I’m going to show you how I made an industrial curtain rod from inexpensive hardware store supplies. I was on a fairly tight budget for my curtains rods for the dining and living area of our home, but I still wanted something that looked solid and substantial for our seven foot wide windows. I used plastic pipe and plumbing parts for the brackets. They turned out exactly as I was hoping and you can never tell the difference between my plastic curtain rods and real galvanized metal. Keep reading to find out how!
*Affiliate links are provided in this post, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase through these links*
Supplies
- 1″ diameter PVC pipe
- Rust-oleum antique pewter and weathered steel spray paint
- 3 x 3/8″ ceiling flange
- 3/8″ threaded steel rod
- 3 x 1″ split ring hanger
- 2 x 1″ galvanized cap
- 1″ diameter wooden dowel
- Gorilla epoxy resin
Step 1: Cut and spray paint PVC pipe
Using a chop saw cut the 1″ diameter PVC pipe down to length, depending on the length of pipe you get. I got a ten foot length of PVC pipe, and cut it down to 9 feet.
First, I lightly sanded the pvc pipe just to scuff up the surface. I wanted the curtains rods to be an antique pewter color to match the hardware and appliances in the kitchen. So I used a combination of Rust-oleum antique pewter and weathered steel spray paints.
Step 2: Assemble the brackets
The brackets are made up of a 3/8″ ceiling flange, a 3/8 threaded steel bar that I got Tony to cut to a length of 3.5 inches, and a 1″ split ring hanger. I spray painted all the parts the same color as the PVC pipe (mix of antique pewter and weathered steel).
Step 3: Make the plumbing cap finial
The curtain rod finial is made from a piece of 1″ diameter wooden dowel and a 1″ galvanized plumbing cap fitting. I cut the dowel to about 4 inches long, then attached it to the cap using some gorilla epoxy resin. After letting the epoxy dry, I spray painted the finials using the antique pewter and weathered steel spray paints.
Step 4: Hang your industrial curtain rod
First screw the ceiling flange to the wall. It’s a good idea to screw it into a stud. I’ve learned the hard way (after my children have swung on curtains and ripped them off the wall) to always find a stud. Then put a small amount of clear caulking or the gorilla epoxy in the flange and screw in the threaded rod. Then screw on the split ring hanger and slide in the PVC curtain rod.
The plumbing cap finial just slides in the end to finish it off and no one will ever know it’s just plastic pipe disguised as an industrial curtain rod.
For about $35 per window, I have a heavy looking and strong industrial curtain rod with three brackets and two finials. Not a bad price for a solid curtain rod!
The curtains
Next week I’ll be showing you my IKEA curtain hack to get this beautiful pale aqua blue color.
*Update: Here is the IKEA aqua blue curtain tutorial*
kkoehler69 says
May 25, 2017 at 12:38 pmLooks great! I would never have guessed this was PVC!
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
May 26, 2017 at 10:12 pmI know! They look just like metal. Spray paint is amazing!
Ashley B says
May 25, 2017 at 5:04 pmLove this idea! My curtain rods are always bowing after time! I’m sure these would last the rest of time! Nice job!
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
May 26, 2017 at 10:11 pmI hope they last a long time!
Lela says
May 25, 2017 at 5:31 pmThis is such a clever curtain rod alternative! I love how it looks! I’m often bored with standard rods and I think this is a perfect piece to add character and start conversations.
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
May 26, 2017 at 10:11 pmThank you!
Habiba says
May 26, 2017 at 9:14 amI love the I distrust look! I did a paper role holder once. It took me ages to get all the materials because i simply didn’t know all the right terms…but once I found them all, t turned out lovely!
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
May 26, 2017 at 10:10 pmThanks so much Habiba!
lidialidiaca says
May 26, 2017 at 9:58 pmJessica this is such a great idea!!! Industrial chic!
Red House Style says
May 28, 2017 at 8:19 pmLooks fantastic!
melissa says
June 3, 2017 at 1:51 pmI love how you thought outside the box! With all the hundreds of existing tutorials for the conduit rods this is refreshing! Great post and tutorial.
Ladonna says
December 6, 2017 at 12:24 pmmy only concern would be if your curtains have metal rings. Wouldn’t the paint be worn away with constant use?
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
December 9, 2017 at 8:54 pmI’ve had these up for about 8 months and so far there hasn’t been any chipping. My thoughts are that if they get really chipped in a few years, for the cost of a can of spray paint I can always paint over them.
ondesigninteriors says
February 15, 2018 at 1:06 pmSuch a great idea! First time I see PVC pipes as curtain rods, I really like it!
jessvanderveen@gmail.com says
February 16, 2018 at 8:06 amThanks so much!
Kenyatta Harris says
February 27, 2018 at 8:03 pmThese came out fantastic. They would look fantastic in my boy’s bedroom.