Acrylic Curtain Rods (Everything You Need to Know!)

Acrylic curtain rods with brass hardware… could there be a more gorgeous combination?! If you’re looking for curtain rods that add style and glamour to your home, they’re it! I hung acrylic curtain rods and patterned drapes above the large window in our home office and couldn’t be happier with the new look of this space.

Today I’m sharing everything you need to know about acrylic curtain rods and all of your options for DIYing and buying them. Let’s get to it… (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})

Want to first see how they look in our home office? I wish I could have you all over to see the acrylic curtain rods in person because the pics honestly don’t do them justice:

Sources:  Desk (similar)  |  Upholstered chair (similar)  |  Rug  |  Semi flush mount ceiling light  |  Drapes – no longer available

I love how they stand out against our black walls and add a touch of glam! Before I decided to go with acrylic curtain rods, I did my research to make sure they would be able to span our long window without sagging and. that they would hold up over time. Here’s what I found through my research and also my own personal experience.

Are All Acrylic Rods the Same Quality?

Nope! There are two basic types of acrylic – cast acrylic and extruded acrylic. Cast acrylic is made by pouring the acrylic liquid ingredients into molds where it hardens as it cools. Extruded acrylic is made by pushing acrylic mass through a form to produce a seamless shape (think Playdoh Fun Factory if you’re old enough to remember that!).

Which is better? Cast acrylic is the superior type of acrylic and much more expensive than extruded acrylic. It’s stronger, clearer, more rigid, and won’t break down or yellow when exposed to sunlight. Definitely the better choice for curtain rods and what I went with for mine:

Where Can I Buy Acrylic Curtain Rods?

I bought my acrylic rod from Nationwide Plastics (now Curbell Plastics) {here}. They sell the higher quality cast acrylic at a less expensive price than you can get at a design shop because you’re skipping the middle man. Their rods come in lengths up to 96″ long with diameter options ranging from 0.5″ to 2″. I usually choose 1″ curtain rods, but ordered a 1 ½″ acrylic rod in this case, figuring it would be more rigid and less likely to bend under the weight of heavy drapes. While you have to buy the full rod from Curbell, they will cut the rod to the specific length you want.

What if you need a rod that’s greater than 96″? You’ll need to splice two rods together. Curbell Plastics can machine a special end that allows the two rods to connect for an additional (not cheap!) fee. It’s best to put this joint in the middle so that it’s hidden by a center bracket (for ex., if you need a 120″ rod, join two 60″ rods so the joint is in the middle).

You’ll also need to decide whether you’re going to use end caps on your rods or not because if not, you’ll want to select the option with polished ends that’s an additional $15.

Another option for high quality cast acrylic rods is the Etsy shop Lux Holdups that you can find {here}. Their rods are more expensive but they’re one stop shopping and have a gorgeous product. Your brackets are included with the rod (you have your choice of polished brass, satin brass, polished nickel, and satin nickel), the rod ends are polished so you don’t have to add end caps unless you want to, and they sell curtain rings {here} that are a perfect finish match to the brackets. They also sell rectangular curtain rods {here} with rectangular rings {here} which I think are super cool:

Other sources include acrylic rod and bracket sets from Ballard Design {here} and Amazon {here}. They don’t note the type of acrylic their rods are made from. If any of you have tried either of these, please share your thoughts!

Where I Bought My Rings, Brackets, & End Caps

If you buy your acrylic curtain rod from Curbell Plastics, you’ll need to source your rings, brackets, and end caps on your own. I chose polished brass for my metal finish. I needed three support brackets (two on the ends and one in the middle) and went with the Lavi Industries 00-340/1H brass railing brackets that you can find {here} and {here}. These supports fit my 1.5″ rod perfectly!

I used these brackets to hang my acrylic rod about halfway between the top of the window molding and the bottom of the the crown molding. See my post on how high to hang curtains for more tips on the best height to hang your own acrylic rods.

I bought my 2 ¼″ polished brass curtain rings from Van Dyke’s Restorer’s {here} – they are the perfect size for a 1 ½″ rod.

The price on these curtain rings has gone up a lot since I bought them so you might want to shop around a little for less expensive polished brass rings. {These 2″ gold curtain rings} that I used for a different project might be worth a try.

I bought {these 2″ end caps} that were a little looser than I would have liked so I put some double-sided duct tape on the inside which worked fine for keeping them in place (and FYI, the 1 ½″ end caps of this style were too small so don’t try those!):

Since they didn’t fit as snuggly as I’d like, the next time I buy acrylic rod hardware, I would go a different route and instead order {these end caps} or {these end caps} that are sized to fit a 1 ½″ rod perfectly.

Be aware that a brass finish from one manufacturer can be different from the brass finish of another manufacturer so when you piece your hardware together from different shops, they probably won’t match perfectly. If that’s going to bother you, pay a little more and get your brackets, rings, and endcaps all from one place such as {this Etsy shop}. Or you can use one of the many Rub ‘n Buff colors on everything so they’re all one unified color.

Will My Acrylic Rod Sag Over Time

I had our acrylic rods for over five years before we moved from this house and can happily report that they held up really well. There was a barely noticeable sag between the brackets a few years after I got my rods so I simply rotated the rod in the brackets 180 degrees and that totally took care of it. Also, there was no yellowing of the acrylic during that five years. I would absolutely buy the same acrylic rods again!

So what do you all think? Are acrylic rods for you?