love unusual items interior? Looking for a lamp that fits modern interior loft style or minimalism? This tutorial will help you find a solution. It will take only two hours to make the original hanging lamp from ... concrete.
Basic materials
1. Cement and sand or finished cement mixture high level strength
Advice. If desired, you can use two or more mixtures of different colors to diversify the design of the lampshade. You can also use special colored dyes for concrete.
2. Wire with or without switch
Advice. It is worth paying attention to quality, do not forget that the cord must withstand the weight of the concrete lampshade. In order to be sure of reliability, you can additionally use a metal chain for hanging.
4. Tube with thread and nuts to it
Advice. These products can be bought at a lighting store or removed from an old electrical appliance.
5. Self-tapping screws
6. Two plastic bottles different diameter
Advice. Bottle larger diameter is selected based on the desired size of the lamp and its shape. good option can become an ordinary two-liter container. Keep in mind that the embossing on the bottle will also be printed on the outside of the lampshade.
Council. A bottle of smaller diameter should be without embossing. Its size must be chosen so that a cartridge with a lamp can be placed inside. The inner space of the lampshade should not be too narrow and long, so that you can later change the lamps without any problems.
9. Tin can (optional)
Tools
- Scissors
- wire cutters
- Small drill or screwdriver (optional)
- Small spatula for mixing concrete
- Hacksaw (optional)
- paper knife
Do not forget:
- container for mixing cement;
- cover the surface of the table;
- prepare a rag to wipe your hands and excess concrete.
After everything you need is prepared, you can get to work.
Step by step photo tutorial
1. Cut off the bottom of the larger bottle.
2. Drill with a drill or make holes in the covers in other ways. It is more convenient to work when the caps are on the bottles. Remember that the holes must be located strictly in the middle so that the thickness of the ceiling is the same on all sides. The hole must be large enough for the tube to pass through freely.
3. Attach the tube to the bottom bottle cap.
3. Attach the top bottle.
As a result, you should get something like this:
4. Fix on the sides of the bottle with self-tapping screws. This will avoid offsets.
5. Prepare concrete mix. Fill the form. While working, do not forget to shake the bottle to ensure a tight fit of the concrete. It can also be tamped with a stick.
Advice. If you want the surface of the luminaire to be smooth, use thick concrete. A liquid consistency will help create an unusual effect of a surface covered with shells.
Advice. To make pouring concrete more convenient, you can install the bottles on a tin (as shown in the photo below).
6. After the concrete is tamped, you can remove the screws and tamper again by pressing on the smaller bottle. Be careful not to shift the center. Form an edge.
Advice. The edge can be either smooth or asymmetrical.
7. After the concrete has partially dried (depending on the brand used), the bottles can be carefully removed. Do not forget that at this time the lampshade is fragile and easily damaged.
For the manufacture of original lamp with our own hands, we need:
1. Cement + sand.
2. electrical wire and cartridge
3. Plastic bottle from mineral water for 2 liters and thinner for 1 liter.
4. Tube with thread and nuts. This tube can be purchased at lighting stores, or obtained from an old chandelier.
5. Self-tapping screws
First, you need to pick up plastic bottles from mineral water or any other drinks. A 2 liter bottle will serve as an external form for the ceiling, so if the bottle has different embossings, they will be imprinted on the lamp. A 1 liter bottle must be chosen without embossing (smooth), but of such a diameter that an energy-saving lamp can fit inside.
After we have decided on the choice, we cut off the bottom of a 2-liter bottle.
Drill holes in the lids for the metal tube
Nut the covers on both sides to keep them in place. The distance between caps should be two times greater than the distance between the walls of the bottles.
Use self-tapping screws to secure the shape.
Prepare a cement mortar (ready-made cement-sand mixture or cement with sand in a ratio of 1: 2) and fill in the form. Concrete, in consistency, should be thick, then the surface of the lamp will be smooth. If the solution is more liquid, then many small shells will appear on the walls.
It is worth considering that when the solution is thicker, it may not fit tightly, and voids will form. Therefore, it is necessary to compact the solution with a stick after each filling. You can use improvised vibrating means (manual massager, etc.). After the solution is filled up and tamped, you can unscrew the screws and gently tamp again so that the center is not disturbed.
