How To Pick Out The Perfect Wood Curtain Rod For Applying Your Own Faux-Finish Or Custom Stain   by Nathan Cole

in Home / Interior Design    (submitted 2012-02-08)

If you're after a totally custom look for your window treatment, finding an unfinished drapery rod and painting or staining it yourself is a great technique to try. You'll want to carefully plan out exactly what kind of pole you're going to buy and think about the style of finish you're going to use before you begin a project like this. All curtain poles are not created equal. Learning a little more about your drapery pole's construction will help you determine if it's appropriate for your project.

Be certain that the drapery pole you select is made from a solid piece of wood if you are going to apply a custom stain.

Many shoppers don't understand that low-cost department store or home improvement store drapery rods are generally made out of several pieces of wood joined together. The joints used to mend several pieces of wood together present a big problem if you would like to add your own stain. However, for a factory finished rod, it's no problem. Joining wood with finger joints is the most common method used when combining several sections together to make a drapery rod. These joints become undetectable when painted, but the reverse is true if you stain them. Staining a wood pole with finger joints can make the edges of the joint very apparent and it will mess up your stain finish. Be certain your unfinished drapery pole does not have any finger joints by carefully examining the grain of the wood. If you're still unsure, ask the vendor about the construction of the pole before buying it.

If you're going to make a fabric wrap treatment, finding a lower cost wood dowel from a home improvement store to use for your drapery rod may be an alternative.

You can save lots of money by opting for a wood dowel, but you should be certain that the treatment you're making will totally cover the dowel. Wood dowels may have a rough appearance that's definitely not appropriate for stain or paint because they're not constructed from premium cuts of wood. And, bending or bowing over time is a consistent problem with wood dowels. As the wood ages and cures, the dowel may distort. Nonetheless, the fabric wrapped around it will hide this flaw as long as the bowing is minimal. These pieces truly aren't intended to be used in a decorative window treatment and they might not hold up well as time passes. So, bear this in mind when you consider the wood dowel alternative.

Faux-finishing or painting a drapery rod is one of the best ways to add your personal touch to your curtain hardware.

When you paint or faux-finish, just about any unfinished drapery pole will work great. Because painting will hide any finger joints, finding a low-cost drapery pole is definitely a possibility for faux-finishing. Resin is normally used in the making of most accessory items like decorative rings and holdbacks. When used on resin items, stain or paint generally appears somewhat different.

Having precisely what you would like is very easy when you decide to paint or stain your wooden drapery rod. When you buy your unfinished drapery pole, make sure you remember the tips about rod construction. See if you can get a pole a little bit bigger than what you need to make sure you get everything just the way you want. Cut the pole to your finished size and use the drop-off for experimenting with your paint or stain technique.

About the Author

Nathan has been working with Curtain Rods for more than ten years. Through that period, he has helped many homeowners and interior designers pick the best Drapery Hardware for their home or project. If you need help with your window design, go to one of Nathan's web pages, Designer Drapery Hardware.com or Curtain Rod Sets.com