DIY Curtain Rods for Large Windows

I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to spend a bucket full of money for curtain rods. This DIY project kept the cost low. After searching online for ideas, I pulled several different ones together for my DIY curtain rods.

My problem is that I have a large, three paneled window in one of my main living spaces. I love how big it is, but I do not love the price of pretty rods that will fit it. As I was pricing them, I realized to get a look I liked, I would need to spend at least $50.00 for this one window. This room has two double paneled windows as well. Plus, the selection I found didn’t really offer me what I wanted.  

Adding up the cost for all three windows was just way over what I wanted to spend for curtain rods. So, I put up some very basic metal rods telling myself I would change them “soonish.” Way too much time went by and I noticed a bit of a sag in the middle-that’s what I get for using flimsy rods and brackets. That meant it was definitely time for a change.

That led me to do a Google search for “ideas for diy curtain rods.” I found a number of different ideas, but when I landed on House of the Hepworths I loved what I saw.

I didn’t follow her method for cutting or for the finials,  but her idea of using electrical conduit was perfect. Maybe I’m late to the party on this idea, but it’s not something I had seen before. The conduit comes in a few different lengths. For this project I would need 8.5 feet for the large window and 6.5 feet for each of the other two windows.

After I found the conduit idea,  I mentioned it to my husband and asked for his help and his ideas on how to attach the wooden finials that I wanted to use.  He wasn’t too convinced this project was a great idea.  But, as he often does, he thought about it for a while (days) and decided that yes, he could help me with this project and he had a great idea for attaching the finials. So, off to Lowe’s we went!

Materials Used for DIY Curtain Rods

Electrical Conduit
Brackets
Finials
Dowel
Spray Paint
Paint for finials

I bought three pieces of conduit, each ten feet in length. Each piece was $2.61. That is what makes this project so great!  I found brackets for $4.97 each. I thought this was a little pricey for brackets,  but I was saving so much on the rods, I was okay with it, I bought wooden finals for $2.93 per set of two and one  5/8 inch dowel for $2.48. I used a can of spray paint I already had and some white paint leftover from my powder room make-over  bringing the total cost in at under $55.00. That is less expensive for all three than  I was finding for one rod in my search for long curtain rods either online or in stores. 

They fit snugly in place in the 1/2 inch conduit.  He hammered them inside each tube using another piece of dowel as a driver to avoid damaging the conduit.