After the cement has dried (1 week in the shade), remove the bottles, but be careful as the cement is still brittle and easily damaged on the face.
Treat all edges of the lamp with sandpaper.
It remains only to connect the cartridge to the lamp. I want to note that hanging a ceiling on a wire is very risky, and sooner or later the wire can be crushed under weight. Therefore, I recommend using a decorative chain for hanging.
Decorative lamp handmade, ready to decorate the interior.
You can make two-color lamps. To do this, in different containers are prepared cement mortars from white and gray cement. After that, they are mixed with each other for a few seconds (but do not allow mixing to a uniform color), and poured into molds. Additionally, you can use colored dyes for concrete using marble from concrete technology, and make fancy patterns.
Good luck with your art.
The well-known concrete, it turns out, is not so prosaic as to be a sign of exceptionally dirty construction sites. This is a very artistic material, from which interesting crafts are obtained in skilled hands.
We are ready to confirm what has been said. We look at the photo, dear readers.
Rooms for houses
Such a cute thing can be placed in your garden (found on chezlarsoon).
Drawer handles
To make these things, you will, of course, need the concrete itself, screws and small cardboard boxes, for example, from under the light bulbs. It's very simple (found on projektila and signedbytina).
bottom for a vase
Not every interior is suitable for the depicted design. However, the novelty and remarkableness of the idea is no less than that (found on adailysomething).
Watch
The item is easy to make. Any shape and design. You just need to find a suitable mold, pour the solution into it. After it dries, the mechanism is attached (found on instructables).
Tablet stand
The basis of the product is a regular popcorn bucket.
Crafts in a frame
Concrete is great for small crafts. A mold, a solution, some time to dry, and now the original thing is in the hands. It can be decorated with a frame (found on skonahem).
Heart shaped pens
Hooks
Light bulbs-hooks - such a project is perhaps one of the most interesting. Why? Yes, because the idea of a new life for ordinary old things is always attractive in itself.
And the functional component of the craft is also significant. You can even hang quite heavy things on fixtures - a coat or raincoat (found on instructables).
Fridge magnets
An easy item to make. The key here is to push the magnet in before the concrete has completely set (found on athomeinlove).
Table numbers
The strength of the products is obvious. And after drying, they can be diversified with bright paint (found on loveandlavender).
Cutting board
The finishing touch when creating such a household item should be sanding to make the board perfectly smooth (found on adailysomething).
Candlesticks
An ordinary milk carton went into action (found on chezlarsson).
You can play with the shapes and sizes of products (found on inmyownstyle).
For creating original crafts absolutely any improvised means will be useful - coins, adhesive tape, plastic cups, baking dishes (found on sayyestohoboken, signepling and naver).
Used the bottom of a plastic bottle (found on ellasinspiration).
And then the master found a simple application tin can(found on monsterscircus).
With a little imagination, here's an original piece for you (found on nimidesign).
Concrete pots for plants
Items can be any shape, any color (found on ruffledblog).
Several triangles connected and made a pattern. And already on it they made such a piece of furniture (found on abeautifulmess).
And again, an ordinary plastic bottle inspires the creation of a cute contraption. Convenient in that you can vary the height of the product (found on handmadecharlotte).
Flowers in concrete! Yes, even stylish asymmetry in execution. Such a trinket is good as a gift (found on the site).
And here are examples of symmetrical pots of all shapes and sizes. Looks nice, very modern.
concrete lamps
Another one bright idea. When the shape for the base of the lamp is selected, then you just need to be patient. You will have to wait a little while the solution hardens (found on pastill).
Concrete is great for decorating lighting fixtures. It is durable and stable. In addition, with the design there is an opportunity to experiment to your heart's content, casting exactly the shape you want (found on the site).
All you need for this lamp is a balloon. Then do not forget to make holes for the wires and smooth the surface with a sponge (found on elinsvra).
A lampshade of this shape will look good in the kitchen. It can be painted in your favorite color (found on esmeraldas).
Concrete and plastic bottle are just made for each other. So many interesting options. The bottle is also advantageous in that it is convenient to output wires through the neck (found on brit).
