Making your own light fixtures would be a bit unusual since everyone else is just buying their lamps from the store. But that doesn’t mean you should be discouraged. Think of how much more interesting your light fixtures would be if you actually craft them yourself. Obviously you shouldn’t get carried away. Stick with the small things like a table lamp, a candle holder or a sconce. Some things are just too complex and difficult to even try at home.

Today we’ll look at projects that use concrete. We’ll start with an outdoor light fixture that’s not just functional but also good-looking. The hardest part about the project is actually making the mold. You can make it out of scrap plywood for example. The simpler your design is the easier it will be to get it out of the mold. Adding the wiring is not very simple either but still easy enough so anyone can do it. You can use styrofoam for this part. When you’re done with the mold and wires, pour the concrete mix in and move it around to make sure it gets in the corners. Let the concrete dry and then remove the mold. Sand the edges and add the lightbulb.{found on instructables}.

Let’s now move on to things you can use inside the house, such as the lamp featured on instructables. As usual, you’ll need to build a mold. Plywood would be a good option for this part but, of course, you can improvise with cardboard. The mold will be made of five pieces. Run the cord through and then pour the concrete mix in. let it dry, remove the mold and sand the edges. You can also paint the new pendant lamp.

Concrete lampshades are a bit too heavy to also be practical so a much better option would be to make a concrete base for your lamp. It’s pretty easy actually. You’ll need concrete mix, water, a cardboard box or anything similar you can use as a mold, copper piping, a light bulb, a lamp kit, adhesive bumpers and the necessary tools: a pipe cutter, a drill and a glue gun. You’ll find the instructions on brit.

Another very chic and cute-looking lamp with a DIY concrete base is featured on instructables. The project starts with a wooden board which is cut into five pieces. The pieces are assembled to make a mold. Then the wire and socket are added through a hole in the mold. The concrete is then poured into the mold and allowed to dry. From here it’s all really simple. Remove the mold and add the finishing touches.

As you can see, building a table lamp is pretty easy. The concrete base is really simple to make and for the rest of the lamp you can use copper pipes. You’ll find a detailed tutorial for such a project on look-what-i-made. The materials required include quick cement, a copper tube, a 45 degree copper tube connector, a cable with a plug, a lamp kit, a box, a drill and a screwdriver. There’s lots of room for customization.

Concrete can also be used to make some interesting-looking candle holders. For that you’ll need to have a look at the project featured on diyfunideas. To make something similar you’ll need empty paper towel rolls, cardboard, concrete mix and water, oil, tea light candles and a glue gun. Cut the paper towel rolls to the desired length and arrange them all on a piece of flat cardboard. Then pour concrete into the rolls and let it set. When it’s dry, remove the cardboard and put the tea light candles on top.