DIY CURTAIN ROD

Our main living room has a large bay window that is the focal point of the room (besides my beautiful White Washed Fireplace), so I knew I needed something bold for the curtain rod. When I was shopping for a 10 foot long curtain rod, I was SHOCKED at the prices. I couldn’t believe how much a curtain rod would cost. Here is where my DIY brain kicks in- I’ll just make my own! I knew I wanted a natural wood look, similar to Restoration Hardware curtain rods, so I went to Home Depot for probably the third time that day, and got some supplies.

I picked up a Pine Dowel(check to make sure it is straight- you don’t want a warped rod), two Corbels/Brackets, and two Finials. I had some stain left over from a previous project that I thought would work. I also grabbed a Hole Saw Drill Bit that would attach right on to my Drill to make a hole in the Corbels. Make sure the hole saw is larger than your Dowel, so it has some room to slide through.

First, I created holes in the center of the Corbels to fit the Dowel rod. When using the hole saw, take breaks in between drilling because it will overheat and start to smoke. I measured and drilled on both sides of the corbel and met in the middle to remove the hole. Once the holes were removed, I did a light sand to prepare it for stain, then I stained the Dowel, Corbels and Finials with Varathane Carbon Gray.

Once the stain dried, I drilled a pilot hole in the end of both sides of the dowel to fit the Finial. The Finials I bought had a screw on the bottom, so I twisted those on to make sure they fit.

Now is where it all comes together! The Corbels came with screws and anchors to add to the wall. Although they are a pain in the butt, I highly suggest using anchors just because of how much pulling and movement curtains endure. Once the Corbels are secured to the wall, I slid the Dowel through one hole(left), added the curtains, and then slid it through the opposite hole(right). Don’t forget to add your curtains before you screw the Finials on.

Once the rod and curtains were secured in the Corbels, I twisted on the Finials, stepped back, and admired my work. I did notice that the middle of the dowel was sagging a little bit(because I didn’t check to see if it was straight…arghh), so I went back to Home Depot to get a third corbel to add to the middle.