DIY Copper Pipe Curtain Rods

FYI, this post has been a looong time coming. Dillon and I are celebrating 2 years of living in our sunny little downtown apartment next month, and I still love it (and him!) just as much as I did the day we moved in. Some of my favorite things about our place are the wood floors, white walls, 10 foot ceilings, and big, bright, third-story windows ? I am such a natural light person, and I so look forward to Saturday mornings when I get to wakeup and enjoy the glow that fills this space. Because I was completely in love with our windows when we moved in, I decided to buy super cheap curtain rods from Walmart that were meant to be “temporary” until I found perfect treatments. Well guys, here we are, 730 days later…and the Walmart rods are finally gone for good! Life happened, and it took much longer than expected to figure out what I wanted, but I am soo into these DIY curtain rods. We are all about mixing metals in Apartment 3A- gold, silver, and copper fill every inch of our home. So figuring out a way to incorporate all three finishes was really important to me. The project totaled out at $70 to make both rods for two wide sets of windows. I know this isn’t the cheapest DIY, but I think once you start researching how much nice, sturdy, curtain rods cost you will agree that this makes sense. Could you find a cheaper solution? Yes. Would it look this pretty and hold up this well? Probs not. Your call ? If you’re on board, let’s get started!

SUPPLIES:
1-inch Copper Pipe
(This is tricky because all windows are obviously different lengths. A good starting point is the total length of your window(s), plus an extra 13 inches of pipe per rod. I will explain how to cut and split this up later)
Copper Pipe Cutter
2 1-inch 90 Degree Elbow Fittings (per window)
2 1-inch Threaded Adapter Fittings (per window)
2 1-inch Threaded Floor Flanges (per window)
8 5/8″ Plastic Toggle Drywall Anchors (per window)
Gold Spray Paint (optional)
Ketchup (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
First, spray floor flanges gold (if you would like) and allow to dry.

Next, at the height you would like the rod to hang, measure 4 inches out from each side of the window. Hold up the floor flange and use a pencil to mark each screw hole. Repeat on other side.

Using a 5/16″ drill bit, drill holes into each pencil mark. Insert a toggle anchor into each hole and tap until flush with wall.

Place the floor flange over the anchors. Insert a screw into each hole and tighten until flush with the flange. Do not over tighten. Repeat on both sides.

Now let’s prep the copper. If you didn’t have your pipe cut at the hardware store, you will need to trim it yourself with a pipe cutter. It’s super easy. Mark your pipe at the lengths you need to cut and tighten the cutter around the pipe onto one of your marks. Twist in a circular motion, retightening the cutter as needed. Eventually it will puncture through the pipe and the other half of the rod should fall to the ground. Repeat for each cut.

You will need to cut:
The length of your window + 8 inches
2 2-1/2 inch pieces

After cutting the pipe, you will most likely want to clean it. Copper pipe can look a little dingy straight from the hardware store. As it gets exposed to oils and air, it starts to develop a bluish-green patina that doesn’t mesh well with the pretty, shiny look we’re going for here. I have tried a ton of methods for cleaning copper, but in my experience the easiest and most efficient way is pretty strange… ketchup! Seriously, I didn’t believe it at first either. Squirt some ketchup on a rag, rub it onto your pipe (you want to use some muscle here), and wipe down with another wet rag. You will see the copper come back to life really quickly!

Once the copper is clean, screw a threaded adapter fitting into each floor flange.

Then, stick a 2-1/2 inch piece of pipe into each threaded adapter fitting and push in as far as possible.

Pick up the long copper piece that will be used as the rod, and pull your curtains onto each side.

After curtains are in place, slide a 90 degree elbow fitting onto each end of the rod. Attach the other open end of the elbow fitting to the 2-1/2 inch copper pieces and push in as far as possible.

Thats it! $70, a bottle of ketchup, and a little elbow grease will have your place looking all types of industrial-chic. I found a $100 bill in an old purse a couple of days before buying these supplies and told Dillon that would be our budget for the project. When we checked out at Home Depot and the teenage employee told me that my total was $70, I handed him my hundred while throwing up a fist pump and yelling “ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET!”. Dillon gave me a disapproving head shake (nothing new there ?) and the cashier looked at me like I was ill. I think he was too young to understand the effects of growing up glued to Trading Spaces. Sidenote, have you seen that it’s apparently coming back for another season this year?!? ? TLC, you better not be toying with me on this one, I can’t handle a heartbreak like that. ? #TeamGenevieveForever

I hope that you’re just as pumped about making these for yourself! If so, post a pic with the hashtags #347DIY and #347AtHome I can’t wait to see how these look in different spaces!

Have any questions on the project? Feel free to comment below, shoot me a message on Facebook, or DM me on Instagram. I’m always available to help ?

High fives all around for doin’ it yourself, it’s the best way to do it! ????

Xo Amanda