DIY: Photo backdrop stand, $10 and 10 minutes

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Written by Jen / Photography / February 20, 2017


I take a ton of pictures, not just of my children, but also for the blog. I’ve been in the process of setting up a home photography studio in the basement for the past few months. (My post here about how to set up a home studio on a budget has been hugely popular!).


I had ordered a number of vinyl photography backdrops from China and as they’ve arrived, I’d simply been taping them to the cinder block walls to use. However, this method was messy (talk about sticky tape everywhere) and since the wall is in the basement, it’s cold and the tape never stuck well. Enter the need for a better solution.

I’ve seen a lot of tutorials on how to DIY your own backdrop stand out of PVC pipe, so I grabbed my trusty notebook and drew up a quick sketch of what I’d need. Because my space in the basement is limited, I decided to go with a stand that was 54-inches wide and just over 60-inches tall. This is the perfect height for (smaller) kids like I have.

Supply list

(3) 10-foot 3/4-inch PVC pipe


(4) 3/4-inch PVC T-pieces


(2) 3/4-inch PVC elbows


(4) 3/4-inch PVC end caps


Note: It is very important that you get the slip-on end caps, t-pieces and elbows. They do sell threaded versions and those will not slide onto the PVC pipe.

Cut list

(2) 54-inch lengths – cut from first 10-foot pipe


(4) 30-inch lengths – cut from second 10-foot pipe


(4) 16-inch lengths – cut from last 10-foot pipe


You will have some leftover pipe. Home Depot only sells their 3/4-inch PVC pipe in 10-foot length, but if you’re shopping in a store that also sells 5-foot lengths, you could use a 5-foot pipe for the 16-inch cuts with less left over. You can use a miter saw, hacksaw or pipe cutter to cut the pieces yourself. Or, you can ask the nice guy in the plumbing isle at Home Depot if he will do it for you (free and quick)!

Assembling the stand

I went home and literally spent two minutes putting the pieces together. Start by attaching a 16-inch piece to one end of the t-piece. Add another 16-inch piece to the other end. Put end caps on both ends. Repeat. These are the legs to the stand. Next, connect a 30-inch piece to the leg stand and add another t-piece. Attach one more 30-inch piece and repeat for the other stand leg.

Using the two t-pieces in the center of the legs, connect one of the 54-inch pieces to each side of the stand legs. Using the two elbow pieces, add the remaining 54-inch piece to the top of the stand. That’s it!

This stand fits most of my smaller backdrops very well. You’re going to want some stand clamps to hold your backdrop in place. You can get them thru the link above or in the hardware section of your home improvement store. This stand is also the perfect size for twin sheets, which make easy and quick backdrops. You could also use curtains, home decor fabric or backdrop paper like this or these on the stand. Get creative!

I have a handful of 7×5-foot vinyl backdrops that are just a little too wide for this stand. (You can see one hanging over above). I am going to purchase two 7-foot lengths of 3/4-inch PVC pipe and simply swap out the 54-inch pieces when I want to use those. That’s the great thing about this stand, it’s totally collapsible and mobile and only takes a few minutes to pop together or take apart. And apart, it takes up hardly any space! So far, I’ve found it to be very sturdy, even with multiple backdrops clamped to it.

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