How to Make Long Curtain Rods for Sunrooms and Big Windows

Are you struggling to find a long curtain rod for large windows or a sunroom? Extra-long curtain rods can come at a pretty penny, but this DIY long curtain rod is a simple, affordable, and stylish solution.

When we are house-hunting, a home full of windows and natural light is at the top of my must-have list. Therefore, it was the sunroom which sold us on our home. It’s a large, long room, with vaulted ceilings, and tons of windows. However, there is one downside to plenty of windows… purchasing window treatments. Window treatments don’t come cheap; and this sunroom requires 14 sets of blinds, curtains, and extra long curtain rods.

Window Treatments for a Sunroom

Thankfully, the wood blinds came with the home (otherwise, that would have been a big investment — 14 sets of wood blinds, $$$!); but the space still needed to be softened with curtains. Everything in the room had straight lines or a hard texture, except for the couch and chair.

It wasn’t difficult to choose the curtains. Basic, white, curtains are my go-to window treatment. They offer a casual, breezy look, which is perfect for a sunroom. White curtains frame the windows, drawing the eye out the window toward the scenic view. Sunrooms aren’t are a room that needs curtains to become a focal point.

You’ll notice that we didn’t flank every window with curtains. Privacy isn’t an issue since we already have blinds. I used 8 curtains for 14 windows. On each end of the room, there is a set of three windows flanked by two curtains. Across the length of the sunroom, there are 4 curtains for 8 windows. I chose where to hang curtains based on how it looked with the furniture. For example, a curtain on each side of our couch — which equaled 3 windows.

Where to Buy Long Curtain Rods

Before I jump into the tutorial — and in case you aren’t interested in a DIY project — let’s take a look at long curtain rods which are available online. The selection isn’t huge, but here are a few options:

Curtain Rods over 6 feet Long

• AmazonBasics 6′-12′ with Round Finial (available in black, bronze, nickel)
• Umbra Modern Wood Rod, 6′-12′ with Cap Finial
• Decopolitan 6′-12′ with Urn Finial (available in brown, black, antique black, antique silver, white)
• Beme Double Rod, 6′-12′ with Urn Finial (available in black, antique silver, antique white, brown, bronze)
• AmazonBasics 6′-12′ with Square Finial (black, bronze, nickel)
• Umbra in Nickel, 6′-12′ Modern Cap Finial (also in gold and black)
• AmazonBasics 6′-12′ with Cap Finial (bronze, black, nickel)

Curtain Rods over 12 feet Long

• Rod Desyne 13′-20′ Simple Finial (black, gold, mahogany, satin nickel)
• Source Global 12′-20′ Understated Urn Finial (available in black, dark brown, gold, metallic gold)
• Rod Desyne Modern Cap Finial (black, gold, mahogany, satin nickel)
• Pewter, 10′-14′ with Urn Final

Sunroom Curtain Rods

So, how did I hang all those curtains? An assortment of electrical conduit, fasteners, and plumbing hardware.

You can search “pipe curtain rods” or “DIY curtain rods” to find a variety of tutorials. This Custom Long Drapery Rod tutorial from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs was one of the most helpful. We didn’t follow that tutorial exactly, but it was a good reference.

Sarah chose to spray paint her curtain rods black, which really compliments that room and definitely makes this a very versatile project. Essentially, you can easily coordinate the long curtain rods with any existing hardware… all you need is a can of spray paint!

In our Sunroom, we didn’t want to draw the eye up or create much contrast. So, in our case, the galvanized steel was great as-is (yay for simplicity!) and just required a little Goo-Gone to remove sticker labels from the conduit.

How to Make an Extra Long Curtain Rod

If you’d like to download and print these instructions, click here to jump to the instruction card.

Supplies

• 1/2″ Diameter Split Ring Hanger
• 1/2″ Diameter Conduit
• 3/8″ Threaded Rod
• 3/8″ Ceiling Flange
• Rigid Tubing/Conduit Cutter
• Angle Grinder with Metal Cutting Wheel (or find a friend who has this tool!)
• Goo-Gone
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Measuring Tape
• Screws (+ drywall anchors, depending on if you are drilling into studs or drywall)

Instructions

1. First, determine how many pieces of conduit you will need, and where they will be located.

We used a single piece of conduit for each end of the room and several pieces across the longest wall. Take time to measure and determine where the braces will be located, so that you can cut the conduit to meet at a brace.

2. Next, determine where each mounting brace will be located.

We placed each brace between window frames to give the long curtain rods a consistent look.

3. Once everything is measured, cut the conduit. Cutting the conduit was amazingly simple with a Rigid Tubing Cutter! I had never used one before, but it was straightforward, quick and easy. The threaded rod, on the other hand, was not so simple.

4. Cut the threaded rod to size.

We needed about 5″ of threaded rod per mounting brace in order to hang the curtain rod far enough out that it would clear the wood blinds. My husband ended up requesting the help of a friend to saw the rod into 5″ pieces because we didn’t have an angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel.

5. Once everything is cut to size, assemble each mounting brace and attach it to the wall.

6. Finally, remove the fronts of the split ring hangers to add the conduit. Once the conduit is in place, reattach the fronts of the split ring hangers (this will be easiest with two people and an extra set of hands).

Extra Long Curtain Rods for Large Windows

Installing DIY long curtain rods really transformed our sunroom. Hanging curtains softened the space and made it feel finished. Plus, the total price was less than $75 for nearly 50 ft of curtain rod!

What an incredible price, right? Even inexpensive 10 ft curtain rods are $35 and up, which would have meant that we’d be spending at least $175. Plus, that is assuming we would have been able to find curtain rods that cleared the depth of the wood blinds. We are incredibly pleased with a custom look for a fraction of the price.

More Long Curtain Rod Ideas

Not everyone has the same style, the same DIY skills, or the same DIY tools. Therefore, I’ve rounded up a list of long curtain rod ideas that you can make. You’ll find a variety of colors, finishes, and construction materials from 11 different home decor bloggers. 

Once you’ve checked out those ideas, here are a few more bonus projects related to curtain rods:

• how to fake a long curtain rod
• add finials to a DIY pipe curtain rod
• make an easy wood cornice to cover a long pipe curtain rod

If you liked this DIY project, you might also like:

• How to get affordable bamboo blinds with a simple hack
• Learn how to install a faux brick backsplash
• How to paint a brick fireplace (and which paint to buy)

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