Category: Making

In Part I of this series, you got a glimpse of how Brianna and I transformed our bare bones bathrooms with fixtures constructed out of black iron pipe.  In Part II we tackled an affordable way to craft standard and extra-long curtain rods in our living room.  Here in Part III we’ll take you upstairs and show you how you can continue this theme by installing industrial banisters sturdy enough to handle everything our four boys can throw at them.

Industrial Banisters

The one accent that we wanted to add to our home “just because” was an industrial banister.  It wasn’t a need at the time, but we were really digging the theme that we’d started and the standard white painted banisters just weren’t doing it for us.  They were cheap, construction-grade quality, and after two days had gauges and chips in the paint from moving in.  Imagine what that while would look like after daily use from a family of 5 and a half – Ick!  So in a bold leap of faith, we tore down the two existing banisters, plastered and painted the walls, and attempted a statement piece by using 1-1/4″ black iron pipe to craft two new banisters.

Supplies

• 2 – 1-1/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 2 – “Close” x 1-1/4″ Welded Steel Nipples*
• 2 – 1-1/4″ 90-Degree Black Iron Elbow*
• 1 – 84″ x 1-1/4″ Black Iron Pipe
• 8 – Heavy Duty Drywall Anchors

Assembly and Installation

Fortunately, assembly and installation is super easy.  That is, assuming you have a helping hand…  Preferably one that won’t get upset at you easily when you slip up and accuse her of not holding her mouth right.  (I promise, I really do love her.)

Step 1: Measure the Distance

Unlike the earlier projects, measure the distance you wish to cover first. Why? For this one, you’ll have to assemble everything before you mount anything to the wall.  By the time you add in additional the pipe fittings, you can expect the final piece to be 2-4″ longer than you measured.  Be sure to account for that when you head out to get your pipe.

Step 2: Assemble your Banister

1. Connect a nipple to a flange.
2. Connect an elbow to the other side of the nipple.
3. Hand-tighten everything, then back it out just a little bit.  You’ll need a little flexibility to achieve the right angle when mounting your new banister to the wall.

Step 3: With a Willing Partner, Mount your Banister

I cannot stress how important it is to have 1) Someone’s Help, and 2) Heavy Duty Drywall Anchors during this process.  If you don’t have either, don’t proceed until you do.  Pipe of this width and length is heavy and awkward to handle.  We don’t want you to get hurt or damage your walls before you get to enjoy your new banister – after all, you’re so close to being done!

1. With your partner, hold your new banister against the wall in the location that you’d like to mount it.
   • If you slightly loosened your elbows in Step 2 you should be able to get the perfect angle you’re looking for.  The fact that there is some wiggle room in the pipe parts won’t matter as soon as you have it mounted to the wall.
2. Using a pen, pencil, crayon, etc., mark the hole locations of the flanges on each end.
3. Remove the banister and drill out each hole as per the instructions on the drywall anchors you purchased.
   • Note: The anchors we purchased could sustain a sheering force of up to 142 pounds.  Each.  Yes, this was necessary; we have 4 boys.
4. Install the drywall anchors as per the provided instructions.
5. Nicely ask your partner to help hold the banister back up to the exact previous location and screw the banister to the wall/anchors.

Step 4: Cleanup and Admiration

Initially the pipe may be a little gunky and dirty from the hardware store.  Give it a good wipe down.  If it still feels a little odd to the touch, apply the secret rub:  Wax Paper.  Take a length of wax paper, wrap it around the banister, and (yes, I’m going to say it) wax your rod.  After you finish, it – and you – will feel much better.  Grab a beer, stand back, and admire your work.

Total Cost: $40.99 each

In Part I of this series, you got a glimpse of how Brianna and I transformed our bare bones bathrooms with fixtures constructed out of black iron pipe.  Here in Part II we’ll take you further into our home and show you how you can use these same fittings to construct both standard and extra-long curtain rods throughout your/our living room.

