16 DIY Curtain Rods And Hooks That Give You Gorgeous Style On A Budget

One of the biggest expenses when it comes to decorating your house is buying curtain rods.

Seriously, I moved recently and there weren’t any curtain rods in my new house so I had to buy all new ones.

Even if you hit up the Dollar Store for those cheap versions, you’re still spending several dollars once you go to cover multiple windows.

Jump to:

• 1. DIY Welded Fence Rail Curtain Rod
• 2. Industrial Farmhouse Pipe Curtain Rods
• 3. Cheap DIY Antique Brass Curtain Rods
• 4. DIY Colorful Curtain Rods
• 5. Easy DIY Copper Pipe Curtain Rods
• 6. Cheap And Easy DIY Finials
• 7. DIY Yardstick Curtain Rod
• 8. DIY Forged Nail Curtain Rod
• 9. Reclaimed Wood Curtain Rod
• 10. Cheap Painted Branch Curtain Rod
• 11. Upcycled Coat Rack/Fence Curtain Rod
• 12. DIY Upcycled Oar Curtain Rods
• 13. DIY Sisal Rope Curtain Rods
• 14. Rustic Looking PVC Curtain Rods
• 15. Rustic Brand Curtain Rods And Rings
• 16. Vintage Door Knob Decorated Curtain Rod
• Conclusion

1. DIY Welded Fence Rail Curtain Rod

This project requires a welder so if you have one, great. If not, you can rent one or get your hubby to help you with this step.

You use an old metal fence rail to create the curtain rod and then weld on a finial or other decoration.

You can do this without adding the finial which would eliminate the welding step if you want. You can find old finials at thrift stores or many hardware stores pretty cheap.

Tutorial: remodelaholic

2. Industrial Farmhouse Pipe Curtain Rods

This DIY industrial farmhouse curtain rod is perfect if you are looking to add farmhouse décor to your home. It’s really easy to do and so cheap. You’ll spend much less to make these than to buy them…

Target has them for around $30 each. You just need to find industrial piping if you don’t already have some on hand. Check yard sales, flea markets and your favorite thrift store.

Tutorial: lizmarieblog

3. Cheap DIY Antique Brass Curtain Rods

Antique brass curtain rods are gorgeous but they are so expensive. Even the knockoff ones from the Dollar Store, which aren’t even real brass, can be more than $20 per window.

Fortunately, you can make your own out of PVC pipe and these will cost you less than $5 each! Imagine having that beautiful antique brass look for less than $20 per room – depending on how many windows you have. Your biggest expense for this one will be the paint.

Tutorial: shineyourlightblog

4. DIY Colorful Curtain Rods

I love using bright colors, especially in the bedrooms and my kitchen. Bright colors seem to open up a room and make it feel so welcoming and cheerful.

You can get a beautiful brightly colored curtain rod with some PVC piping and finials.

Just add a cheap finial to PVC pipe and then paint them whatever colors you want to add some character and charm to your room.

Tutorial: hometalk

5. Easy DIY Copper Pipe Curtain Rods

These copper pipe curtain rods can be made for much less than it would cost you to buy them. Copper curtain rods can be really expensive but you can recreate the look for much less than $100 – which is really cheap considering this is copper.

You can make these DIY copper curtain rods for less than $80 and in under an hour…and that’s for up to five curtain rods.

Tutorial: apartmenttherapy

6. Cheap And Easy DIY Finials

These cheap and easy finials are perfect for adding to PVC pipe or other materials to create a decorative curtain rod.

You can make your own finials out of cabinet knobs and then just glue them into place, or you can drill screws into them to make them a bit sturdier. These are so easy to do and will save you a fortune over buying decorative rods at the store.

Tutorial: lovelyetc

7. DIY Yardstick Curtain Rod

I love this idea of recycling a yardstick to make a custom curtain rod. This is a great idea for kids’ rooms or even a craft room if you have one. You just line up yardsticks…you’ll need three of them…and then add the hooks for holding your curtains.

These are so unique and they are super inexpensive. Yardsticks are so cheap and you can make the other materials from things that you have around the house.

Tutorial: krazyglue

8. DIY Forged Nail Curtain Rod

You can do something as simple as hammering forged nails into a strip of wood and then using those nails to hold your curtains.

If your curtains have holes for rings, this will work perfectly. If not, just add curtain rings that will hook over the nails. This is such a cheap and gorgeous way to add some charm to those windows.

