DIY curtain rod

I have had some issues finding a curtain rod big enough for my bedroom window. We found one a while ago, hung it.. major jimmy rig style and it literally fell down like a couple weeks later. So i let it go for a while and then the other day i was brainstorming about different options and i came up with the perfect solution. 

 I decided i would make a rod out of steel piping so i measured the size i wanted which was 147", went to a plumbing store and had them cut it for me. Side note: I seriously walked in this manly man plumbing store and felt so dumb. I don't know the first thing about plumbing. I was hoping they wouldn't ask me what I was doing with this extremely long pipe, and  was considering making up some sort of really dumb answer like "yea I'm just re-piping my toilets" but that wouldn't help my situation ever, so I said umm I'm making a curtain rod.. haha I know they were all rolling their eyes at me. Anyway they were nice and helped me put it in my car, you should have seen me driving around with this gigantic pipe hanging out of my car, it was seriously almost as long as my car. 

Before I embarrassed myself at the plumbing store I went to hobby lobby and got a couple of decorative drawer pulls to put on the end of my rod, as well as some cork bottle caps (Ill explain later). I got everything home and started spray painting my rod gold. I did prime it before which I highly recommend. I also Painted brackets I already had from my previous curtain rod. Then I carefully brought this huge rod into my room trying not to ding up any walls along the way… I can't say I was completely successful but nothing a little paint can't fix right…

Hanging the rod was tricky and I'm not the best at math so yes i did make a couple mistakes the first time. But putty and paint are my best friends. You need to make sure you put your brackets a couple inches into your rod. I didn't really think that through the first time… duh. 

I wanted to hang my rod as high and wide as I could. Hanging your curtains higher and wider makes your room feel bigger and taller. Make sure you know how tall your curtains are, depending on the look you are going for you can either have the curtains brush or "puddle" the floor for a more formal look or for a more casual look you can go up about 1" or so from the floor so they don't brush the floor. If you open and close your curtains a lot I would suggest not having them puddle on the floor too much since the bottoms will get dirty quickly. I actually went about 1-2" up from my molding. I didn't want my dogs to rub all over the bottom of my curtains which they most definitely would do.

After I got it all hung I was trying to figure out how to attach the knobs to the ends. I should have waited and done this step before I hung it up but I get a little impatient and I couldn't wait to see what It was going to look like. I got some cork bottle cap things from hobby lobby and decided I would just screw my knobs into the cork and then just wedge it into the pipe. It did work but the pipe hole was a lot smaller then the cork so I had to cut it. I actually drilled a hole in the cork before, and then I twisted my knob into the cork, this way made it easier for the knob to twist in. I then cut the sides of my cork to fit into the hole. This way worked for me but I'm sure there are many ways you could attach your knob. 

Overall I am so happy with how it turned out, I had a couple hiccups but this was seriously so easy.  

My Supplies: spray paint, primer, decorative knobs, cork, screws and drywall anchors, 1/2" galvanized steel pipe ( decide what size in diameter pipe you need / want depending on your curtains and brackets.) curtains, measuring tape, drill & knife to cut cork. 

 TIPS:

1. Make sure you measure your window and how wide you want your curtains to hang beyond your window before you go pick up your rod. Also know what curtains you want to use before you get your rod, depending on how your curtains are hung will determine the size of rod you need.

2. If you don't have all the supplies you need get them before you go to the plumbing store, trust me you don't want to have to go anywhere but home after you get that dang rod. 

3. Have some way to prop up your pipe so it can dry evenly. I proped mine up with a pice of wood on each side. It was a windy day so I found some rocks in my yard to hold it in place so it didn't roll around. 

4. Know exactly how you want your rod to be hung it might even help to draw it out with measurements so you don't have to patch & paint later like i did.. ( still have to do ) I hung my brackets so that there was about 3 to 4 inches left on either side, also make sure you measure the length of your curtains and decide how close to the ground you want them to hang. 

If you look closely you can see Penelope and Stella, I still need to iron my curtains and don't mind my bed spread I actually just ordered a new one from west elm and I can't wait for it to arrive!!. West elm is having a great sale right now on bedding check it out Here  but i love the finished product. It makes the room feel so much cozier, and will be so nice to block the sun in the morning. 

here are some other details of my bedroom 

Thanks for reading! let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! 

xox - Ash