In our tiny guest house project, I mentioned that I made a shower curtain rod from electrical conduit for a great industrial feel.
Not only did this give a cool style to the bathroom, but it is extremely affordable (under $25!) and can be shaped to any odd sized shower enclosure.
Really, this project can be used for any kind of curtain rod. it’s not just for showers. Let your imagination run free!
And the best part? Anyone can do this! Here’s how I did it:
The Materials
All these materials are available at your local home store.
- Galvanized electrical conduit (1/2″, 3/4″, 1″, etc. I used 3/4″)
- Conduit bender (available in matching sizes to the conduit)
- 2 female pipe fittings
- 2 conduit adapters
- Screws/anchors to attach the assembly to the wall
- Hack saw
The most expensive part is the conduit bender which can run about $50. However, if you don’t need to bend your conduit like I did for the neo-angle shower, then you can skip this item and step.
Honestly, I didn’t need the bender for anything other than this little project. So, I bent the conduit and then returned it to the store. (I know, I’m that guy!)
Step 1 Cut Your Conduit
Cut your conduit to length using the hack saw. Take into account the length that the adapter and pipe fittings will add. To figure this out, you’ll have to do a little dry fit.
Step 2 Bend The Metal
This is where you get to feel like Superman! Use the bender to shape the conduit into whatever shape you need. This one is a bit of trial and error if you are trying to match an exact angle like I was. Just keep bending till it’s perfect.
Step 3 Attach the Fittings
Attach the compression fittings, and then screw the whole assembly into the pipe fittings. Once the whole thing is assembled like in the picture, you’re ready to go.
Step 4 Mark the Wall
If you’re screwing into tile or drywall, you’ll need anchors. Level the assembled rod on the wall and mark where the anchors will go. If you’re screwing into the studs, you can just level the rod and screw it into the studs using 1 5/8″ galvanized screws. It’s a shower, so everything should be galvanized or it will rust. Note: It’s very important to set the rod at the correct height for your shower curtain!
That’s it! Now just pick out your shower curtains, and you are all set. You now have an inexpensive industrial looking shower curtain enclosure that can be custom fit to any size or shape shower.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
To answer “mj”: yes, it it possible to make a smooth full radius bend in galvanized rigid conduit. I did it for years as a construction electrician when we had to “stack” parallel runs of exposed conduit on the walls and on cable trays in industrial locations. But it requires careful calculations and spacings for multiple bending positions and a very tuned in experience with whatever bender is being used to get a precise arc. In the field we were mostly using larger mechanical or pneumatic benders. It isn’t something easily done by an amateur, but you might be able to find a retired “sparky” (like me) who would do it for you for a small fee.
You can also get pipes of various kinds custom fabricated by local metal shops, like the kinds who do exhaust pipes for custom cars. Companies that sell fencing are also a good source for pipe and fittings of various sizes. I built a heavy duty railing for the flight of 6 concrete steps that leads from my yard to the street by getting all the parts at a fencing company, galvanized metal pipe and base and angle fittings.
Wow Scott, you are a genius! Had our own pipe cutter and bender so this cost us around $10.00. I’m sure it’s sturdier than the store bought ones also. Thanks for the money saving tip!!!!
Wow Scott! What a genius. This worked too slick. Had our own bender n pipe cutter so cost of all materials was around $10.00. Thanks for such a money saving tip n I’m sure it’s much sturdier.
Oh, this blog is so informative. thanks for sharing nice article. now i properly understand how to attach shower curtains rods.
http://fissionreview.com/best-shower-curtains-rods/
I used 1″ pvc pipe and heated it over my gas grill to obtain the 2 -45 degree bends for my neo angle shower. painted it gloss black and installed it TOTAL COST $O.00
IT WAS ALL LEFT OVER MATERIALS
Interesting. How did you mounted it?
Amazing! I’ll be making this tonight. Just tweaked your design a bit for what my local home depot has:
galvanized conduit
Galvanized Iron Floor Fittings and insert adapters (I’ll wrap with plumbers tape and some plumbers paste)
Bonus, I have my own bender and hacksaw.
Thank-you!
Awesome Pam!
Thank you for this post! We followed your example exactly and it worked great!
I suppose I am so satisfied which you posted this! I actually have any such hard time locating new curtain rods that I like sounds totally weird, I know. With us transferring it is one of the things I am dreading most. These will be best for the lad’s room!
Do you think it would be possible to get a curved half circle with Conduit bender?
Neo angle shower rods are ridiculously expensive! The finishing touches in my shower will be brushed nickel. I found a heavy duty brushed nickel closet rod and the heavy duty supports for it, and will give it a shot! Worst case, it’ll rust after a few years. But, at $29 for the rod and $5 for the supports, can I go wrong? Also, with the ability to support 500#, I do not believe that I’ll need a center support for a “lightweight” shower curtain. The best part of my DIY renovations are the thousands of dollars I’ve saved purchasing furnishings, fixtures, tile, … from auction and the Habitat for Humanity Restore.
Hi Karen- I know this is a really old post but did your curtain rod plan work? I’d love to know for my own project!
Great Information. I was reading reviews on store bought neo angle shower rods and all of them had negative reviews and all suggested to use the center support rod. I found all the parts at my local hardware store and was very simple to install and looks great and is durable.
Hi Scott,
I really enjoyed this post and tried very hard to do this project but I had a very difficult time with a couple of the pieces. The conduit was the easy part (although you may want to warn people it comes in a very long length – our hardware store only had 10 foot lengths) – and the fittings…well, that was where we couldn’t get there. One of the parts is called a flange (for those who don’t know) and I never found the compression fittings/conduit adapters you mentionned. Do they have a proper name? I found similar, but only in brass and not in a stainless/chrome finish. Anyways, the project unfortunately was abandoned (we sadly opted for a kit that has to be adjusted as our desired curtain rod was only 17″) I hope for others you may be able to clarify a little bit more clearly. Wonderful blog though!