Dropcloth Curtains: The Farmhouse(ish) Hack You Can Do Today For Next To Nothing

Name one unnecessary yet impactful home decor item that tends to break the bank?

If you didn’t say ‘curtains’ then you didn’t read the title of this blog post, but that’s neither here nor there. Curtains tend to cost so much money, and most of the time we just use them for show… they don’t even serve a purpose!

So what if I told you that didn’t have to be the case? That one simple and easy farmhouse design hack could save you hundreds of dollars and help you achieve the beautiful look you’re going for?

Well, that’s exactly what I’m about to do! I’m all about a good DIY project. Especially one that can be done in less than an hour for less than $50.

I had been hearing tall tales of dropcloths being used as curtains for a while now. I’d even seen it done, but there was just something about it that didn’t sit right with me.

I felt like even if I tried it, people would be able to tell I hung up some cheap piece of fabric instead of getting real curtains.

That was my first (and last – thankfully) mistake I made with this project. Because what I discovered was it’s all in the way you hang them (and the brand you use) that can make or break your dropcloth curtain experience.

So without further ado, I’ll show you exactly how you can get that farmhouse dropcloth curtain look for next to nothing in way less time than you think!

DROPCLOTH CURTAINS: THE FARMHOUSE(ISH) HACK YOU CAN DO TODAY FOR NEXT TO NOTHING

You’ll want to start by measuring your window height to ensure you get a dropcloth that is the appropriate length. Keep in mind any additional length you want for folding over or bunching.

CHOOSING YOUR BRAND

Next, you’ll want to choose your brand. Now I’m not normally someone who focuses on a brand, but in the case of dropcloth curtains, I’m a bit of a snob.

My very favorite brand of dropcloth can be found at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s and is likely available online as well. All for a whopping $11 per cloth.

I know, I know… I said this would be a cheap tutorial (she said with sarcasm).

It’s the Medium Duty Canvas Dropcloth, size 6 feet x 9 feet, and it’s perfection. Not only is it the perfect size for my windows, but it’s the perfect greige color and weight.

My windows are 84 inches tall (or 7 feet). Depending on how tall your windows are, you might want a different size, but I knew I wanted a lot of overlapping and a good amount of bunching.

So I went with the 6 feet x 9 feet dropcloths to allow for 9 feet of height (7 feet + 3-4 inches to bunch on the floor, and the rest to fold over for an added layer).

DON’T FORGET YOUR CURTAIN RINGS!

You’ll also want to make sure you have enough curtain rings with clips for your project (unless you want to sew, then hats off to you!).

The rings with the clips will allow you to simply measure and fold over your drop cloths, then clip them to your dropcloth with zero headache of sewing a loop into your dropcloth (unless that’s your thing).

I get mine on Amazon and buy them in the packs of 40 (I use 10 rings per curtain panel, so 40 gets me two full windows or 4 panels).

These are my favorites — they’re 1.5 inches in diameter in a pretty antique bronze finish, but make sure you purchase rings that will fit on your curtain rods!

THROW THEM IN THE DRYER

Once you have your supplies in hand, take your dropcloths out of their packages and spray them with some water. I simply put water in an old spray bottle and made sure the cloths were damp. I then put them in the dryer on a wrinkle away setting.

I’m not a fan of ironing and wasn’t about to whip out the old ironing board for these! I waited until the curtains were still a touch damp and took them out of the dryer. This will allow the remainder of the wrinkles to fall out once they’re hung up!

FOLD THEM OVER AND CLIP THEM!

Next, you’ll want to lay your dropcloth flat and fold over the top according to your measurements (if you’re following this tutorial exactly, that means your 9 feet is your height and 6 feet is your width).

Then take 10 rings per 6 feet of length and evenly clip them onto the top of your curtains on the crease you made when you folded the top over.

Once that was done, I took my curtain rod and simply slid it through all the rings, making sure they were all facing the same direction, then hung them up!

NOW FOR THE METICULOUS PIECE

Once they were hung, I carefully folded the excess cloth in between each clip so it zig-zagged accordion style as I pushed the panels together and over to the side.

This creates that full, voluminous look that I was going for and adds more depth to the curtains. This is the main reason I left each panel 6 feet wide! If you’re not going for such a full look (like in my photos), you can always cut your drop cloths in half!

STEP BACK AND ADMIRE YOUR NEW CURTAINS!

Once I had all my folds just right, I spaced the rings out evenly on the curtain rods and stepped back to admire my new and improved curtains!

See? I told you it was easy! And the very best part is it doesn’t break the bank! For $11 per panel, you can experiment with this tutorial to figure out exactly how you want your curtains to look.

Not to mention, you can feel good about replacing them if they ever get stained or dingy. Which was a worry of mine for my nicer curtains having two little ones with grimy hands running around the house!

So what do you think? Think you’ll give it a try? Be sure to share and tag me @farmhouseish if you do!