How to Make a Shower Curtain Rod

Shower Curtain Rod Raw Materials

Making a shower curtain rod with tree branches is a unique way of showing your eco-consciousness while underscoring the use of natural materials that are easily replenished in nature. When you follow these simple steps you are treated to a shower curtain rod about which you can truthfully say that there is only one of its kind in this world—in your bathroom!

Things You'll Need

• Pad and pencil
• Measuring tape
• Shower curtain rings
• Guiding rod
• Dried branches
• Liquid nails
• Screws and screwdriver
• Clamps
• Polyurethane sealer

Instructions

1. Decide on the basic design of the shower curtain rod: straight or curved. The straight rod dominates the bathroom arena and as such contributes to the look and feel this room will have. A curved rod adds a distinct round feature to the restroom, and in addition, the rounded rod provides additional shoulder room inside the shower.

2. Measure the distance from wall to wall. For a rounded shower curtain rod, bring out the measuring tape and record the measurement on the notepad. Sketch a blueprint with respect to the exact curvature and where it begins to taper back to normal. Use this as a guide when locating the raw materials for the show curtain rod.

3. Pick out the shower curtain rings. Although this may look like putting the horse before the cart, having the rings handy in effect limits the circumference of the finished shower curtain rod and therefore also determines the number and size of branches you can use.

4. Purchase a guiding rod. This may be any thin cylinder-shaped wand that you may cut to the exact length of the finished shower curtain rod to be. The goal is to attach the branches to the rod or wind them around to provide the inner support of your creation. Once you are done with the branches, the odds are good that the wand cannot be seen with the naked eye anymore.

5. Locate dried branches and work with them to underscore your whimsical bathroom design or to craft a straightforward shower curtain rod that is unique in its functionality. Intertwine dried branches and glue them inconspicuously at connecting points with liquid nails.

6. Clamp the glued branches until the liquid nails glue has done its job. For larger branches it is a good idea to reinforce the liquid nails with wood screws.

7. Paint the entire shower curtain rod with polyurethane and let it dry. If you used real branches, turn it over and repeat the process. The second coating will make up for the missed spots the first time around. Although it might be tempting to opt for the high gloss, going with a satin instead preserves the integrity of the coloring while directing the eye toward the entirety of the curtain rod—both style and color.

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the bark on the branches for a unique dark look. If you must strip it off, use a utility knife with a new blade.

• Apply the polyurethane with a sprayer if you have one since this will virtually guarantee that it gets in all the little nooks and crannies.

• While you may go out and collect your own branches and then dry them, some vendors sell them--that is, if you want to go the artificial route!

• Always carve with the knife going away from you when removing bark from branches.

Resources

• EarthFlora.com carries an amazing array of artificial branches.
• Real branches for sale here.