Standard Length Curtain Rods

Curtain rods are never hard to find in a big box store.  They are typically offered in 10-25 different styles for anywhere from $5 to $50.  For most, people can find what they’re looking for in these venues.  But not us.  No, we can’t be that simple.  We wanted something to match what was in our minds, and what we saw on the market just wasn’t doing it for us.  And neither were the prices.  A minimum of $25 per rod for something “substantial” isn’t cheap, and that wasn’t going to cut it for our limited “we just moved into a new house and have nothing” budget.  It was at this point that we decided to pull the theme from upstairs down.  Bring on the black iron pipe and fittings!

First we had to construct two standard length curtain rods for the windows on either side of the fireplace.  I came up with a simple design and mounting system, got Brianna’s approval (the most important step of any project), then ordered my supplies.

Supplies

• 2 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 2 – 2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 2 – 3/4″ Black Iron Tee*
• 2 – 1/2″ Black Pipe Cap*
• 1 – 28″ x 1/2″ Black Iron Pipe (Note: this length should be determined halfway through installation.  Don’t try to do it ahead of time.  Trust me.)

Assembly and Installation

Yes, my supply list is right; I am going to use 1/2″ gauge pipe with 3/4″ pipe fittings.  How?!  Why?! Keep reading….

Step 1: Build and Mount your Brackets

This part is easy.  (Actually the whole thing is easy. And cheap.)

1. Connect a nipple to a flange.
2. Connect a tee to the other side of the nipple.
3. Hand-tighten everything
4. Mount the bracket you just hand crafted (go you!) to the wall at a level you see fit.

To mount, we used bronze/black square head screws to complete the industrial look.  Try to find a stud if you can, or use appropriate drywall anchors to ensure a snug, secure fit.  Make sure the tee runs horizontal to the floor; miss this step, and well, you’ll have a great towel holder that’s just out of reach for your guests.  If you end up here you should be able to tighten or loosen things just enough to get you back to good.

Step 2: Determine the Length of your Rod

Yes, you could have done this earlier, but trust me, you’ll be much happier with the end result if you wait until now to measure the length of pipe you’ll need to complete your curtain rod. Measure the distance between the outside edges of your tees.  To that distance, add an absolute minimum of 3″ so that your pipe can overhang and be capped.  For our installations, we added 6″ total giving us 3″ of overhang on each end.

Step 3: Slide your Rod into the Holes

Slide your length of 1/2″ rod into your 3/4″ tee.  The 1/2″ rod will fit easily through the tee and allow for easy adjustment back and forth while you to get your curtain(s) in place.  Now do you see why we went with 1/2′ pipe?

To install your curtains, insert one side of your rod into an open tee, slide your curtain onto the rod, and then pull the pipe back into place so that it rests in the unoccupied tee.  When complete, install the pipe caps on either end, and voila!

Total cost per standard rod: $11.67

Extra-Long Curtain Rods

We’ve always loved the idea of being able to completely transform a room’s feel and appearance as day turned to night.  The front wall of our home has two tall windows whose total span (windows and wallspace) covers more than 12′.  After some convincing, Brianna sold me on the idea of floor to ceiling curtains that would span the entire wall.  Here’s a preview:

During the day we’d let the light shine in.  At night, we’d close the curtains and have a wall of fabric.  However, to make this happen, we needed to find a 12′-long curtain rod.  After a bit of searching, we weren’t coming up with anything for less than $120.  Time to build our own!

Supplies

• 3 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 3 – 2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 2 – 3/4″ Black Iron Tee*
• 1 – 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 3/4″ Black Iron Reducing Tee*
• 2 – 1/2″ Black Pipe Cap
• 2 – 68″ x 1/2″ Black Iron Pipe

Assembly and Installation

This project follows the standard rod build instructions for the most part, but has a twist in the middle.  Here goes:

Step 1: Build and Mount your Outside Brackets

1. Connect a nipple to a flange.
2. Connect a 3/4″ tee to the other side of the nipple.
3. Hand-tighten everything
4. Mount the brackets you just hand crafted to the wall at a level you see fit.

Use the same screws as before, and again, make sure the tee runs horizontal to the floor.

