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 Curtain Rods project kept the cost low.

The problem I had was 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.  

Budget Friendly DIY Curtain Rods

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 sent me on a Google search for ideas for diy curtain rods. I didn’t find a lot of ideas out there, and some of them just wouldn’t work for me. I did see a couple that used electrical conduit that I thought could be adapted for our use. I combined a few different ideas and along with my husband, we decided to use metal conduit to make the diy rods.

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 we decided on the conduit idea, my husband took a while to think about just how we could make it work. I was puzzled over how we could attach finials to the rods. 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!

Supplies Used for DIY Curtain Rods

• Electrical Conduit
• Brackets
• Finials
• Dowel
• Spray Paint
• Paint for Finials and Brush
• Screw Driver
• Saw
• Vise
• Hammer

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 since I needed seven,  but I was saving so much on the rods, I was okay with it. I bought unpainted 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 rods than I was finding for one rod in my search for long curtain rods either online or in stores. 

How to Use Conduit for DIY Curtain Rods

Never one to do things without a lot of forethought, my husband decided to go with this set up to cut the pieces of conduit to the appropriate lengths. After measuring and measuring again, he cut the conduit for all three windows, making sure that the rods would extend just beyond the window frames.

I think he just wanted a reason to bring out his power tools. There are other ways of cutting this conduit. There is a product called a Junior Tube Cutter that would work.

Since I wanted to use wooden finials, we had to come up with a way to attach them that would be sturdy, yet still allow for them to be removed. After all, I’m not going to keep the same curtains up forever! My husband’s idea was to insert small pieces of a wooden dowel into the conduit tube. We bought a dowel that was 5/8 diameter and he cut three small pieces.

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.

The dowel piece fits snugly inside of the conduit.

The piece of dowel gives us an easy way to screw in the finials.

After everything was ready for painting, I set up the conduit outdoors on saw horses and spray painted them a soft shade of beige. I used beige because I already had it on hand. I followed that with a coat of Polycrylic Protective Spray Finish.

I covered the finials with two coats of paint in white, then added protective finish. Once they were dry, they were screwed them into the wooden dowel in place in the conduit.

We installed the brackets 1.5 inches out and 2 inches above the window frames. Who knew brackets would be the most expensive item for this project! I wanted to make sure we used strong ones. We also installed one in the center of the largest window to give it more support.

The rods extend just beyond the window frame.

I’m pleased with how these turned out and could not be happier about the total cost. I  think the prices for extra long rods is ridiculous! Being able to make it a DIY project was great.

We used eight and one half feet of conduit for the large, three panel window and six and one half feet of conduit for each of the side windows.

Have you discovered other any DIY solutions for long curtain rods? Have you used this method?

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DIY Curtain Rods Using Conduit

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