Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Extra Long (and cheap!) Curtain Rod

Weren't those curtains last week exactly what was needed to finish off the living room?


Did you stop to wonder how in the heck we managed to get a 20' curtain rod?

Ordering the curtains was easy.  The problems started when we tried to hang them.  That wall with the sliding doors is 20 feet wide, so not just any curtains rods would do.

First we tried two 10' rods.  The problem with regular curtain rods is that they require a center support.  If you use the center support, the curtains have to be on both sides of it, meaning that in our living room, we'd have a lot of curtain mass bunched between the doors in the center, which I didn't want at the time, even though we're doing it now.

We tried hanging them without the center support, but the rods were wimpy and sagged under the weight of the curtains panels.  FAIL.  So we returned them.  Did I mention they're like $150 for two?

Next we researched curtain tracks.  These are not only ugly, but they're also expensive ($300) and get poor reviews.  We thought it was our only option, so we ordered them.  In the end, it turns out I didn't ever click "order" (don't drink and shop online?), so they never came!  I was really excited about this instance of serendipity, because in the meantime I thought up an even better idea!

Back when my Mom had a women's clothing store, she used electrical conduit poles to hang stock in the warehouse.  I'm talking hundreds to thousands of pounds of clothing hung on each pole.  Turns out a 10' conduit pole is not only strong, but is also only $7!!!

The strength of the pole allowed me to have a 10' span of rod, uninterrupted by a support.  I bought two 10' conduit poles, 1" in diameter.

Now I just had to figure out how to attach it to the wall!

I bought every single thing sold at Home Depot that might possibly work (L brackets, shelf brackes, curtain rod brackets, wood pieces used for stairs, etc.), and brought it all home.  In the end, what worked best and looked best was a shelf bracket.

We attached it to the wall with super-duper triple-action drywall anchors.  We attached the conduit with conduit straps.  The center bracket acts as the support for both poles.

they didn't need to be exactly 10' each, so Tommy cut off a little with a hacksaw


Shopping List (they're not paying me, I just wanted to show you what we bought):


Let's play "where's Waldo?" with the bracket...
there it is!
pretty simple, just a shelf bracket, conduit strap, and conduit piping
We left conduit past the ends so we could use the curtains to cover the brackets

I'll admit that these are not the most-beautiful-ever-in-life curtain rods.  However, they cost less than $25, span 10 feet without a center brace, and with the pattern on the curtains, you don't really notice them anyways.

I'll take it!

If you're not crazy about the look of conduit, I used some hammered spray paint recently that would give these a beautiful finish.  I didn't bother for this project, but maybe in the future I'll decide to spruce them up.  Something to think about.  In other homes, I bet gold or wrought iron black would look amazing.

So for a few hours of labor (mostly trial and error to see what would work) and $25, we were finally able to hang up those curtains!  Sure beats the $150 ones that sagged or the $300 ones that were ugly and probably wouldn't even work all that well.

On future projects, even if I don't need a 10' span, I'll definitely be going with conduit.  The economics are just too good!

This project was really easy, and one I would definitely recommend!  Be sure to have a friend on hand - this was sooo much easier with two people.


32 comments:

  1. I just found your blog from Refashionista! I'm glad this is the first post I saw- I'm moving into a new apartment with a huge wall of windows next week! Thanks for the tips, I'll have to try it out!

    Amanda @ Running In Heels
    amandarollo.blogspot.com

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  2. Also, I just read our About Me page- I'm moving from SC to just outside DC too! It's a great city : )

    Amanda @ Running In Heels
    amandarollo.blogspot.com

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  3. Great idea! Wish I had known this several years ago. We put together two curtain rods to span across our living room windows. I'm sure the conduit piping is cheaper than our two Target brand rods. Next time! I love the way you and a lot of DIYers think outside the box! Helps out simple minded people like me! :)

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  4. Question: How did you join the two 10' poles? Did you use an electrical set screw coupling, and if so do the set screws interfere with the fabric?

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  5. I have a question about how you joined the two 10' rods. Did you use the electrical hardware designed for joining the pipes, i.e., a set screw coupling, and if so, did the set screws interfere with the fabric?

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    Replies
    1. There is a bracket in the middle holding them both up, but they are not attached together.

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  6. brilliant. Thank you,
    Not sure yet whether this will be my exact solution, but it's inspiring! I'm off to Lowes -- with maybe a stop at BB&Beyond.

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  7. Thank you for this post. We're figuring out whether it's possible to make a 12' rod without center bracket that won't sag. The goal is to pull all the curtain fabric to one side. Most say it's impossible without the center bracket, but your story about using conduit for heavy clothing in the warehouse makes me wonder. In your experience, will the 1" steel rod sag at 10-12' (without a center bracket)? Our curtains will be lightweight and we won't use them every day, so there won't be a log of tugging and wear and tear. We'll appreciate your insights. Thank you!