Step 2: Build and Mount your Inside Bracket

1. Connect a nipple to a flange.
2. Connect the special 3/4″ x 1/2″ x 1/2″ tee to the other side of the nipple.
3. Hand-tighten everything
4. Mount this bracket centered between the two mounts you’ve already installed. Same height.  Still horizontal to the floor.

Step 3: Determine the Length of your Rods

Measure the distance between the outside edges of your tees to the close edge of the center support tee.  To that distance, add an absolute minimum of 2″ so that your pipe can overhang and be capped.  For our installations, we added 4″ total giving us 3″ of overhang on each end and 1″ to screw into the center tee.

Step 4: Slide your Rods into their Holes

Slide a length of 1/2″ pipe into your 3/4″ tee.  Again, the 1/2″ rod will fit easily through the tee and allow for easy adjustment back and forth while you to get your curtain(s) in place.  When your curtain on and ready to go, slide the rod back towards the center support and screw the 1/2″ pipe into the 1/2″ tee opening.  Repeat for the other side of your new, nearly complete extra-long curtain rod. And oh yeah, cap the ends when complete!

Total cost for the extra-long curtain rod: $25.05

 The Completed Whole-Room Look

Coming up in Part III

In Part III we’ll take you upstairs and show you how we’ve continued our theme in our stairwell by swapping out the existing construction-grade banisters and creating our own.  This pop of style is both eye catching, functional, and can handle anything our four boys can throw at it!

 

When Brianna and I first moved into our home, our décor could only be described as “New Construction Chic” – otherwise known as a completely blank slate. While the home was outfit with oil rubbed bronze faucets and a few single-bulb Edison light fixtures, there wasn’t a single other fitting or furnishing in our home. Without window coverings, our living room, bedrooms, and bathrooms (oh my!) were like fish bowls, towel/toilet paper holders were non existent, and without shower curtains things were going to get very smelly very quickly.

We knew that we wanted to extend the oil rubbed bronze and Edison theme further into our home, and given everything stated above, we had to act fast. There are plenty of curtain rods, toilet paper holders, and shower curtain rods out there on the market to choose from that would match the small amount of existing décor, but neither of us was willing to fork over $20-$40 per fixture to make this happen. After all, we had 4 windows that needed immediate covering, needed 3 toilet paper holders, one towel holder, and two shower curtain rods. At best these finishes would have cost us well over $250 (yikes!). Fortunately, we’re DIYers!

In this first of two posts you’ll learn how we added industrial finishes to our bathrooms by building creative shower curtain rods, toilet paper holders, and hand towel holders through the use of black iron pipe.

Transforming New Construction Bathrooms

We could live with people seeing in the living room for the time being. We could use the bathroom downstairs, set toilet paper on the floor, and close the door for privacy. But we could NOT take a shower without a shower curtain. So let’s begin there….

Master Bathroom: Curved Shower Curtain Rod

Shower rod selection can be a real PITA. Each shower in our home is a shower/tub combo. The one thing neither of us wanted was to take a shower and get surprised when the cold, wet shower curtain decided to sneak up and give you a nice mid-shower hug. The problem is that our master bathroom didn’t lend well to installing a curved shower rod without the need to drill through tile – and neither of us wanted to do that. In addition, the master closet door frame is immediately adjacent to the shower, and we didn’t want to mount a rod there either. We had quite the conundrum on our hands. In the end, we decided to build our own L-shaped shower curtain rod that would avoid the need to drill into the existing tile and fall above the closet door’s frame. Now… for supplies!

Supplies
Zoro.com* is THE source for affordable black iron pipe fittings. Yes, most of your big box home improvement stores will carry a selection of these type fittings, but man are they expensive! Zoro offers a superior selection for less than half the cost.

