$5 Custom Curtain Rods

One of our first apartments had brick walls.

Doesn’t that sound romantic? And rustic? And historic?

It wasn’t.

These weren’t the brick walls you see in the Pottery Barn catalog…..these brick walls looked like they had been constructed by the people who built the Brady Bunch house. They were orange and flat with cracks and dark gray mortar.

Yikes.

And we were young and clueless and almost penniless and renting……and we couldn’t nail a single nail into that brick without facing the wrath of Mr. Brady and Alice.

Decorating an apartment with non-nailable walls seemed like an insurmountable challenge.

I almost gave up.

But I came up with a brilliant solution.

Almost as brilliant as these easy DIY dowel curtain rods.

I tried everything to try to hang pictures on the walls…..duct tape and brick hangers and hot glue and big wads of masking tape and absolutely nothing worked.

Until one night—somewhere between Melrose Place and the episode on Beverly Hills 90210 where everyone was chanting to help Donna Martin graduate.

….I came up with an idea. 

Pencils.

They were the solution.

I cut them in pieces and wedged them tightly in between the bricks and then hammered a nail into the pencil and hung the pictures.

Easy and simple and almost free.

Sometimes the best ideas are so simple.

A modest utilitarian pencil provided an easy, affordable solution to a challenge.

Just like these DIY dowel curtain rods.

EASY DIY DOWEL CURTAIN RODS

Supplies:

dowel rod

curtain finial

curtain bracket

This project is perfect for odd-shaped windows where you need a unique length for a curtain rod. Or as an affordable option in place of regular curtain rods (especially those that are longer). You can leave them plain wood or paint them any color you like.

Here’s the step-by-step on how we made these dowel curtain rods.

STEP 1: PURCHASE CRAFT FINIALS FOR YOUR DIY DOWEL CURTAIN RODS

There are really three components to this project.

The first is the finial.

And just between us?

This is really the only one that counts because it’s the prettiest.

I found TONS of options for this project on Amazon and I’ve linked them all here:

(total aside—you can also use over-sized door hardware or fence post finials, too)

• these  decorative finals that are antique white
• this large fence post finial for a rustic look
• these clear acrylic finials
• these pineapple finials

STEP 2: FIND CURTAIN ROD BRACKETS

These also come in TONS of different options.

There are metal and wood and plastic and plain and extraordinary.

Just choose whichever works for your individual decor style.

Here are few curtain bracket options I found:

• this affordable set
• these wood curtain brackets (they are super similar to mine)
• this modern option

STEP 3: CUT YOUR DOWEL ROD TO FIT

This is where this project is completely customizable.

For example, I wanted two smaller stationary curtain rods over each window.

So my curtains are stationary in place with drop cloth curtains.

You can see  how I made the drop cloth curtains here.

If you want a longer curtain rod? Simply cut it to fit the width of the window and add an additional 8″ on each side.

STEP 4: PAINT YOUR BRACKETS AND FINIALS

My brackets and finials are white, but you could paint them any color or stain them.

I think I spray-painted mine.

You could also leave them unfinished with a light sealant as well.

I didn’t worry about painting the dowel rods because I was covering them up with the curtains.

STEP 5: HANG BRACKETS

These brackets are about 18″ apart on each side of the window.

Cut dowel to fit (about 22″) depending on your window width and height.

Screw finials into the end of the dowels.

Hang curtains.

The best part about these curtains?

You can make them any size….any length…..any width.

Hang them on either side of a bay window.

Hang them on either side of a sliding glass door.

Hang them where ever you have a challenge with your windows.

Custom DIY dowel curtain rods for your windows.

I’m sure even Donna Martin would be impressed. 

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post. If you make a purchase through my links, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Thistlewood.