DIY Outdoor Solar Rope Lamp
by
Maria L
5 Materials
1 Hour
Easy
We forever wanted some solar lamps on our back porch, but they can be very expensive.
I am always looking for ways to re-purpose things that I already have at home. That was the case with this lamp. Didn't cost me a dime to create! :)
I am always looking for ways to re-purpose things that I already have at home. That was the case with this lamp. Didn't cost me a dime to create! :)
I have a set of two very old ceramic lamps. When I say old, I mean they have been with us for about twenty years. They used to sit in our family room sooo long ago and they have been in my storage closet this whole time.
I almost donated them once or twice. Glad I didn't, since I figured out how to turn them into solar lighting for our porch.
First thing I did was to remove the wiring. To cover the lamp I used 3-ply manila rope I had in the garage. For this size lamp I used about 75 feet of rope.
I did start gluing the rope to the lamp from the bottom using E6000 craft glue, but it didn't work very well, so I decided to just use the hot glue gun and it worked beautifully.
Continue wrapping the rope around the lamp upwards, securing it with the hot glue every couple of inches.
It took me about 30 minutes to wrap the base.
When the base of the lamp was finished, I cut the spike that came with the solar light in half and placed it inside the socket.
Mine was a little wobbly so, to secure it, I just used a little piece of batting which I wrapped around the base of the light to make fit really tight.
I used the original shade, but I will change it eventually.
And that's it! You now have an outdoor solar lamp.
And it is fun to watch it light up by itself as the evening arrives and the sun starts going down. I just love the ambiance it gave to the porch.
Did I mentioned this project earned me a feature on Woman's World Magazine? It was so exciting! Hope this post gives you the inspiration to create your own solar lighting.
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Comments
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2 of 222 comments
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Love this lamp and the ambiance light it will give off. Looking forward to creating one or two. Thank you so much for sharing. ♥️👍️♥️
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Can't wait to try this!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How does it charge up if it's no in the sunlight?
I tried something like this but the rope got moldy. What am I doing wrong? I live in a humid area. Thanks for any input!
Have used your idea on an old bedside lamp (shaped just like yours). It looks great. Have just one question: how did you get the solar light to fit between the lamp harp??