Thursday, February 23, 2012

"Pottery Barn" Cast Iron Curtain Rods - Tutorial

Here's the conversation I had with myself last week:  "Now that I am free to go crazy with home decor, the very first thing I'd like to make for my new house are curtains.  Sure, that seems easy enough...but wait...what am I going to hang those curtains on?  Crap, I don't want to pay tons of money on curtain rods!"  ...Pause... "Duh, Heather, you can make your OWN curtain rods!"

So, off to Michaels I went to pick up these very simple (and cheap) supplies:


8 Wooden Dowels, 3/4 Inch Diameter & 36 Inches Across ($0.99 ea)
8 Packages of Black Polymer Oven-Bake Clay ($1.25 ea)
1 Bag of Wooden Washers to fit my dowels ($0.75 bag of 20)

To make the curtain rods, I first cut one package of polymer clay in half.  I rolled out two "snakes" with one end thick and the other end to a point.  I used the Wooden Washer as a guide as to how thick to make the end that would later be attached to the dowel.  I tried to make the "snakes" approximately the same length.



Then, I placed them on a cookie sheet and shaped them into a scroll just like the Pottery Barn rods.



I baked and cooled them according to the clay's directions. (Man, does that clay stink in the oven!)

Meanwhile, I painted all of the dowels and washers black with craft paint.  When they were dry, I added a coat of Modge Podge to seal them and to give them a bit of a sheen.


Time for assembly!  Using a glue gun, I attached the clay scrolls to the dowels and then added the wooden washer  to cover the seam.


Finally, I gave the whole rod another coat of Modge Podge.


Compare these to the Cast Iron Curtain Rods that Pottery Barn would like to sell you for $59.00:

Cast-Iron Drape Rod
Cast-Iron Drape Rod from Pottery Barn

Vs.

My Version
When we get to the new house, I'll hang them above the windows using inexpensive cup hooks painted black - super simple!

*A word of caution - these rods are not adjustable, so make sure you have the exact measurement of your windows before proceeding.  Also, these are for curtains that have a wide opening at the top!


The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:

8 Fake Cast Iron Curtain Rods (Dowels $0.99, Clay $1.25, Washers $0.75, Paint, Glue & Modge Podge on hand)

Total Fake-It Cost:  $20.47, 8 Rods - Only $2.56 each!

Compare to Pottery Barn's Cast Iron Scroll Curtain Rods ($59.00 each)

Total Fake-It Savings:  $451.53 - Now that's just amazing!

Linking Up at Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, The Frugal GirlsFunky Junk Interiors and these other Great Parties! 

35 comments:

  1. I used an old top rail from a chain link fence. there is nothing on the end yet though. I like the clay finials.

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  2. Thanks for the Great Tutorial!!!I may very well be make this project for my den's window.

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  3. All I can say is....AWESOME! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Wow...you never fail to surprise me with your ingenuity and creativity! What a great solution, and well-executed, too. Nice job! :)

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  5. Sweet! I'd never thought of copying the iron doodads with clay.

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  6. I'm impressed!! Looking at the picture you could never tell they weren't iron!

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  7. Making my own homemade rods too, but needed longer, used 8 ft. galvanized pipe (1.87 ea.)

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  8. I LOVE IT!!!!! Genius idea!!! I have a HUGE window that I can get a rod for... so I used a copper pipe. I'm now going to be able to make fancy ends for them! Thanks!!

    Please share this on my blog:
    http://thediydreamer.blogspot.com/2012/02/from-dream-to-reality-linky-party-4.html

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  9. Very creative! I wouldn't have guessed it was clay. Looks great!
    Melissa
    www.lovebugliving.com

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  10. wow, you are so creative! I never would have thought to use those materials or to make my own curtain rods. Please don't forget to link up to Frugal Tuesday Tip.

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  11. The clay finials = brilliant! Great job and I may have to copy :)

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  12. Such a great project :)

    Love for you to share it at my "Made by ME" Linky Party Wednesdays :)
    http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2012/02/made-by-me-20-linky-party.html

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  13. This is genious! This has my creative juices flowing now as to what else you could do with clay.
    Love your blog!!!

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  14. Love them! One question: how did you attach them to hang them up??

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    Curtains

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  17. Crap, I don't want to pay tons of money on curtain rods!" ... longcurtainrods.blogspot.com

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  18. Amazing post you have shared. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.
    curtain rail track

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  22. You have been discovered it then you share it with your readers, I’m grateful because I’m one of your readers. I like the curtains rod which you have shared in above image i also want to install those type of rod for my curtain into bedroom I found thatBest Curtains In Dubai is offering same stuff in different color i choose the red one Can you please add red iron rods image into your post too ?
    Thanks again and have a great day

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