For the master bathroom shower curtain rod we purchased:

• 2 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 1 – 3/4″ 90-Degree Black Iron Elbow*
• 1 – 2-1/2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 50″ x 3/4″ Black Iron Pipe (Lowe’s)

When buying black iron pipe from your big box store, they typically carry two different grades of pipe; one for general use, the other for well water use. At a cost of around $13 for a 10-foot pipe, the lower grade pipe is substantially cheaper and perfect for this type of project. And better yet, most retailers offers free pipe cutting and threading as a service, thereby allowing you to complete multiple projects for the price of one length of pipe. I bet you can’t see where we’re going with this one… Determining the appropriate length can be a bit tricky, as you have to take into account the depths and lengths of whatever fittings you use in your project. For this project, you really need to measure the distance between the elbow and the opposite flange to determine how long of a pipe section you need – and then add at least 1/4″ – 1/2″.

Putting it all Together
Assembly of these components is easy and should be completed prior to the installation of any piece of hardware. I cannot stress this point enough. There’s no need to crank your fittings super tight – simply hand tightening them will be sufficient. I got a little overzealous about getting something hung and ready for use and forgot this very important piece of information. I soon found myself taking pieces down and redoing them…. Lesson learned.

To mount, we used bronze/black square head screws to complete the industrial look.

The end result was just what we hoped to achieve. Assembly and installation took all of 5 minutes and the total cost for the master shower curtain rod came to a very reasonable $12.94 – much better than $37.99 for a comparable rod at a big box store!

Guest Bathroom: Straight Shower Curtain Rod

Our guest bathroom has your standard shower stall setup and was therefore much easier to complete. Although we still had the “I don’t want to drill into tile” issue like we did in the master bath, there were no door frames or moldings to contend with. So in order to achieve the extra distance between us and the often huggable shower curtain, we simply crafted a standard shower curtain rod and installed it a few more inches away from the shower/tub threshold.

Supplies
The supply list for the guest bathroom shower curtain rod included:

• 2 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 1 – 47″ x 3/4″ Black Iron Pipe (Lowe’s)

Assembly and Installation
Again, assemble everything prior to installation. My advice on a standard rod like this is to hand-tighten your flanges to your length of pipe, put the rod into place, and then loosen your flanges a bit with the rod in position. This method will ensure a tight fit of your rod prior to finishing your installation with screws (and drywall anchors if necessary).

Again, thrilled with the final product. Total cost: $9.90

Toilet Paper Holders

We’re not the type of people that want to have to constantly perform the reach around (or down) to grab a roll of toilet paper. So in keeping with our theme, we decided to build unique toilet paper holders for each of our 2.5 bathrooms. Crafting these babies can be a lot of fun, as the options and styles are nearly endless. Our designs fit any standard size roll insert and can handle the overall width of the largest rolls on the market (I’m thinking about the roll extenders that Charmin once provided – totally not necessary here!)

In the end, we crafted three different styles of toilet paper holders:

Style 1 Supplies (from Zoro.com*)

• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 1 – 2-1/2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ 90-Degree Black Iron Elbow*
• 1 – 6″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Cap*
• Total cost: $5.38

Style 2 & 3 Supplies

• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 2 – 2-1/2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ 90-Degree Black Iron Elbow*
• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Tee*
• 1 – 6″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Cap*
• Total cost: $6.94 each

Assembly and Installation
As before, assemble everything prior to installation. Give everything a really good hand-tightening! Mount your new fixture at a height and level that works for you. Try to mount to your new creation to a stud if possible, and if not, appropriately sized/weighted drywall anchors will do the trick.

Hand Towel Holders

Perhaps the simplest fixtures to craft, our hand towel holders are simple, functional, and add the perfect additional industrial pop to our bathrooms. We chose to install these in our guest bathrooms (there’s no where to do so in our master), and they always spark conversation after someone lifts a towel and sees what’s lying underneath.

Supplies

• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Floor Flanges*
• 1 – 2-1/2″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ 90-Degree Black Iron Elbow*
• 1 – 3″ x 3/4″ Welded Steel Nipple*
• 1 – 3/4″ Black Iron Cap*
• Total Cost: $5.01

Check out Part II in the series:

How to craft both standard and extra-long curtain rods to carry an industrial décor throughout your home.