Tutorial: inspiredbycharm

9. Reclaimed Wood Curtain Rod

So, this isn’t really a curtain rod but the reclaimed wood look is absolutely beautiful. I love reclaimed wood projects and this may be one of my favorites. You just add hooks to an old distressed board and use those hooks to hang your curtains.

Don’t have a distressed board? That’s ok, too. You can easily distress a new board yourself with some white, gray or light blue paint and a bit of sandpaper.

Tutorial: oliveandlove

10. Cheap Painted Branch Curtain Rod

This is literally one of the easiest, not to mention cheapest, ways to get a new curtain rod. You just go outside and find a suitable branch and then paint it whatever color you want to match your décor.

You can do these in a couple of ways. Either attach the branch to the wall or even “plant” it in a planter next to the window and let it overhang over the window. Or, you could also create your own brackets out of twigs and branches and use those to hang your curtain rod.

Tutorial: lessthanperfectlifeofbliss

11. Upcycled Coat Rack/Fence Curtain Rod

An old piece of fence or a coatrack that you don’t use any longer is a great way to create your own DIY curtain rod. Just take a section of fence or rack and hang a few hooks on it to hold your curtains.

This is a great rustic décor idea and a really cheap one, too. If you don’t have an old fence section to use, you can buy them at any hardware store…they’re designed to mark off your flower garden…and they’re really cheap.

Tutorial: nestfullofeggs

12. DIY Upcycled Oar Curtain Rods

You can just about use anything to create your own curtain rod…well, anything that is relatively straight in a line, that is. Take this DIY oar curtain rod. It’s one of the easiest curtain rods to make and it’s pretty cheap, especially if you have a couple of old oars to use.

These would be great in a boy’s bedroom or den and they’re super easy. Just hang up some sort of bracket and then lay the oar across them.

Tutorial: countryliving

13. DIY Sisal Rope Curtain Rods

You can make so many wonderful things with sisal rope and twine. I do love a good DIY twine project, and these homemade curtain rods are really great. You need twine or sisal rope and a few eye hooks to hold your rope in place. If you’re looking for a nice rustic look for your windows, this is it and it’s a really inexpensive way to create your own curtain hangers.

Tutorial: primitiveandproper

14. Rustic Looking PVC Curtain Rods

You can use PVC pipe to create your own curtain rods and you don’t really have to do anything but hang it up. Find brackets…or make them yourself…that will hold your PVC pipe and then fit your curtains onto the pipe.

I love this idea for a rustic look and it’s great if you’re working with corner windows that are often hard to get right with those cheap metal curtain rods.

Tutorial: 7layerstudio

15. Rustic Brand Curtain Rods And Rings

If you want something really rustic, a branch is a good idea. For this one, you’ll need a relatively large branch – one that you can fit rings over to hold your curtains.

You can even make your own brackets from other branches to give the entire window a great rustic look. Just choose a relatively large branch and make sure that your rings will fit over it.

Tutorial: lifeovereasy

16. Vintage Door Knob Decorated Curtain Rod

An old door knob makes a beautiful finial for your DIY curtain rod. I love those old glass door knobs and they really do add a nice vintage look.

Just add those door knobs to electrical metal tubing using a screw and then hang your curtains. You’ll need brackets of course to hold the metal tubing in place.

This is a wonderful way to get a decorative curtain rod without spending a fortune buying one.

Tutorial: inmyownstyle

Conclusion

My house alone had more than 20 windows that needed covered and even cheap curtain rods are around $5 each.

And, for my living room and dining room windows, I love those fancier rods that cost around $20 or more. What’s a girl to do?

A less expensive way is to simply make them yourself, right?

Right! And I’ve looked and found 16 of the most adorable and easy to make curtain rods and hooks that will not only save you money, it will help you to add some unique customization to your window treatments.

Some of these can be made with things that you probably already have on hand and there are a couple that can be made with things that you find in your yard. I simply love DIY projects that I can make with things from the yard, like these 25 DIY projects from sticks and twigs.

You can use everything from old cabinet hardware to branches from your favorite tree to create your own curtain hooks and rods.

These work beautifully with homemade curtains, like these 20 DIY curtain ideas. If you’re looking for a way to add some rustic charm to your home, these DIY curtain rods and hooks are the perfect way to do so.

They are so much less expensive than anything that you will find in the department store and they’re all so easy to make.

I can’t wait to add a few of these to my windows!

I hope you enjoy these DIY projects as much as I enjoy sharing them with you and I hope you find the perfect DIY curtain rod to accent your favorite window.