Designers have increasingly begun to use concrete as a material for creating lamps and chandeliers. Despite the heavy weight and coldness, such concrete products are suitable for any interior. To do this, it is enough to give the cement a suitable shape, decorate it gracefully, paint it in the color of gold, silver or copper. With some skills and knowledge, you can create cement lamps with your own hands. This will require a minimum of materials and time. Below are some notable ways.
Light fixture made of cement with package application
To create an original lamp you will need:
- a milk carton to create formwork;
- plastic bottle for attaching a light bulb;
- dry mix of cement to create a suitable shape.
Size cardboard box is of no fundamental importance. It all depends on what size the lamp should be. It is important that the bag is waterproof, as excess moisture concrete loses strength characteristics. The folded edges of the box must be cut off and a plastic bottle placed in it. The structure should be fixed with bolts that are threaded into the holes previously made with a nail or screwdriver. To maintain the water tightness of the bag, the joints should be lubricated with sealant. like this in a simple way a mold is being prepared for pouring concrete.
The dry mixture should be diluted with water according to the instructions on the package in which it is sold. It is important not to pour excess water here. The density of the filling should be similar to cookie dough. It is recommended to add water in portions so that each particle of cement gets wet. The finished mixture must be thoroughly mixed twice. When the desired consistency is reached, the prepared form is filled. In the process of laying out concrete, it is important to compress it well so that voids do not form. At the end, you should shake the future lamp well. These actions will remove residual air.
Used utensils, tools should be immediately cleaned and thoroughly washed from concrete. Otherwise, everything will have to be thrown away when the mixture hardens. The finished form is left for two days, as the concrete needs to set. Then the packaging is removed and the bolt is unscrewed. To make concrete lamps look original, and the light was more diffused, you can drill several holes in them. A cartridge with a light bulb is inserted into the prepared form from a plastic bottle, the wires are connected to the switch, and the product itself is suspended from the ceiling or wall.
Lamp using a bottle (hanging)
Making a lamp out of concrete using a bottle. Other, no less interesting, are suspended concrete lighting. Products are easily made by hand. This will require a strong cement-sand mixture with stone or gravel as a filler, a small amount of water, an outlet, a cord, a switch, wood screws, two plastic bottles different size, lampholder, auxiliary tool in the form of a knife, drill, threaded tube.
At the first stage, bottles are prepared. Their bottom is cut off, holes for a threaded tube are drilled. The cartridge is fixed with nuts and self-tapping screws on both sides. In this way, a form is prepared for a concrete lamp. After that, you can start mixing the cement-sand mixture. When the mixture is ready, fill the mold with a spoon, squeezing lightly from the edges. This is done in order to release unnecessary air and evenly distribute the mixture.
After the concrete has hardened, the plastic is cut off with a knife, and the screws are removed. Since the concrete will have a rough shape, it is recommended to sand its surface sandpaper with a grain size of 120. At the last stage, a cord is connected through a metal tube to the cartridge and to the switch. In the end, it is important to check the fasteners well so that they can withstand a significant weight of concrete. In this way, concrete lamps for the ceiling are made.
Concrete lighting fixtures for the garden look very good. They fulfill not only the main purpose, but perfectly decorate the space. They are quite easy to do with your own hands, just follow the instructions below.
At the first stage, formwork should be made from plywood sheet 1.2 cm thick. It is important to design the form so that it is easy to disassemble at the end. It is recommended to open the components of the form with varnish. This will help in the future to separate it from the hardened concrete without damage. If the formwork is repeatedly varnished, the finished concrete lanterns will acquire an appropriate shimmering sheen.
At the second stage, it is important to carefully consider the method of wiring. Two versions are offered:
- Use as internal formwork corrugated pipe from plastic.
- Making a shape for a wire from pieces of foam.
The second method is more acceptable, since the weight of the lantern is reduced and cement is saved. You can connect the foam to each other special glue. After the concrete has hardened, the material is easily separated. If pieces remain in hard-to-reach places, it is always possible to use acetone. As a solvent, it easily corrodes the foam.
Formwork for a lamp from a milk carton. At the third stage, the internal formwork is created. For its manufacture, plywood or cardboard is used. It is important that the wall thickness is greater than 2.5 cm. It is recommended to use a trapezoid as a shape. Such formwork is easier to remove, especially if the walls are pre-treated with oil. Styrofoam grooves for the wire are laid in the opening.
