Shower curtain/coat rod – what material
Two different rods but same issue. I need something that is durable.
Shower rod – I’ve gone thru 2 of the
expandable rods from Home Depot.&
#160; We have plastic shower curtain rings and even those wear the finish off the rod to the point where the rods start to rust.
What material/where can I find a quality rod to use? I have ceramic tile on the walls and have a tile bit to drill with if necessary. I’m fine with a “permanent” fixed wall mount as long as the rod is durable. My sister in law has had the same rod in her bathroom for ~7 years now and it’s held up well. The only problem is that it looks like a cheap galvanized pipe (maybe it is). I want something that looks nicer.
Coat closet rod – I’m renovating my foyer and need to fix up the coat closet. It has a beat up looking thick wood bar. The hangers are the standard wood coat hangers with metal hooks. They’ve beat up the rod fairly well.
I plan on rebuilding the wood shelf in the closet and trimming it out nicely. I need to find a good rod material.
Metal? – I thought of using the same metal rod that you use with the wire shelving systems. Problem is that the finish doesn’t stand up well to the metal hanger hooks.
Wood? – Would a new wooden rod painted and then coated with a clear water-based poly hold up?
Galvanized pipe with epoxy spray paint?
What else?
Replies
shower- stainless steel. I like the curved ones that give you more room.
closet- powder coated steel. Who is looking that close at the rod!!? Get enough stuff hung and you'll not see the rod for the forest of clothing.
Those curved rods don't work well in a small bathroom, where the toilet is right next to the tub.
I too am looking for a good permanent mount straight shower rod.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
I do quite a bit of work for a nearby resort where things have to look good and be idiot-proof. For shower curtains I use 1" stainless pipe attached by stainless mounts commonly used for boat railings. Its a bit pricey, but comparable to the curved rod.
My wife has been waving the Sears catalogue at me while I write this. It has one with two straight bars so that you can have a liner or hang towels. (Sears # 963 028 364) Looks nice.
I'll look for SS and pc rod. Haven't seen any powder coated stuff at HD or Lowes.
Any idea where I can buy one w/o spending an arm and a leg by going to a metal workshop? As you said, it is afterall just a coat closet.
BTW, the closet is packed tight with coats but since they are big puffy coats, you can see the rod very clearly since the hanger hooks are spread out.
K&V make nice chrome ones. The ones at my place are at least several years old and holding up well.
I stayed in a motel last fall with one of these:
http://www.arcsandangles.com//simpleProduct.aspx?CS_Catalog=THE+ARC&CS_ProductID=The+ARC+Shower+Bar
and put it straight on my shopping list. A matter of taste, I suppose, but it's just what I need.
That I remembered the product name just now is nothing short of a miracle.
What an interesting shower rod!
1" EMT - the steel tubing used by electricians - makes an excellent closet rod. Otherwise ... where did you get the idea that 'metal shops' were expensive? I've dealt with shops that do powder coating ... maybe 'paint shop' or 'powder coat shop' would be a better term - and they're not expensive at all! For a short shower curtain rod, I might try #5 or #6 rebar, covered with electrical shrink tubing.
My house is kind of a log/timberframe hybrid with some native stone work, so a lot of the accessories and hardware and decor lean toward the hand-forged style, but DW got a pretty heavy duty telescoping shower rod of black powder-coated steel(that screws to the doorway) from Pottery Barn, IIRC.
But you can also have one made of your own design in a fab shop of SS or mild steel and have it powder coated.
You can also get curtain hooks that have little roller beads on them so that they roll when you open and close the shower curtain, instead of scraping along the rod.
Brass with the roller rings. Last long time.
KK
http://www.signaturehardware.com/product2840
I've had the same shower curtain rod now for 8 years, with three little ones putting it to the test and no problem at all. However, it's a bit of a Rube Goldberg but a bomb-proof one.
It's black anodized aluminum extrusion that used to be a section of a jib roller-furling system on a sailboat. Super strong, 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. Can also get in clear anodize, if you want it to look closer to stainless or chrome. If you have one nearby, try a local sailboat rigger or boatyard - they might just have some spares laying around that they would let go cheap (or at least cheaper than ordering new).
Since the extrusion is an irregular shape and I couldn't use standard hardware to mount, I ran a holesaw through some 1x or 5/4 cedar, then jigsawed out the shape of the extrusion. Three countersunk stainless screws secure each one of these donuts to the walls. Strong enough to do chinups.
Here is what I have been doing for years for closet rods. 1 1/4 inch hardwood dowel. Inexpensive and solid. I put a white plastic shower curtain rod cover on it and it lasts forever.
Have a good day
CLiffy
I used a length of stainless aircraft cable attached to eye hooks with a small swivel at one end to allow tightening. Kind of an industrial look, I guess, but If I cared more I could have covered the hardware with escutcheons.
The only notable difference is the sound - quieter than a tube and kind of like a zipper.
Our tub has a one foot deep ledge at one end, so the rod had to be longer than standard and I had trouble with it bending and falling down. I ended up putting a length of steel pipe inside a PVC pipe (looks like about 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 outside diameter PVC pipe) and hung it from a closed pipe flange at one end and a U-shaped one at the other.
I didn't want to drill into the tile, so I took two cedar shingles and put one at each end and put the pipe flanges on those. My tub enclosure is tile only to about 8" from the ceiling, and the drywall above it is actually thicker than the tile. It looks like I just glued the shingles to the wall.
I seem to remember at one time I may have held the shingles to the tile with silicone and being tapered, may sort of wedge the rod in place. I think I had it that way for a while, but they may have slipped and so I moved them up. It doesn't look real elegant, but with the right shingle and painted, it may not look too bad.
I have used similar pipes or wooden dowels in PVC pipe for handrails on porches too. The hardest part is finding a good way to securely fasten them to the posts. I think it would work well for closet rods too.
I have a bamboo shower rod, about 2" diameter. matches the decor and strong.
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.