Make a Decorative Light Feature with PVC Pipe
This easy project will show you how to make a PVC pipe light feature that will be an accent piece in any room and provide ambient lighting.
11/11/2022
Making this decorative light feature is pretty simple and you can choose a design that complements your room decor, with the option to do curvy or geometric shapes to add something new to a room.
Living rooms sometimes need a little help with lighting and this arrangement of PVC pipes creates a stunning feature that brings decorative ambient light into the room. You can use long lengths of pipe for a floor-standing display, or smaller pieces of pipe if you want to place the decorative lighting on a shelf or table top.
Read on to find out how to make a decorative light feature using PVC pipe, an old lamp or LED battery-operated lights. You can leave the PVC pipes white, use a spray paint in a solid colour for the outside and use a contrasting or metallic spray paint on the inside.
The lighting source inside the PVC pipe can be an old lamp that you have lying around or no longer use, or you can replace this with remote controlled LED lights that are shown in our article 'DIY Wireless, Battery Operated LED Down Lighters.'
YOU WILL NEED:
Dremel Multitool plus cutting disk and sanding rings
PVC pipe, cut to the desired length - staggered heights works best
Old, wired lamp or battery-operated LED lamps with remote control
Ruler
Painter's tape
Permanent marker pen
Hot glue gun
OPTIONAL: Spray paint if you want to finish off the decorative lights
Clamps
Workbench or work table
Safety gear
HERE'S HOW:
Step 1
One each piece of PVC pipe, determine where you want the angled slit to be. Once this is decided, use a ruler and permanent marker to indicate the location and then place painter's tape along the marked lines. The painter's tape will help prevent chipping the edges of the pipe while cutting to give you a neat, clean edge.
GOOD TO KNOW: Clamp the PVC pipe firmly to a workbench or work table.
Step 2
Fit a cutting disk into your Dremel multitool and set on medium speed to cut along the drawn lines along the edge of the painter's tape.
Step 3
Remove the cutting disk and insert a fine sanding ring to smooth along the cut edges, as shown below.
Step 4
Use the sanding ring to create an indent for where the power cord will sit - if you are using an old lamp with the pipes.
Step 5
Insert the old lamp or position LED battery-operated lights inside the cylinder and secure these in place with a hot glue gun and glue sticks.
Optional Finishing
If you would prefer to give the PVC pipes a coat or two of paint, lightly sand the outside with 300-grit sandpaper before applying spray paint. A nice contrast is to paint the outside of the pipe in a solid colour and use metallic spray paint inside the pipe that will light up when switched on.