Build a curtain
using $1 beach mats

Posted on April 30, 2006

After moving to a new apartment, the first order of business was to cover the bedroom window. The apartment did not come with any curtains, and I needed to sleep undisturbed in daylight.

I was also tired of standing naked behind an uncovered window.

Design

I designed the curtains using SketchUp. The mats would roll up on a wooden dowel. A string drives the dowel up and down, raising or lowering the the curtains. An anchor nailed to a wall keeps the string at a desired tension, stopping the curtains from rolling themselves down.

The anchor had two gaps for the string to go through. A string would need to bend twice through the anchor, preventing it from slipping off.

Construction

The mats were cheap; they were only $1 each. But other materials cost more.

I glued the mats to the dowel before applying varnish, as varnish will close pores on the wood needed for the glue to be effective.

Each curtain handle had two holes for screws to go through, which went into two pairs of drywall screw anchor.

Finish

This was actually an easy project. The curtains letting just a hint of sunlight through reminded me of houses on tropical beaches back in Malaysia. I liked them so much I had them hung in my new apartment, even though there wasn't a window behind it.