Shower Me with Pretty Thing: DIY Pipe and Drape

I actually got to share this project for the blog that I contribute to every month called Smitten By so for those that follow that awesome blog, I apologize for the re run. A popular item to rent from party rental places are pipe and drapes. They are commonly used for backdrops of receiving lines, buffet tables, ceremony sites, or just to hide any unpleasant piece of scenery. The cost to rent them however, can quickly drain your pocketbook and use up all allotted rental funds. At a local party rental place, the cost to rent one of these bad boys is approximately $100 for 10 feet. I don’t know why I never thought to make my own when I got married but when it was time to plan Laryssa’s shower and wedding, I was determined to make it myself and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. We decided to make 2 separate 10 foot pipe and drapes and the cost was around $70 for a total of 20 feet and that includes the drapes.
First step is to purchase all the pvc pipes and fittings. For 1 pipe and drape, you will need three 1 1/2 inch pvc pipes, one 1 inch pvc pipe, one 1 inch metal pipe, two 1 1/2 inch T fittings, four 1 1/2 inch elbows, and two 1 1/2 inch to 1 inch reducers. So if you want to do 2 of them, just double that.

*Not pictured are the 4 reducers. It was a last minute decision and I spaced on re-taking the picture*

Next step is to cut 2 of the 1 1/2 inch pipes down to size. These will be the 2 sides of the pipe and drape. Technically, you don’t have to cut them, but finding drapes that are longer than 10 feet will probably be a difficult task. I recommend cutting to 82 inches. That allows the 2 inches for the top pipe totaling 84 inches which is a very standard size for curtains. Make sure to measure and mark before cutting!Keep the left over pipe because we are going to use it for the back support.

Insert the side pole (7 foot) into a T fittingThen take the left over small piece and insert it into the back end of the T. Repeat these steps for the second side of the unit. Then take 2 elbow fittings and place them on each end of the small pipe.Once both elbows are on for either side, you can take one of the 10 foot 1 1/2 inch pipes and insert both ends into each elbow. This is what the back support that lays on the ground should look like. Now it’s time to glue in the reducers into the elbows for the top. We used Christy’s Red Hot Blue Glue
Slather your glue on the inside of the elbow and the outside of the reducer and push the reducer in the elbow as far as it will go.It was a good thing the Pops stopped by, I had a hard time pushing one of them in all the way and it’s a tad difficult taking a picture of something that requires both hands.
Insert the elbows with reducers on the top of each side pole.Now lay the whole unit down. The next step is to take the metal pipe and insert it into the 1 inch pvc pipe. The metal pipe provides stability and helps keep it from bowing at the top.Once the metal pipe is inserted, take the pipe and put each end into the top elbow with the reducers. Unless you have like super stretch arms or something, this next step will probably require 2 people. Pick the unit up off the ground and it should look like this. You will have to remove one side of the top pipe to put on your curtains and unless you’re the superstar of the NBA, or married to him, you’ll probably need a step stool.
At the last minute we tied some thing string from the top pole to the bottom pole and between each side poles just for some added stability. We also decided to make the 5lb weights that sit lonely in the corner of our closet feel useful and put those down on the back pole. I don’t think you can see the string in this picture, sorry!Now you are free to drape it however you want! In case you are wondering about curtains, we found them at Big Lots 2 panels for $5 and used 4 panels each. The fabric that we used to drape was borrowed from an awesome aunt of ours. We used some beautiful glitter tulle to wrap around both of the poles to hide them.We used satin to drape along the top and tied them up with silver sheer ribbon.We used the pipe and drape behind the food tables for Laryssa’s bridal shower and as the backdrop for the receiving line at her wedding. Between the large families and friends, I’m sure this thing will get used quite a bit. I already feel like we got our moneys worth out of it. If we had wanted to rent 20 feet of pipe and drape 2 separate times, it would have cost us around $400. My pocketbook would just have a heart attack if I did that to it so I’m very happy about spending $70 and getting as many uses as I want out of it. Good luck  making yours!