Window Valances

I have a lot of people who have asked me how to make window valances, so today I'll show you how! Putting a window valance at the top of your curtains is a great way to add more color and pizazz to your room, and of course it does not need to cost a lot of money.


1 4 foot X 8 foot sheet of MDF costs around $20.00 but we did not use the entire sheet as you can see by the picture below. We wanted our valance to be fairly large, so we cut the MDF to be 15 inches wide and because of the size of the window we were building it for, it had to be 9 feet long. We used about 1/3 of the MDF sheet so this cost around $7.00.


Since the MDF sheet was only 8 feet long, my cute hubby configured a way to make the MDF longer by hooking it together with hardware.

We then used "L" brackets to attach 5 inches of MDF to each side to help it stick far enough off the wall for the curtain rod and curtains to have plenty of room. The total cost of hardware was around $3.00.


I wanted the valance to be unique, so I decided to use paintable wall paper that you can find at your local Lowes store. The wall paper comes in large rolls, and you can buy all sorts of patterns. This particular roll of wall paper cost me $16.00. The roll was 25 feet of wall paper, and we probably used 11 feet of it. This cost right around $7.00 worth of wall paper.

We followed the instructions on the packaging of the wall paper and went at it.


Then I stapled the wall paper in place on the back of the valance to hold it into place for good.
IMPORTANT: Let the valance dry over night before painting it.

I also didn't get a picture of the hubsters putting on the crown molding, but to customize the valance, he added a strip of crown across the top. I loved the look it created. Crown molding costs $1.20 a foot, and we needed 10 feet for this project. The cost for the crown molding was $12.00.

Next, I painted it brown. (with paint I already had sitting around) and I know you will all be SHOCKED by this, but I did NOT spray paint this! :) I rolled it on.
Then, I glazed it black. I wanted the brown to be deep and rich. Glazing it created just the look I was going for. It almost looks like leather. Love it.

Then we (when I say we, I mean he) installed the hardware for the curtain rod across the backside of the valance. We used a wooden dowel for the rod.

Here she is all ready to be hung.

Here she is all done. I love how it turned out, and the great thing is...you can make it your own by painting it whatever color will work in your house!
Total cost of valance: $29.00.
Sidenote: I also made the curtains with $1.00 a yard fabric from Home Fabrics. So, they were super cheap too!

Here is another picture of the entire space. I wish you could all see this in person, the pictures just aren't doing it any justice.

UPDATE: Would you like to see how we HUNG this window valance on the wall? Click HERE!