypaint
$3 for the dowel
$14.99 for original rod and finial set
=
 a lot cheaper than Restoration Hardware’s $130 version!
 
Party on!

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  6. Suzy www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com says

    I would never have guessed that was PVC pipe. It looks great! BTW, I totally agree with not taking home decorating too seriously. I know I've said it before, but your creative fixes and tips are very inspiring! Let's try to save some more $$ soe we can go to Hawaii!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Kelly I attached the finials by drilling a hole in the dowels that are inserted into the pipe, and screwing finials I already had into the ends. Finials can be purchased separately from rods. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  8. Sheryll $ Critters. says

    I use the metal conduit rods from the electrical department at Home Depot. And I bought two , clear plastic Christmas balls from Dollar Tree for finals. I also used Rustoleums Oil Rubbed Bronze, till I ran out. Then, I used cheapest black spray paint to finish & couldn’t tell.

    Reply