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  8. How novel! Exactly what I needed to know. My only question is that it seems like your conduit runs from wall to wall, and is bolted to the brackets, so how do you remove your curtains (to wash, or replace) without having to unscrew the strapping?

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    1. You do have to unscrew the c-shaped pieces that attach the conduit to the brackets, but it's about the same amount of work as with a normal curtain rod. Best of luck with your project!

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    2. Did you consider just running the conduit through the triangular openings in the brackets, themselves, instead of securing on top with a conduit strap? Were you concerned about side-to-side movement? My opening is about 10'-1.5" so I'm wondering if there's something that can be used to plug the ends of the tube that would prevent the tube from scraping up the walls, should it shift L-to-R, etc.

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  9. How much do these sag exactly? Theoretically, they should be sagging about 0.4 inches in the middle when the curtains are closed. Is that not noticeable?

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    1. Mine don't seem to sag at all! My curtains aren't lined. When we used to use them for garment rods, with hundreds of pounds of clothing on them, they would sag somewhat, but I don't think you'd notice a sag with just curtain panels.

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  10. This trick worked for us as well. Thanks! Wanted to share that I wound up using eye bolts ( o-- ) as brackets to hold the rod up. Screwed the eye bolts in the wall in the appropriate location, slid the rod in one eye bolt enough to allow me to insert it into the other eye bolt. Drilled a hole in the rod near a bracket and put a cotter pin in it to keep it from sliding sideways. Very clean look and easy to take down when needed. The eye bolts were only $1.50 each at Home Depot. Cheers!

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  11. OMG thank you! I know this is an old post but I've been going bananas trying to come up with a solution. The double window in question is 72" wide but the center is just a strip of metal, and I wanted to hang cafe-style curtains about halfway up. A little bit of spray paint to make the "rods" brown or bronze and this will be perfect!

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  12. You just saved my skin from that treacherous mean old husband. Found the gorgeous curtains, but hold the mustard-the rod they were on stinks, falling apart, EXPENSIVE! We need new ones that will hold up and not sag and break, or EXPENSIVE! Although, I'm gonna hunt for some corbels and/or maybe finials to attach to the ends of the conduit. With concrete walls, that may not happen, depends on the back of the corbels. THANK YOU!

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  13. I'm still confused! Do you have a bracket in the center, and if so, doesn't that present the same problem of the fabric having to bunch in the middle you were initially trying to avoid?

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    1. No. The pole is strong enough not to have one. I have 108" wide windows and didn't need one with conduit. I got two inexpensive decorative brackets, the rod, and I found some clear plastic conduit holders that I use to keep the rod in place. The decorative bracket has two holes in the top, and I just attached the plastic holder onto the bracket with a nut and screw so that the pole doesn't go all over-the nice part is that with the bracket I have, I could have the holder towards the front or towards the back of the bracket. I figured out since I have two holes in the bracket, you can hang sheers since there is a second hole, and can use another conduit and holder to keep that in place.

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    2. Oh and the best part? I wasn't sure, but I think the size conduit I got will allow me to fit a finial or decorative piece on the ends to not show them. I was thinking of clear rubber stoppers on the ends but wasn't sure if that would be tacky.

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  14. Nearly FIVE years after you posted this you solved my problem! I have 8 feet of windows with no place to hang a support bracket. Great ingenuity!

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  15. I just found your post as I have the same dilemma. I have have a curtain rod on a patio door 112" wide. Yes, the curtain rod sags even with light sheer type curtains. Would inserting a 10 foot long, 3/4" conduit INSIDE the curtain rod prevent it from sagging?

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    1. That’s a great idea! I bet it would work!

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  16. I'm concerned about the rods sliding off the center mount. Would two brackets in the middle be overkill?

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  17. Thank you! Your's is the only good solution I've found!

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  18. I have exactly the same problem. My question is this: can the pipe be threaded at the ends? And if so, I can see using a "flange" to attach each end to the house and the 4x4 upright. I may also try getting a 1" and a 3/4" pipe (so one fits inside the other and becomes adjustable).

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  19. How does the paint hold up? Does it peel of the conduit when sliding the curtains. I will be using grommet panels.

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  20. How can we attach conduit to the posts of a pergola that are hollow, made of aluminum? We have about a 13' 6" span on the west side that will need sun protection in late afternoons.

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  21. I'm just reading your post in 2022 and that same pipe now days almost $25. I think we need a little over 400' for our new porch! So crazy the difference in prices from then and now. Especially after covid.

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    1. You're right about the price in big box stores, but I went to my local Habitat for Humanity Restore recently and found just the size conduit I needed (10ft) for $5 each. I was looking for a way to connect them without spending $12.50 each for flanges and elbow connectors when I came across this blog. Excellent idea (Bonnie) with the shelf brackets & strap. Saves a ton of money.

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  22. Yep, 9 years later and you solved my problem. Thanks!!

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