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DIY Copper Pipe Sliding Clothes Rod

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How to make a DIY copper pipe sliding clothes rod for your closet.

The beginning of 2018 was all about our new bedroom closet, as well as the brand new tiny powder room that we created out of a small bedroom closet. I was happy to have all of the big projects done, but one small detail was missing. I needed something in the new closet that would hold our wet, clean clothes so they could easily dry. My solution was to use a sliding clothes rod.

Copper pipe sliding clothes rod in small closet with bird wallpaper and a large graphic

I had the idea to put one in the closet way before we started the powder room construction. I just never got around to it.

Why did I need one?

Our laundry is in our unfinished basement so I’m always schlepping my delicates upstairs to hang them to dry. The problem is that we only have 3 tiny closets in the whole house. They’re all filled to the max right now so there’s no good place to hang them.

That’s where a sliding clothes rod comes into play. I thought it would be a good solution for hanging our wet wash.

I started looking but never pulled the trigger. The ones I found online seemed pretty pricey and they were way too short for my needs. There just wasn’t a lot of room to fit several hangers.

3 shirts hanging on copper pipe sliding clothes rod in small closet with bird wallpaper

Not finding what I wanted online, I decided to make my own custom rod.

A quick trip to the home improvement store and I came home with all the makings for a custom copper pipe sliding clothes rod. Some of the supplies I already had on hand, like the spray paint, wood screws and a 5′ piece of pipe, so it only cost me a few bucks for copper tube straps and a cap.

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Supplies to make a DIY copper pipe sliding clothes rod:

copper pipe, tube straps, end cap, wood screws and a box of washers on a butcher block countertop

Step #1

I knew that the wood screws and washers would be visible so I gave them a quick coat of copper spray paint. Once they were dry I was ready to start installing my sliding rod.

copper painted washers and screws in the palm of a hand

Step #2

The first thing we had to do was to determine the length of the rod. We did this by taking the measurement from the back wall of the closet to the outside trim.

Our measurement was 30″ so I used a pipe cutter to cut the copper pipe down to size. There may be a few sharp burrs on the cut end of your pipe but that’s easily fixed using a file.

cutting a copper pipe with a pipe cutter

Step #3

Next, I attached the copper tube cap on the end of the pipe that was going to be sticking out of the closet.

putting a copper tube cap on a copper pipe

Step #4

Mounting the copper tube straps was our next step. We screwed the first strap, the one closest to the outside of the closet, in place about an inch back from the front edge (with our copper painted wood screws).

The next strap installed was the one closest to the back of the closet. The goal was to make sure the pipe was supported when it was pulled out so we took half the distance of the pipe length (15″) and mounted that tube strap 15″ from the front strap.

You also want to make sure that the back tube strap is level with the front strap.

using drill to screw in copper painted screws in a closet

Next, we slid the copper pipe in the tube straps. Then we mounted 2 more straps between the the front and back strap. The straps were mounted equal distance between the front and back strap. They also need to be centered up and down so that the pipe could move freely.

After we mounted all the straps, we realized that the pipe was a little snug sliding in and out. To fix this we added spacers under the tube straps, which were our copper painted washers. We ended up using between 2 and 3 washers under each side of each strap.

clothes hanging on a DIY copper pipe sliding clothes rod in a closet

Step #5

Once the copper pipe was installed I found that it kept hitting the back wall when it was pushed in. My new wallpaper wouldn’t last long with a pipe hitting it, so I just added a small screw near the back wall. The screw was an easy fix, and it’s completely hidden from view.

drilling a screw into a wood board in a closet

With the addition of the screw, the pipe ended up sticking out of the closet and I couldn’t close the door. A quick trim with the pipe cutter and it fit perfectly.

screw in wood board by copper pipe

That’s it! A new sliding closet rod using a scrap piece of copper. It cost me under $15 and we were able to install it all in less than 30 minutes.

end of copper pipe sliding clothes rod in closet

DIY copper pipe sliding clothes rod in a closet

clothes hanging on an extended DIY copper pipe sliding clothes rod in a closet

Now I have plenty of space to hang my clothes to dry. I’ve also been using it to hang our clothes when we’re packing for a trip.

A win-win!

I’m still loving the wallpaper that we hung in this closet. If you want to see how easy it was to hang, you can check out the process here, (and I’ve included the wallpaper source).

 

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Comments

  4. Tracy

    I have said it before and I will say it again, and probably again. Brilliant! Your ideas are so clean, nice, and budget friendly. I adore your blog. One day I will get to do my ceilings like yours from your other home. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate all you do and share. Take care.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      You totally made my day, Tracy! Thanks so much for your sweet comment and for supporting Chatfield Court. I couldn’t do this without all of the support I get from such loyal readers, like you. 🙂

      Reply

  9. Debbie Halcomb

    How clever Christi. I could have used that idea in the last place I lived. I had to hang things on my shower rod. 🙁 Now I have a lot of closet room with a walk in closet in the master. I use the back rod for wet clothes, It is so convenient. I just move them from one rod to the other. Great idea.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Debbie! I’ve used a shower rod to hang clothes on too. We just couldn’t do it in this house. You always have to think out of the box when you live in a small old home. 😉

      Hope you are doing well.

      Reply

  10. jean l anderson

    I just bought something for my laundry that is in a closet that is not even close to be as cool as this
    is. How did you ever come up with it?????
    I’m putting one in our vacation home now that I’ve seen this.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Jean! I looked all over online for one and knew that I could probably create my own, and make it the size that was good for us. My local home improvement store never lets me down. 😉

      I’d love to see a pic if you put one in your vacation home. 🙂

      Reply

  13. MaryJean

    What a great idea! I have a hook that hangs over the door but when there’s nothing on it I hate the way it looks. This would be an easy solution. Definitely going to pin this for future. Surprised to hear you weren’t feeling well. I’ve been busy with other things and haven’t been checking my emails regularly. Glad to see your feeling better.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks MJ! I’ve been searching for a solution since we moved in. I wanted to just buy something and be done with it but I couldn’t find anything in the size that I needed. I’m happy with the way it turned out.

      Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you are doing well.

      Reply

  16. Brenda Lane

    Another great project! So glad you are feeling better and keep on keeping on. We all do don’t we? I can’t get in the “fall” mode yet because it is still in the 90’s here in Florida. So far I have a fall wreath on the door and a little arrangement on the coffee table.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Brenda!

      Nothing to do but to keep going, right? We’ve finally gotten fall weather here and it’s hit us in a big way. 40’s for the lows this weekend. Ugh…I’m so not ready for cold.

      Reply

  17. Pat M.

    Another great idea. You’re so good at coming up with simple solutions – and its also pretty, even with the door open. I really don’t need one since I have delicates hanging space in my laundry room, but I almost wish I did. 🙂

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Pat! I wish I had a pretty, and clean, laundry room that wasn’t in the dark and dirty basement. 😉 I’m happy with my new copper clothes rod though.

      Reply

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