No Sew Drop Cloth Curtains and Budget Rods

I’m getting so close to finishing up my screen porch. I know you guys are waiting for the big reveal but I wanted to share one last DIY before you get to see it all come together. Since we don’t have a three season porch, only screens, I decided to add inexpensive drop cloth curtains lined with shower curtain liners. By adding the shower curtains with liners I am hoping to extend the use of our porch further into the fall and also keep it warm enough that my plants will survive the winter. Since we live in South Carolina I don’t need a ton of insulation just enough to get us through the few days that temperatures may drop below freezing.

Here is what you’ll need to begin

Materials: (This list contains affiliate links)

Curtains

Rods

3/4″ Metal Conduit – length depends on your needs
3/4″ Rigid Clamps
3/4″ Coupling (if needed for longer length)
Tubing cutter (if cutting is needed)
Wood screws

Design (optional)

Frog Tape (any size)
Ruler or Tape measure
Black Paint

Let’s start with the curtain construction. I bought 6’x9′ drop clothes because my largest screen size was just over 8′ tall and about 11′ wide. By using two drop cloth panels I can cover the screens completely when the curtains are closed. (The drop clothes come in different sizes so you can choose which works best for you.) Since 9′ was too long, rather than cutting and having to hem the drop cloths, I simply folded over the amount that they needed to be shortened at the top creating an overlapping valance. I then added eyelets along that top edge using an Exacto knife to cut small holes and then a hammer and eyelet setter to set the eyelets.

Since I decided to line my curtains with shower curtain liners I used the shower curtain liner as my guide on where to set my eyelets by laying the drop cloth on top and marking the placement. (Note: I did have to trim down the shower curtain to match the size of the drop cloth.)

Now it’s time to decorate. I chose to do a band of black along the edge of my valance and a wider band at the bottom of my curtains but you can get as creative as you like.

Using your ruler and Frog tape I masked off the section you want to paint.

I used black chalk paint thinned 1 to 1 with water to paint in my taped-off stripes. Be patient here, it takes a bit of work to get full coverage on the fabric.

Once you have the stripes filled in remove the tape

You should have perfect stripes. Once they are dry they are ready to hang.

For the curtain rod, I used 3/4″ Metal Conduit from the hardware store. This is super inexpensive and comes in 5′ and 10′ lengths which run about $2.50 and $3.50 each. You will find this in the electrical section of your hardware store.

To hang them I used 3/4″ Rigid Clamps and a wood screw. These claps are under $1 and work perfectly to attach the conduit to wood framing.

I spray-painted mine black but they work nicely left silver as well. The conduit should resist rust for several years so it is perfect for use outdoors.

For rod lengths over 10′ you can use a 3/4″ Coupling at the center of the rod to connect two pieces of conduit. If you do this be sure to support the connection point on either side with a clamp. If you need to cut any of your lengths you can do so with a tubing cutter or see if the hardware store will cut it for you.