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Eye-catching Sunroom Curtain Rods: An Easy DIY Project

These sunroom curtain rods are easy to create but make a big impact. Your guest will be turning one’s heads quickly to ask “Where did you get those rods?” Continue reading to see where to buy these wooden rods, what paint you should use, and what your time commitment looks like. 
I’ve always been a dirt cheap curtain rod buyer, so when my mother-in-law Tonya told me a few months ago that she’d been spending a few days working hard on her bedroom curtain rods I was intrigued. When we visited my in-laws in Kansas City a few weeks later I asked to see her rods and immediately fell completely in love. They added a tremendous amount of character to her bedroom and were extremely eye catching. I had no idea that curtain rods could actually be statement pieces!
Fast forward to last week. We somehow started talking about where I was at with getting curtains for my sunroom, and she generously offered to take care of my sunroom curtain rods and curtains for my birthday. I did my best to explain the vision I had in my head for the sunroom and basically let her take the wheel.
I had no eye that curtain rods could make my heart skip a beat, but when I came home from Colorado on Monday I nearly fainted when I saw my sunroom!

Sunroom Curtain Rods

I was absolutely blown away that she brought the visions I had in my head to life, and she couldn’t have done a more incredible job! She shared with me all the details of this project, and though it’s a little time consuming, the steps themselves are easy peasy.
For these sunroom curtain rods, she first purchased two long dark wooden rods, several packs of wooden rings, several brackets to hold them up, and several finials (the fancy things at the end of each rod). She got all of her wooden materials from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but you can find them at many stores. Before painting, she cut the two rods to make six equal pieces.
Using a small $12 jar of Annie Sloan’s Arles paint (a shade of their yellow/goldish paint), she quickly slapped on one light messy coat on all the pieces.
I was surprised at first when she said she didn’t need another coat, but she claims that doing that initial light messy coat goes hand in hand with the future distressing. She was definitely right!
After letting the pieces dry, she slowly worked a thin layer of Annie Sloan Clear Wax into each piece with a cheesecloth. Letting these dry overnight is key!
Once the sun came up the next morning it was time to distress! Using a medium level sandpaper, she slowly started lightly distressing each piece one by one. On some pieces she did a much heavier distress but on other pieces she just lightly touched it. The beauty of distressing is that it’s hard to mess up!
After wiping down each piece, it was time to pick up her can of Annie Sloan dark wax and her Annie Sloan wax brush. A little bit of dark wax goes a really, really long way, so definitely take your time with this wax if you’ve never used it before. She gave each piece a thin coat of the dark wax before working it in and ultimately wiping it off with another cheesecloth.
The final step of creating these rods only involves a little patience. My MIL can’t stress enough how important it is to give each coat of wax a full night to dry and cure.
On Monday it was time to hang! Once the rods were up, she tied up these 84″ Sheer Voile Tie Top Curtain Panels that she found on Amazon. I’m obsessed with the light and airy feel that the sheer panels give the room. I’m loving the tie tops as well!
Here’s a couple before and after shots of the major changes the sunroom has gone through the last four months. I didn’t a get a “before” shot until after I’d already painted the first coat on the walls back in September, but you get the idea. The room was originally a pale yellow.
And my favorite room today!
I can’t wait to show you what’s been going on in Hadley’s room too!
These sunroom curtain rods are easy to create but make a big impact. Your guest will be turning one's heads quickly to ask "Where did you get those rods?" Full list of sources and tons of pictures in this post. See the drastic before and after transformation!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

PS: More from our Kansas home tour

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