PVC Pipe Lights
10 Materials
$20-55
5 Hours
Medium
Who doesn't love a good lamp to add some soft light to a room? These PVC pipe lights not only add a nice glow, but cast beautiful shapes around them and add a nice touch of character too! You can carve the shapes of your choice into a piece of PVC pipe and add a touch light inside for a simple and mobile light design. These lights are extremely customizable and easy to place anywhere in the house! We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
SUPPLIES: -Hacksaw -Sharpie -Small Battery Powered Lights (can get stick-on lights) -Sticky sided Velcro Dots -Wen Rotary Tool -PVC pipes in diameter of your choice -Sander / Sanding block -X-Acto Knife (not pictured above)
STEP 1: Make your PVC pipes look white and bright Grab a sander and sand off all the words and print on the PVC pipes.
STEP 2: Cut your pipes Use a hacksaw to cut your pipes to the desired height you would like your lamp or lamps to be. I cut each of the pipes in different heights so that they would have a nice variety.
STEP 3: Make it smooth Use your sander to sand down the rough edges on the ends you just cut.
STEP 4: Draw out your design Take a fine point sharpie and draw whatever design you would like to cut out of your pipe.
STEP 5: Carve out your design Grab your rotary tool and an appropriate carving tip for the shape you are looking to create and carve it out slowly. I found that the diamond encrusted burrs worked well to get through the plastic and create pretty precise lines. I then used a small grinding stone accessory to sand down any lumpy areas. This is the time consuming part of this project, but it is pretty therapeutic.
STEP 6: Clean up the design Grab an X-Acto knife and use it to cut away any flaps of plastic that are still hanging on from the shapes you cut out. This just helps clean up the holes and give them a nice smooth finish. Also take time to dust off any shavings from the pipe so it is nice and clean.
STEP 7: Stick velcro onto your lights Take some sticky sided velcro dots and place one side on the bottom of your battery powered lights. I love these little sticky circles, especially since they're so small and can fit anywhere. (*You can also buy stick lights, but I had these lights on hand and knew they were small enough to fit into even the smallest of pipes)
STEP 8: Attach your lights to the PVC pipe Place the other side of the velcro dot on the inside of your designed pipe and attach the light to it.
Now arrange your lights as you wish and enjoy!
Honestly these things look great whether you make just one or lots of them! I do like the effect of varying heights though.
I wanted to show you how great the light they were casting around them looked! The ones where I placed the cuts toward the top didn't cast shapes in quite the same manner, but if in a dark room and close to a wall they should do the same.
I think they look pretty fun even when they aren't lit up, but they really do come alive all illuminated.
I don't know where to place these in my house yet, but I may give them away considering they are so convenient being battery powered and all.
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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2 of 260 comments
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I'm just considering starting to do these types of projects to keep busy. This one looks very enticing.
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Good idea and good project.
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what is thickness of pipe?
What an amazing idea. You just gave me the solution to my outdoor patio candles. I will add a lid to prevent the water from leaking in.
Please give suggestions to make for outdoor use. Solar?