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.
Want to save this post?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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?
CathyBoyer says
Thank you for your help with sourcing for DIY.
Kris Jarrett says
Yes, if you look at the Source List at the end of this post, there are links to my light and everything else in this space: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/house-tour-home-office/
Laurie Norris says
I just want to thank you for this post! I was getting ready to spend more than I wanted to when I found it. I got everything ordered today and am very excited about getting my master bedroom done. I appreciate your having all the links and info ?
Laurie Norris says
And btw, your office is beautiful!
Kris Jarrett says
I simply used double sided Duck tape to keep mine together! I also rarely open and close the drapes in that room so they don’t get jostled around very much!
Kris Jarrett says
Yes, the 1.5″ cap is meant to fit IN a hollow pipe, not over a pipe/rod so it would be too small.
Erin Wagner says
So I love the curtain rods. I want to do them over are accordion fold glass doors. However the opening is 144 inches and I was told that nationwide plastics acrylic rods don’t come in any great length than 8 ft.
Should I do only one support bracket in the middle? If so I could join equal lengths of the acrylic together. But if you think I need to support brackets I don’t know what lengths to have the rods cut.
What are your thoughts?
Kris Jarrett says
I’d probably do two equal sized rods. I’m guessing that for that distance you might end up needing three support brackets (one in the middle plus two more) but you could try it with just a single center bracket first and just add the other two if they have too much sag!
Kris Jarrett says
The brackets I used are made for a 1.5″ tube/rod so mine were a perfect fit!
Jenifer Andrews says
Hi there. Where did you get your brackets? I want to make sure they’ll fit the rod. Some places tell me acrylic can run big. Did you get 1.5 inch brackets?
Kris Jarrett says
The brackets I used are the exact ones I linked in the post 🙂
Carrie says
Hi Kris!
I love all of your spaces, but wanted to ask about the hardware choices you made to go with your acrylic rods. Why did you select the 2″ end cap as opposed to the 1.5″ end cap since the rod is 1.5″? Also, why did you choose to use the curtain rings instead of having your panels made with grommets? I’m worried if I use rings, they will pull out over time with opening and closing my panels. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Carrie
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Carrie! The 1.5″ cap doesn’t fit (too small). And I just used rings out of personal preference – I’ve just never been much of a fan of the grommet look but either would work equally well!!
Kris Jarrett says
Lori when I got mine they didn’t have an option of a connector so I don’t have one. I used double stick duct tape to join them in the middle and they’ve never come apart. That being said, I don’t open and close those drapes frequently – if you do, they’d be more likely to wiggle apart.
Steph says
Hi Kris! I adore this look and actually am doing a similar look in my formal dining room. We’re having troubles installing the brackets though. Were you able to use a drill to get them in the wall or did you use a screwdriver? The access to the mounting seems to be a bit challenging and wondered f you had any suggestions. Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
I just used a screwdriver 🙂
Kristin says
Love this post! Great pictures highlighting your project. Do you have to install the brackets into a stud or can they go into the drywall directly using anchors? I have 120″ rod and planned on 3 brackets (2side, 1 center). Some sources say that the brackets should be every 4 feet to prevent bowing of the rod- so in my case it would mean 4 brackets which would look less visually pleasing PLUS i’d have to use C-rings, which I am trying to avoid. Nationwide plastics said 3 brackets would be fine- so wondering your opinion.
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Kristin! All of mine are simply anchored into drywall because I didn’t want the studs to dictate where I placed the brackets. I think that 120″ is right on the borderline for three brackets vs. four.
Patience says
Love this and how it ties everything together in your office.
I have a question; since the brass supports you are using are actually for railing and they have no tightening screw, how do you keep the rod from moving when you draw the curtains?
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Patience! Honestly I’ve thought about that – I don’t know why the rod doesn’t move around but it doesn’t! Maybe because it’s a fairly snug fit in the supports!
Tisa says
Love! Going to attempt this! Do you think any polished gold rings will work or are these worth it. They are still a little pricey at 34$ for 6. I need 84 rings so that’s almost 500$ in rings.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Tisa,
They are definitely pricey! If you can find other gold rings that size I think they’d be fine – at the time that I did this project the ones I used were the cheapest I could find but that was a few years ago. 🙂
Jennifer says
Hi. Your rods look gorgeous, and I’m inspired to try this for the new apartment I just moved to. One quick question before I attempt this: I noticed you got the 1.5″ rods and the 1.5″ brackets. Is that a typo? I’m wondering because if the diameter is exactly the same, I’m concerned that the rod might be too tight to fit through the bracket (or if it fits, that it might scuff up the rods). Thoughts? Thanks much!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Jennifer! It’s not a type-o – I used the 1.5″ rods and brackets and had no problem!
Kris Jarrett says
I don’t have any true “connector” putting mine together where they meet at that center bracket – I actually just used double sided Duck Tape to stick them together! I’ve never had any problems but I also rarely close those drapes so there’s not a lot of movement. If it’s a room where you’re opening and closing your drapes daily, you could have issues with those two rods working their way out of that center connector.
Jenn says
Hi Kris,
Thanks for all your help so far! One last question (since we hit pause on the project a few months ago and are just now ready to order the rods):
We’ve decided we want to order one of these for our office, too. The walls are weird in there, so we have to mount it right inside the wood window frame. I’m having a hard time picturing what kind of hardware to mount it with since it has to be mounted directly into the wood at each side, so the rod won’t really be able to stick out. Do you think I should use a brass flange? Or something else? I’ve never done any home related projects like this, so I’m basically taking a shot in the dark.
If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them because you’re always so creative! But *no pressure* — I know that this is different than what you did and you’re under no obligation to find a solution for my weird window set-up.
Thanks!
Jenn
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Thais,
I didn’t have any similar installation problems but also never attempted to get them to go more than about 4-5 inches along the rod because that’s where I put my end brackets. My rod was too long for a single pole so for my middle support, it’s holding two rods (one from the left side and another from the right side) together so there was no need to slide it several feet down the rod. If you’re having a problem with that center support, you could consider cutting the rod right at that juncture and doing the same thing.
Jodi Wicks says
Hi!
Love the look and plan to replicate it in my reading room. My question for you is what color/brand is the paint on the walls?
Really beautiful!
Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you! It’s Benjamin Moore Nightfall!