DIY Acrylic Rod UPDATE

29 May DIY Acrylic Rod UPDATE

Without a doubt, one of my most popular DIY’s ever has been my acrylic rods.  Well, they are DIY-ish, but more importantly, they are timeless, fabulous, and affordable.  You can find the original post that started it all here, and if you do use the tutorial, make sure you say “hey” to my buddy, Kipp, and tell him I sent you.  I don’t get a commission or anything (although I should, ha), but he has always been kind to me and provided awesome customer service to all of you who have called.  (as you have told me)

UPDATE:  Kipp’s contact info!  He works for Nationwide Plastics in Dallas, and they will cut, polish the ends of your rods (if desired) AND ship the rods straight to your door.  They are open Monday through Friday 8-5, and his number is 214.239.3870.  Just call and ask for Kipp.

My living room has gone through a number of changes since I first posted the rod tutorial nearly two years ago.  And yes, I’m going to post the full room eventually, but I am still tying up a few loose ends before I photograph it.  You can see in the photo below from a couple of years ago that my rods have changed a bit.  Plus the paint color, curtain fabric, and hardware are different.  : )

Then…

Now…

West Elm no longer sells the rod brackets separate from their rods, so that part of my previous tutorial is void, but I think I have found a better option.  These brackets from Restoration Hardware are AWESOME, and they are usually on sale.  They have an unlacquered, brass-with-patina look to them – not too antique brass, and not too pink, and they have just the right amount of shine.  I have used them in several projects now, for myself and others, and they are a winner every time.

restoration hardware

You can purchase the brackets with a square back or a round back, and in two different sizes, medium and large.  Please note the medium size bracket will hold an 1 1/4″ acrylic rod, and the large size bracket will hold an 1 3/4″ acrylic rod.  I like the thicker rods so I ordered the large size for my living room.

 I also ditched the end brackets when I changed the hardware and had Kipp polish the ends of the acrylic for me.  I think it looks really nice and helps you notice the rod and hardware more.  Although I still like the end caps in some settings, I prefer the simplicity of the polished ends in my living room.

Another change you will notice is the center support on the rods.  My rods are six feet long now (I ordered longer rods and moved the old ones to my little girl’s closet, oo-la-la!), and even though the cellcast rods are super strong, I think if you have rods longer than four feet, you need to order a center support so the rods do not sag, especially if you have heavy drapery.  You can find the central supports I use here.

I wasn’t wild about my old rings because they were not smooth, and I wanted something a bit more streamlined.  I found these on Overstock and ordered them to give it a whirl, and they worked perfectly!  Seriously, these match the hardware to a tee, and I love the color and scale of them.  They have a little grommet on the bottom, and you just slide your drapery hook into them.  Not to mention, drapery rings can be super expensive, so these are a great price for what you are getting.

So there you have it, DIY acrylic rod update.  Still loving them – they add such a quiet elegance to a room.

Next post will have more living room updates!

Also, if you have used my acrylic rod tutorial, could you please send me a photo?  I would love to see what you have done!  I’m always so grateful when people send me images of an idea they have gotten from my site and made it their own.  I would love to do some sort of “round-up” of your acrylic rod designs at some point!  So shoot them over!  They do not need to be fancy pictures by the way.  : )  Please send them to submissions @astoriedstyle .com.  Thank you!!