The cement mixture can be prepared from a ready-made dry mixture, but it is allowed self-cooking composition. For the second method, it is recommended to use M500 cement in a ratio of 1: 3 to sand. As an additive, gravel or granite chips are used. One part of such a filler is enough. Water should be added until the mixture is neither too dry nor too wet, with the consistency of cookie dough. This will be the fourth stage.
At the fifth stage, the formwork is filled with the finished mixture. To do this, first the cement is placed in hard-to-reach places so that the edges of the lamp are even and smooth. Then the rest of the formwork is filled. To do this, it is recommended to use vibration, with the help of which the mixture fits more tightly into the mold.
So that water does not come out of the concrete, and it gains strength, after pouring and ramming it must be covered plastic wrap. In this form, the future lamp is left for at least three days. However, it is recommended to withstand more time so that the cement is sufficiently strong. After the exposure time, the formwork is removed, the finished surface is polished and a light is connected.
IN Lately Concrete has become a popular and fashionable addition to interiors. As an element of decor, it entered the design with the loft style in the 50s of the last century. Today, concrete can be used to make tables, dishes, chairs, furniture fronts, sinks and much more. In this article, we'll show you how to do table lamp from concrete with their own hands.
What is concrete?
Concrete is an environmentally friendly product that can be recycled and reused. The recipe for making concrete is quite simple. All you need is cement, gravel, sand and water. The exact ratio of all components of the solution is very important, since the strength of future products depends on this. The main component of the concrete mixture is cement. When choosing its brand, you should determine the level of load and the impact of external destructive factors.
Photo: do-it-yourself concrete lamp
Pay attention to the water that you will add to the concrete mix. If it contains components that violate the structure of concrete, it is better to refuse it. River or lake water is ideal. Speaking about the ratio of proportions, they can be viewed at reverse side packaging. Remember that such a ratio is rather conditional, therefore, without exact calculations, an unexpected result may turn out.
Do-it-yourself loft-style concrete lamps at home
To create a concrete lamp with your own hands at home, it is best to use decorative concrete. The composition of such concrete includes natural ingredients, so it is safe for health. In addition, decorative concrete allows you to imitate various coatings: wood, stone, decorative tiles, brick and more.
No matter what kind of concrete you use, it is recommended to sift it before mixing. In this case, it is important to use a construction mask that will protect the respiratory tract from harmful dust.
What do you need to make a loft lamp with your own hands?
Concrete is perfect for implementation creative ideas. Despite the coldness of the material, such products bring comfort, warmth and complement any style of interior. Concrete can also be combined with other materials. In the manufacture of a concrete lamp, you can give any color using special dyes for concrete.
The main advantage of concrete is naturalness and environmental friendliness. You can easily make it yourself, without using any special materials, tools and accessories.
How to make a table lamp with your own hands? You will need:
- strong cement-sand mixture;
- drill;
- cord;
- lamp holder;
- threaded tube;
- two plastic bottles of different sizes;
- wood screws.
The first thing to do is prepare the bottles. To do this, cut the bottom and drill holes in the bottle caps. The size of the hole must be such that the threaded tube can be inserted. Then insert the tube into the holes obtained and fix its position with the nuts. Screw the resulting design onto the bottles. Use self-tapping screws to stabilize the bottles. In this way, a form is prepared for a concrete lamp.
Now you can start mixing concrete. The main thing is not to overdo it with water. The mixture should resemble cookie dough. Mix it thoroughly so that each grain of the mixture is wet. Remember that all concrete work must be done with gloves, as concrete dries the skin a lot, and concrete dust is not removed from the lungs.
Lay out the resulting concrete form. Use a large spoon to fill the mold. Shake and squeeze the bottle a little after each scoop to make sure the mixture is evenly distributed. Shake well at the end. This will help remove excess bubbles.
Do not forget to immediately wash the dishes in which you knead the concrete. Otherwise, it will quickly seize, and it will be extremely difficult to remove it.
After a couple of days, as soon as the concrete hardens, you can cut off the plastic bottles with a knife and remove the screws. Since the concrete will be rough, it is best to sand the surface with 120 grit sandpaper.
The last step is to connect the cord through the metal tube to the socket and switch. Make sure the lamp is well anchored so that the fixtures can support the significant weight of the concrete.
