Shower Curtain Wall Art - Life Under Budget

What do you do with a small budget to decorate your home? You get creative!

It was so frustrating finding art for our large walls without breaking the bank. Plus, I couldn’t find anything I absolutely loved.

It wasn’t until I was looking online for shower curtains for our guest bathroom and saw plenty of pretty and interesting designs that caught my eye and peaked my curiosity.

It was time to put my DYI skills to the test and make a shower curtain work outside a bathroom!

Here’s how I did it . . .

Supplies:

Fabric Shower Curtain
Hand Saw
2 – 1” x 2” Lumber Cut To 65”
4 – 1” x 2” Lumber Cut To 63”
Electric Drill
1 ½” Wood Screws
¾” Drill Bit
Speed Square
Clamps
Staple Gun with Staples
2 – D Ring Picture Hangers
Picture Wire
Drywall Screw or Nail

Quick Tips Before Getting Started:

Buy a fabric shower curtain you love and make sure to iron the creases out. Most shower curtains are 72” x 72”. If you would like a smaller piece or the design on the curtain better fits a different size frame, adjust your lumber cuts accordingly. Be sure the new size adjustment will not cut off part of the image. When sizing down, don’t worry about extra fabric wrapped around the back of the frame, you can leave it and tack it up or cut off the excess. Also take into consideration the holes used to normally hang a shower curtain. Plan to ensure those holes will not show once the curtain is wrapped around the frame.

Pick Out The Lumber:

When choosing lumber make sure the lumber is straight or the frame will not end up square.

Cut lumber to size either by using a hand saw (like I did) or using a miter or circular saw.

*Some big box hardware stores will cut lumber for free.

Put The Frame Together:

Lay out the lumber on their 1” side with the two longer (65”) wood strips across the top and bottom. Also, lay down the shorter four (63”) wood strips on each side and two in the middle for support.

Now to fasten the frame together. For the first corner, use the speed square to make a 90 degree corner and clamp together. Make a pilot hole using the drill and ¾” bit. Double check the 90 degree corner with the speed square and fasten the corner together with the 1 ½” screw. Undo the clamp and repeat this step for the remaining 3 corners.

Once the corners are together, move on to securing the middle supports. With the supports evenly spaced, clamp them down and fasten them with the drill to the top and bottom portions. The middle supports create stability for the frame, helping to keep the frame square and the curtain from sagging.

Secure The Curtain To The Frame:

Place the shower curtain right side up on the frame and arrange the image to your liking. Secure the placement of the curtain to the top center of the frame with the staple gun so it will not move off center.

Turn the frame and curtain over so you are looking at the back of the curtain with the frame on top of it. Smooth the curtain to get all the wrinkles out from under the frame.

Next, secure the curtain to the frame starting in the center. With the staple gun, work your way around the frame stapling the curtain to the inside of the frame (the 2” side of the lumber) to hide the staples. Make sure the curtain is pulled tight and smooth as you staple, but not too tight that you warp your frame off square (like I did.)

Once you reach a corner, fold the curtain so that the corners are nice and smooth (think hospital corners.)

Repeat these steps for each side of the frame until you are finished.

Now It’s Time To Hang:

I used the contents of a picture hanging kit (2 D rings, picture wire, and a hanging nail.) With the D Rings, secure one to opposite sides of the back of the frame. Measure the distance from the top of the frame and repeat for the other side. D rings should be placed about 2/3rds from the top of the frame on each side and at 45 degrees upwards towards each other.

Once the D rings are in place, run the picture wire through one D ring and secure it. Find the middle of the frame and pull the wire to reach a distance of about 2 inches from the top of the frame. Hold the wire there and take it down the other side to the empty D ring leaving yourself about 5 inches of extra wire and cut. With the wire now through the second D ring, secure it so it doesn’t show above the frame when hung.