HomeMade Modern DIY Concrete Pendant Lamp

Designer lighting can be quite pricey. You can make yourself an entire set of stylish concrete pendant lights with a single bag of concrete mix and some old plastic bottles.

Step 1: Supplies + Tools

Quikrete 5000 Concrete Mix
Purchase at Home Depot
QUIKRETE® 5000 Concrete Mix is a commercial-grade blend of stone or gravel, sand and cement that's specially designed for strength. It is available at Home Depot and typically comes in 80lb. bags. The hardest part about working with it is moving the 80lb. bag. Mixing the small quantity needed for this project is easy – all you have to do is add water and stir thoroughly.

Electrical Stuff: Socket, Switch and Cord
Purchase Online at Grandbrass.com

Plastic Bottle
Reclaimed + Recycled
2-liter soda bottles and a thin water bottle work well.

Threaded Tube + Nuts
Purchase Online at Grandbrass.com
These threaded tubes are a common lamp part and can be purchased online or salvaged from an old lamp. I used a 3/8th inch diameter tube.

3 1/2" Deck Screw
I used a single deck screw to help hold the plastic bottles in place.

Box Cutter or Knife

RYOBI 18 Volt Cordless Drill with a 3/8th Diameter Standard Bit
For drilling holes in the caps.

Wire Cutters
To cut the cord and strip the wires for reconnecting the socket to the cord after putting the socket inside the lamp.

Step 2: Cut the Soda Bottle

Poke a hole in the soda bottle with a box cutter and use scissors to cut the bottom of the bottle.

Step 3: Drill a Hole in the Caps of the Soda Bottles

It's easier to drill a hole in the bottle caps when they are attached to the bottle. The hole should be just big enough to screw the metal tube through.

Step 4: Connect the Bottle Caps

Screw the tube through both caps and use nuts on either side of each cap to hold them in place.

Step 5: Screw the Bottles Into the Caps

Screw bottles into the connected caps.

Step 6: Use Deck Screws to Stabilize the Bottles

Step 7: Mix the Concrete and Fill the Mold

Use a large spoon to fill the mold. Shake and tap the mold after each spoonful to make sure the concrete settles.

Step 8: Remove the Bottles

I used a box cutter and scissors to remove the plastic bottle.

Optional Step: Cut back metal tube
I like the industrial look of the exposed metal, but you can cut off the excess metal with a hacksaw if you want.

Step 9: Sand and Wire Lamps

I used 120 grit sandpaper to smooth down the rough edges.

Cut the socket end of the wire and thread the cut end though the bolt hole. Strip the wires and twist them together. Cover the exposed metal with electrical tape or wire nuts and make sure the pendant is securely fastened.

Step 10: Finished!

Good luck making your own concrete pendant lamp, and please email or tweet photos to @benuyeda or [e-mail]. For more detailed instructions, dimensioned drawings and different variations of the project, check out our soon-to-be-released book.

Comments

[JumpingThrghHoops]

Thanks, looks pretty cool and there are a lot of creative and practical comments to customize to one's taste.

As for the weight, I have picked up a mass produced cement pendent and it was very heavy as people have found making their own pendents.

[mrbigbusiness]

Your instructions seemed to have skipped a pretty major step. It doesn't mention smoothing out the surface of the cement, where it will be the bottom of the hung pendant. You either need to work the surface of the wet cement, or do some sort of polishing/grinding on it once it's removed from the mold.

For those concerned with weight, you can add a bunch of vermiculite to the mix.

[adriank]

excellent idea, thank you very much

[jayeshshinai]

how effective would white cement be?

[makerthought]

I'd like to know what the white material is as well. Thanks.

[jgarton]

Just finished one! Looks great but.... It weighs a hefty 5.6 lbs

[askestubbe]

How did you remove the inner bottle or did you just leave there? Is that safe? Looks nice though.

[askestubbe]

How did you remove the inner bottle or did you just leave there? Is that safe? Looks nice though.

[110_Design]

I decided to go further and make an industrial inspired plywood base. It is not quite finished (still needs wiring). I used a plastic bucket with a round plastic container to make the inside. Don't have a plan of where to use it, but thought it would be fun weekend project (more with the curing of the concrete).

[omerfrydman]

What is the white material with the glossy finish in the last picture?

[godbacon]

Thermal mass to retain heat in the home.

[jgarton]

Marbles would be a great idea too. Should be wide enough to let light through. Going to try that next!

[rocketguy]

Broken glass is a great idea for an aggregate, but you'd need a lot of it to get light through, or chunks big enough to get stuck between the sides. Or pause your pour, and dump it in specific spots (but leaving enough empty to ensure strength at any particular level).

I used a glow-in-the-dark aggregate on my concrete floor (which is really stiff plastic, so as not to pop out) which could be really cool in conjunction with enough glass, but you'd probably need to stick it to the inside of the outer mold with 3M77 spray glue or something. Google AGT glow in the dark aggregate (I'm just a happy customer, no affiliation).

[dezinger]

or substitute cork granules for gravel, and cork powder for sand

[newflavour]

you could also make a 'hypertufa' mix instead of straight up concrete if weight was a concern.

[vincent7520]

Cool project.
Very nice too.
Of course I have doubts about weight !!
Why author doesn't answer ? All comments are nice !…

[vincent7520]

Cool project.
Very nice too.
Of course I have doubts about weight !!
Why author doesn't answer ? All comments are nice !…

[danzo321]

What does this fixture weigh? Wire is holding it.. wire must be strong enough to take it.

[danzo321]

Could add color to concrete, or by choice of aggregate, sand and cement, design the texture and color.

[danzo321]

Not strictly necessary i guess. You're avoiding the molded-in rings in the 2-liter, for sleek design, and giving up some length of the fixture by using the screws which you don't want making holes in the surface.